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of the sandstones. ~e fractured material is then loaded into <br />' the haul trucks and transported to the worked out cut. The <br />material is end dLmq~ed off a ramp into the cut and the surface <br />portion of the fill is worked by the dozers to blend it in with <br />the surrounding topography• <br />Compaction of the fill is acau~~lished by the traversing <br />of the fill with the haul trucks and the dozers. As the fill <br />P][tPTf~C ]„nto the Cllt Zt Zs constantly traversed by the haul trucks <br />as they position themselves to dump the overburden into the cut. <br />As stated above, an outcrop barrier provides structural stability <br />so that the fill does not move downslope. <br />During the overburden removal process the dozers are <br />used to keep the developing highwall smooth, which decreases the <br />degree of sloughing of the highwall. This is done to ensure <br />• safe working conditions at the base of the highwall. ~ dozers <br />are also used to construct the in pit haulroads used for coal <br />and overburden haulage. <br />Once the coal is exposed the top of the seam is cleaned <br />with a power brnan to maintain the coal quality. After this <br />step is completed the front end loader then digs out the coal <br />and loads it into the haul trucks for transport to the coal <br />storage area. If coal ccmq~etance exceeds the breakout force of <br />the front end loader then the coal will be fractured by ripping <br />it with a dozer. <br />Before the cut is backfilled the auger is brought to the <br />base of the highwall to initiate the auger operation. The actual <br />. augering is a simple process, the auger bits bore into the top <br />V-14 <br />