Mining Feature: NIOSH Donates Equipment Used in Mining Research to Local Museum

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

U.S. Bureau of Mines researcher testing the Joy 14CM equipped with positioning sensors underground

Following a donation from NIOSH, the public now has a chance to see historic mining research equipment in person.

In the 1990s, the U.S. Bureau of Mines purchased a remote-controlled Joy 14CM continuous mining machine to conduct automation and robotics research. NIOSH went on to use the machine at its mining research campus near Pittsburgh, PA, to develop and test a variety of mine safety and health solutions, including noise control technologies and proximity detection systems. After nearly 30 years, however, the machine’s technology is out of date, and the continuous miner cannot be used for future research projects.

Fortunately, NIOSH was able to donate the continuous miner to the American Industrial Mining Company Museum, where it will be preserved and used for educational demonstrations at community exhibits. In addition to the continuous miner, NIOSH donated a mine escape vehicle, a mining scoop, and early 20th century mining carts that were also used in past research projects.