ABSTRACT
Booms vastly improve the economic and safe use of mining equipment by more nearly approximating continuous operation and distancing the operator from hazards. They are “free-standing parts of, and extensions to the job-end connected to the chassis, with relative motion and often thrust”. Booms are a complex, powered assemblage of segments and hinges that appear as various types, with distinctive geometries, construction kinds, and motions. Schematically booms can be simply represented by “reference spheres”, “degrees of freedom”, and “stick diagrams” and closely related to mining equipment types. Boom use has severe limitations ranging from complexity to tight clearances and instability. Inspite of this radical innovation continues and the term “Boom Technology” is justified.
