Heavy Mining Machinery and Intelligent Control Systems Research at Missouri S&T

Missouri S&T is advancing cutting edge research initiatives in heavy mining machinery and intelligent control systems. Heavy machinery problems have become critical in the production of strategic and critical minerals and materials for technological advances in manufacturing, construction, defence, health, energy, agriculture and transportation applications. Current operations use large-capacity and capital-intensive production equipment. Higher energy costs, tougher environments and high production targets create acute problems that must be addressed to achieve higher machine availability, reliability and maintainability. Current research includes (i) formation excavation science and engineering; (ii) machine dynamics, fracture and fatigue failure; (iii) coupled thermo-mechanical stress simulation of ultralarge truck tires; (iv) DEM modelling of formation microstructures; (v) machine vision and dynamics control; (v) machine and whole-body vibrations; (vi) machine-road interactions and design; and (vii) mine safety, health and hazards engineering.