An Experiment Study of the Propagation of Radio Waves in a Scaled Model of Long-Wall Coal Mining Tunnels

A long-wall coal mining tunnel is the most important working area in a coal mine. It has long been realized that radio communications can improve both productivity and safety in this dangerous area. Hence, many attempts to use radio communications in such an environment have been made. Unfortunately, no radio system has satisfactorily provided communication services there, which, we believe, is partially due to poor understanding of the propagation characteristics of radio waves in the long-wall mining tunnel. To have deeper physical insight into the propagation problem, a scaled model of the long-wall mining tunnel was built, and the propagation characteristics of UHF radio waves were measured. The experiment and the measured results are presented and discussed.