Ripping

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 21st Year

Issue

Issue No.

8

Date Released

Apr 1968

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1National Preview - Eggheads Only
2. 2Lancashire - Co-ordinate
3. 3Nottinghamshire - Coal Grown
4. 4Ripping

Story

Story No. within this Issue

4 / 4

Summary

NoS synopsis: New techniques and new machines make it possible for mine roadways to keep up with the fast advance of the coal-face.
NCB Commentary - Roadways in mines have to be driven forward all the time - faster than ever today to keep up with the power-loaders that win more than 90% of our coal on the faces. They call it ripping.
It’s a tough, back breaking, job, and it can be costly in valuable manpower.
But there are machines to do the work - and in many mines they could speed the job, and make it easier.
At Barrow Colliery, in Yorkshire ...
But conditions underground have to be right. You can run into problems where hard rock is mixed with soft, or where the strata is faulted. So it’s wise to get a geologist’s advice when considering whether a ripping machine could be useful.
There’s a lot to talk over before deciding: the system of mining, the rate of advance, geology, economic considerations. With the technical advice at his elbow, the mine manager can decide.
In this case, at Kiveton Park Colliery, a machine went in - one of the four models available.
Picks mounted on an oscillating beam tear into the rock.
The ripping machine loads away its own spoil. Or the broken rock can be taken away for building extra support on the coalface.
Shotfiring is eliminated, and the smooth new roadway is easier to ventilate and a lot stronger than a road driven by conventional means. Fast, safe advance of roadways is a vital adjunct to modern mining on the face.

Keywords

Mining

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases
Films on Coal Catalogue   1969, p.55
The National Archives COAL 32   /13 Scripts for Mining Review, 1960-1963

Credits:

Sponsor

National Coal Board

Production Co.

National Coal Board Film Unit