An arcwall machine is a piece of underground mining equipment used to cut a horizontal slot into the coal face. Its cutter bar pivots in a semi-circle from a fixed base, undercutting or overcutting the seam so the coal can be blasted down easily. It was a major step up from manual pick work in room-and-pillar operations.
Heard on the job
We need the arcwall machine in room four to undercut the face before the shotfirer gets here.
Also heard as
- arcwall coalcutter
Related terms
Undercutter
A mechanized coal-cutting machine that slices a horizontal slot at the base of a seam.
Overcutter
A mining machine designed to cut a horizontal slot along the top of a coal seam.
Room and pillar
An underground mining method where material is extracted across a horizontal plane, leaving blocks of ore to support the roof.