A new approach to coal interface detection: the in-seam seismic technique

A novel approach to detecting coal/roof and coal/floor interfaces during mining operations is presented that is based on a seismic acquisition method integrated with various signal processing techniques. Seismic transducers (accelerometers) are affixed to the roof, coal, and floor at a certain distance from the mining machine. Unique seismic signals are generated during mining, depending on which stratum is being cut. A discriminator extracts and stores mathematical parameters which are characteristic to the signals in the form of an adaptive learning network (ALN). The system is initially trained to recognize three cases by intentionally cutting reference samples of roof, coal, and floor. The computer uses the ALN to tell where unknown signals associated with the mining process originate. Via a feedback loop, the computer has potential for keeping the machine in the coal seam