SMART MINING: JOINT MODEL FOR PARAMETRIZATION OF COAL EXCAVATION PROCESS BASED ON ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS

In the present paper we propose a new artificial neural network model for the estimation of coal cutting resistance and excavator performance as a nonlinear relationship between the examined input (excavator movement angle in the left and right direction, slice height and thickness, coal unit weight, compressive and shear strength) and output factors (excavator effective capacity, maximum current/power/force/energy consumption, linear and areal cutting resistance). We analyze the dataset collected from three open-pit coal mines in Serbia: Field D, Tamnava Eastern Field and Tamnava Western Field (all part of the Kolubara coal basin). The model is developed using a multilayer feed-forward neural network, with a Levenberg-Marquardt learning algorithm. Results of the preformed analysis indicate satisfying statistical accuracyof the developed model (R>0.9). Additionally, we analyze the individual effects of input factors on the properties of coal cutting resistance and performance of the excavator, by invokling the multiple linear regression. As a result, we single out the statististically significant and physically possible interactions between the individual controlling factors