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Current issue 02_2016

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Andreas-Peter Sitte
(Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf)

Editorial

Research generally relies on having its work published if it is to attract attention and have its results more widely discussed. We want to do our bit in this respect by using Mining Report Glückauf as a forum for the mining research institutes and, more particularly, for the mining universities. For this reason papers on university-based mining research can, as of now, be downloaded in full and free of charge via open access on the Mining Report Glückauf website. This facility, which will apply with retroactive effect to all papers of this kind published since the beginning of 2015, will, moreover, help revive the tradition of the research journals that used to be part of the Glückauf family of publications.

From 11 to 17 April Munich will again be playing host to the world’s largest trade fair for construction equipment, bauma 2016. The event is set to attract quite a number of German mining equipment suppliers, who will be showcasing their products in the open-air area and in halls B2 (mineral preparation) and C2, as well as at various trade stands. North Rhine-Westphalia will be represented on a large joint stand in hall C2, which will also have a Mining Report Glückauf desk where show-goers can pick up the latest copy of the magazine along with a special ‘bauma’ edition.

This year’s bauma is being held at a time when the mining and raw materials extraction industries are in deep crisis and this is naturally affecting the business operations of the equipment suppliers. By assessing developments in the international mining market we hope that we can give the industry some grounds for viewing the future in a more optimistic light. As is customary at this time of the year, the global subject matter of this latest issue is complemented by a review of the German coal market in 2015.

In the ore production sector the increasing transition from surface to deep mining, with underground mines now achieving the same levels of production as large-scale surface installations, is imposing a new set of demands, especially on loading and transport technology. Research aimed at improving the reliability and efficiency of operating processes below ground is currently being carried out by manufacturers and universities alike. In this connection the present edition of Mining Report Glückauf describes the investigations that have been conducted into the underlying causes of corrosion on face conveyor chains and examines the measures being employed to mitigate the effects of gas outbursts and to optimise mine pumping and dewatering.

And finally, we have to mention another university with an anniversary to celebrate. Last year Freiberg University of Mining and Technology held a series of events to commemorate its 250th birthday. This year it is the turn of the TFH Georg Agricola University of Applied Sciences in Bochum/Germany, which was first founded exactly 200 years ago.

With my best regards

Dipl.-Ing. Andreas-Peter Sitte
Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf, Herne