Double slot wire saw mining method and apparatus

摘要

The invention relates to a double slot wire sawing machine and to a method of mining using the machine. The machine has a mobile chassis with a driving arrangement for simultaneously and independently driving two separate wire saws which each cut their own slot in the material being mined. The driving arrangement maintains one wire saw directly over the other by equalizing the tensions in the wire saws at the commencement of a cutting operation and, during cutting, by varying the respective wire saw speeds.