The relationship between coal crushing and track condition on a heavy haul railway line

Abstract

South Africa is currently the seventh largest coal-producing country in the world, and annually roughly 70 million tons of coal (for export) are transported across the country by means of heavy haul train operations. Coal is used worldwide in a number of diff erent applications, and each application demands a coal sample with very specifi c chemical, geological and physical properties. Chemical and geological properties of coal have been studied intensively over the last few decades, with physical properties – although important – rarely being included in these studies.