Theexactdateofman’sfirstuseofcoalislostinantiquity.Thediscoverythatcertainblackrockwouldburnwasundoubtedlyaccidentalandprobablyoccurredindependentlyandmanytimesintheworldoverthousandsofyears.Itisquitelikelythattheseindependentdiscoveriesweremadewhenprimitivemanchancedtobuildcampfiresonexposedledgesofablackrock,thenwasamazedwhenitcaughtfire.TheChineserecordedtheuseofcoal1,100yearsbeforetheChristianEra.InWales,thereisevidencethattheBronzeAgepeopleusedcoalforfuneralpyres,anditisknownthattheRomansusedthisfuel.Thereareotherancientreferences.However,practicalandconsistentuseofcoalseemstodatetoEnglandintheMiddleAges.However,thefirstrecordeddiscoveryofcoal,inwhatisnowUS,wasbyFrenchexplorers,whoreportedanoutcropexposureontheIllinoisRiverin1679.ThefirstrecordedactualusagewasinVirginiain1702tousecoalforaFrenchsettler’sforge.Earliestrecordedcommercialminingwasin1750,fromtheJamesRivercoalfieldnearRichmond,VA,adepositnowabandoned.Besideslocalconsumptionfromthisfield,shipmentsweremadetoPhiladelphia,NewYork,andBoston.hewedbyhandfromthesolidbedbyuseofpickandbarshoveledintobaskets,boxes,orwheelbarrowsanddraggedbymen,orwomentothefootofashaft(竖井)Later,carsweredevelopedbutstilldrawnoverwoodplankbyhumansAstimewenton,ironstraps,therails,wereusedforthecarswhilemules,ponies,orhorsesdidthepullingGradually,blackpowderwasintroducedtoblastdownthecoal,butundercutting,sidecutting,anddrillingwerestilldonebyhand.Duringthelate1700sand1800s,anumberofbasicdevelopmentsgreatlyaidedtheminingofcoal.firststeamenginepumpwaterfromcoalminesgodeeperfirstrailtransportationfirststeamlocomotivefirstelectriclocomotiveundergroundusePunchingmachinesandchain-typecuttersforunderminingthecoalseam.LongwallminingwasusedhereandthereintheUSuntilabout1910.Noncompetitivewithroom-and-pillarmethodsinthickerseamsDominantinEuropeandAsiabecauseofthincoalanddepthofcoverDuringWorldWallII,theGermansdevelopedthelongwallscraper(铲土机)forcontinuousloadingontoachainconveyor(传送机)attheface.Thiswasfollowedbyvarioustypesofshearingmachines(剪切机)developedinseveralcountries.However,themostimportantdevelopmentwasinhydraulic,self-propelledroofjacksandchocksthatgreatlyreducedthemanpowerformerlyrequiredtosetandresetindividualjacksandtobuildcribsbyhand.Surfacemining(地表采矿)wastheearliestmethodofextractingcoal.Itconsistedofrecoveringcoalexposedinstreambedsandvisibleoutcropswithzerotoafewfeetofloosedirtcover.Underdeepercoverandunderrockthecheapestmethod-infacttheonlymeansofrecoveryatfirst-wasbyundergroundmining,sosurfacedevelopmentswereinsignificantuntilabout1910,although,hereandthere,slipandcartscrapersdrawnbymuleswereusedtoaverysmallextent.FormfromaccumulationsofplantmaterialGeologicalConditions:(1)developoncontinentalinteriorareasrelativelyelevatedabovesealevel(2)forminlowcoastalareasclosetosealevel.Inbothtypesofareas,peatformationrequiresthatgrowthofvegetationexceedthatofdecayandthattheplantmaterialbeallowedtoaccumulateandnotberemovedbyerosion.Insummary,conditionsnecessaryforaccumulationofpeatthatcouldbesubsequentlyconvertedtocoalare:Swampormarsh(湿地)environmentandclimatefavorabletoplantgrowth.Somesubsidence(sinking)oftheareaduringaccumulationofvegetaldebris,orcompactionofdepositedplantmaterial,permittingfurtheraccumulation.Sufficientlywetconditionstopermitexclusionofairfrommuchofthevegetalmaterialbeforeitdecays,andsufficientlyrapidaccumulationtothwart(阻碍)bacterialaction,eveninwateroftheswamp.Acidityoftheswampwaternormallypreventsbacterialactionatafewinchesorafewfeetbelowthewaterlevelintheswamp.Proximitytotheseaorasubsidingareasothatvegetalmaterialcanbeburiedbysedimentswhenthesealevelrisesorthelandsubsides.Siteofaccumulationsuchthatremovalbyerosiondoesnotsubsequentlyoccur.Therankofthecoalbecameprogressivelyhigher,risingfromLignite(褐煤)Subbituminous(亚烟煤)Bituminous(烟煤)Semi-anthracite(半无烟煤)Anthracite(无烟煤)Meta-anthracite(高级炭化无烟煤)Thephysicalpropertiesareconcernedwiththecharacteristicsofcoalinitsnaturalstate,orpriortoitsenduseasafuel.Forexample,thehardnessandgrindabilityofcoaldeterminethemaintenancecostforcoalmining,handling,andpulverizing(磨粉)equipment;thespecificgravity(比重)ofcoalanditsassociatedmineralsdeterminesthecoalpreparationtechnique(选煤)usedinacleaningplant(选煤厂)aswellasthecapacityofcoalbins,bostsandsizeofcargos,andothercoalstoragefacilities.SpecificGravity(solid):TheratiooftheweightofacubicfootofthesolidtotheweightofacubicfootofwaterThespecificgravityofpurecoalhasbeenreportedtorangebetween1.23to1.72andincreaseswiththechangeinrankfromlignitetoanthracite.Theimpuritiesassociatedwiththecoal,suchasshale(页岩),clays,sandstones,gypsum(石膏),andcalcite(方解石),rangeinspecificgravityfrom2.0toabout2.7,whilethespecificgravityofpyrite(黄铁矿)isabout5.0.Hardnessisatermrelatedtoacoal’sstructureandrank.Acoalisfirmorsoft-structureddependingonthecompositionandlocationofthecoalbed.Splintcoals(暗硬煤)arefirmerthanbrightcoals(光亮煤).Highvolatile(挥发)coalsareusuallyfirmerthanlowvolatilecoals.Firmcoalsshipwellsincetheyresistbreakageandproducelessdegradationinhandling.Theabrasiveness(磨损)ofacoal,sofarasdamagetoequipmentisconcer