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New pneumatic face advance and roof bolter rock drill systems launched

9th October 2015

By: Ilan Solomons

Creamer Media Staff Writer

  

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Local pumps and rock drill manufacturer Scamont Engineering’s range of pneumatic rock drills and roof bolters, the Shova face advance and Shova roof bolter, have the ability to significantly increase mining extraction volumes and improve the safety levels for rock drill operators, says company director Ross Williams.

“The Shova systems are new semi-mechanised rock drill technologies suitable for application across all hard rock mining environments, such as ultralow stoping widths, as well as gully and development end applications.”

He highlights that the face advance provides for easy, fast collaring, thereby ensuring on-mark drilling for rock drill operators.

The drill operates inside an enclosed tube that prevents jackhammer exhaust fumes from seeping into the operator’s surrounding atmo- sphere or fogging. These fumes consist of vapor-ised water and oil that operators generally breath in and which can cause significant ailments.

“The face advance allows for accurate, in-line thrust, which increases penetration rates, while reducing drill steel wear,” states Williams.

He points out that the face advance’s consis-tency of fixed drill depths ensures straight face shape and easy face cleaning after blasting. This reduces the number of blasts required to advance the required distances, Williams explains.

The system has the ability to easily drill top and bottom holes parallel to hanging and footwalls, respectively, while maintaining the required stope widths.

“This ensures that mines only remove the rock required, thus ensuring that yields and overall profitability levels improve,” he states, adding that the improved safety features of the face advance also reduce costly S54 work stoppages.

Additional health and safety benefits include reduced noise volumes for rock drill operators – they do not need to stand behind the rig at all times as once it is in contact with the face they can move away, and the drill advances towards the face, but the operator does not – he is stationed more than 1 m away from the face under supported ground at all times, therefore, away from any danger.

Williams tells Mining Weekly that initial time study results from trialling of the drill advance at platinum producer Anglo American Platinum’s Spud shaft at the Union mine, in the North West, indicate that the system significantly improved drilling rates and times.

“Using our drill system, the mine can also drop their use of compressed air significantly, as it will not need to use its current more powerful drill system, the S25 rock drill,” he states.

Spud shaft production manager Donald Nokane says that, despite the all-consuming challenges facing the mining sector currently, there is a “critical and urgent” need for mines to make changes to their operating systems to enhance production in a safer environment.

“The Shova face advance and roof bolter have been on a very successful trial at Spud shaft for the past eight weeks,” he states.

Meanwhile, Williams notes that by using the Shova roof bolter, rock drill operators can operate the system remotely, from up to 3 m away, thus ensuring the safety of the operator.

He says the same rig can be used to drill the hole and insert the roof bolt, which is spun into the resin or grout.

The system’s jackhammer bracket rotates around a stable column, which significantly increases the ease of locating the hole when adding coupling steels or inserting longer fixed rods.

Williams also points out that the operator is not directly under the hole when adding or changing drill steels. He explains that because the rig is stabilised between the hanging and footwalls, the holes are always drilled at 90° angles to the strata.

“There is no need for the operator to guide the chuck of the rock drill towards the hanging, thus preventing crush injuries from ensuing,” he asserts.

Further, Williams says the system’s in-line thrust of its jackhammers provides for faster penetration rates, greater accuracy, better depth control and less bend in the drill steels.

He avers that the roof bolting rigs get the jackhammer closer to the footwall than many other rigs in the market, thereby increasing the drill stroke length.

The system’s custom length drill steels ensure a reduction in the number of drill steels, therefore, the number of drill passes can also be significantly reduced.

“This has several immediate benefits for mines, including reducing their drilling times; less couplings events are required, thereby, reducing nip and crush injuries to operators; faster penetration rates are achieved as each coupling would normally decrease percussion through the drill string by about 5%.

“Additionally, reduced bending of the drill string is achieved by the roof bolter, which reduces the risk of breakages occurring,” Williams concludes.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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