====ARDI Longwall User Documentation====

This [[welcome|program]] provides a number of simple, animated displays that help show the status of our //longwall mine demo// system.

===Longwall Mine Introduction===

Coal seams tend to be wide and thin - in some cases only being a few meters high. To mine them effectively, you need to be able to cut across a wide path.

Longwall mines are made up of many (usually more than 100) **Roof Supports** - machines that hold up the roof. These are connected together to form a continuous line.

Each support has numerous sensors, giving indications of how much pressure they're applying to the roof, their orientation and alignment etc. You can see an example [[https://demo.optrix.com.au/s/long/dashboard/45|here]].

Each support also includes a section of the //pan line// - a combination rail-line and conveyor system.


{{Longwall Basics.png}}


The **Shearer** is a machine that runs up and down this line, mining the face as it moves. After the shearer passes, the roof supports 'advance' by dropping down off the roof and pulling themselves forwards - letting the longwall 'walk' forward into the seam so the shearer can cut more product.

===The Available Views===

Our application offers four main views.

[[Bar Charts]] \\
[[Mine Face]] \\
[[Face Maps]] \\
[[Shearer Maps]]