The Mechanization of Haulage Drilling in the Gold Mines of Anglo American Corporation
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The mechanization of haulage drilling in the gold mines of Anglo American Corporation by J. w. WILSON*, Ph.D., C.Eng., M.AIME, F.!.Min.E., F.I.M.M. (Fellow), and J. G. TAYLOR*, A.C.S.M., C.Eng., M.!.M.M. (Visitor) SYNOPSIS Some one-thousand kilometres of tunnels are mined annually in the gold mines of South Africa. Until two years ago, mechanized drilling on South African gold mines was not an economic proposition because of the availability of inexpensive labour and the fact that mechanized equipment developed for other mining markets could not per- form satisfactorily in the tough, abrasive quartzites of theWitwatersrand System. A project team from the Technical Development Services Organisation of the Anglo American Corporation, in t collaboration with various manufacturers of drill rigs and drill steel, has been concerned with the development of suitable equipment for mechanized main-haulage drilling. After two-and-a-half years of extensive testing and develop- ment of drifters, drill steels, and bits, many of the problems encountered have been sotved, and gradually jumbos mounting pneumatically and hydraulically powered drifters are being phased into production on various gold mines of the Group. A description of the development work is given, and actual operating results are recorded, together with details of the drilling and blasting techniques used. SAMEVATTING Tonnels met 'n gesamentlike lengte van ongeveer een duisend kilometers word jaarliks in die goudmyne van Suid-Afrika ontgin. Tot twee jaar gelede was gemeganiseerde boorwerk in Suid-Afrikaanse goudmyne nie 'n ekono- miese proposisie nie vanwee die beskikbaarheid van goedkoop arbeid en die feit dat gemeganiseerde uitrusting wat vir ander mynboumarkte ontwikkel is, nie in die harde, skurende kwartsiet van die Witwatersrandstelsel be- vredigende diens gelewer het nie. 'n Projekspan van die Anglo American Corporation se Organisasie vir Tegniese Ontwikkelingsdienste was, in samewerking met verskillende fabrikante van booruitrusting en boorstaal, gemoeid met die ontwikkeling van geskikte uitrusting vir gemeganiseerde boorwerk in die hoofvervoerwee. Na twee en 'n halfjaar se uitgebreide toetse en ontwikkeling van dryfklopbore, boorstaal en boorpunte is baie van die probleme wat teegekom is, opgelos en reusemasjiene waarop swaar pneumaties of hidroulies aangedrewe klopbore gemonteer is, word geleidelik by verskillende goudmyne van die Groep in gebruik geneem. Die ontsluitwerk word beskryf en werklike bedryfsresultate word verstrek tesame met besonderhede van die boor- en skiettegnieke wat gebruik is. INTRODUCTION ated with the hand-held jack- conditions. This resulted in ex- hammer method with which cessive jumbo maintenance, The Anglo American Corporation ) jumbos had to compete. It was drill-steel damage, and poor Gold Division commenced trials with subsequently recognized that, penetration rates. mechanized haulage rigs or drilling in the context of the time value It must be appreciated that the jumbos in 1969, where the early of money, if a high-speed jumbo equipment was being used under types of machine tested were fitted could be perfected, the machine South African gold-mining condi- with pneumatic drifters and air- could still make a contribution tions, for which it had not been powered hydraulic systems. These to profits by permitting the developed originally, and the follow- early trials produced much valuable rapid opening up of an ore ing adverse factors weighed heavily information concerning the costs reserve, even though unit costs against the mechanized equipment. and practicability of jumbo drilling, would be higher. The time- but, like most experiments with (a) In the high-speed situation, the honoured South African shaft- prototype equipment, they failed jumbos were required to com- sinking practice with its very in the production situation, although pete with six highly flexible and high costs but high advance it became clear that the potential low-cost hand-held jack- rate serves as an example. did exist for jumbo drilling to hammers. become viable particularly for high- 2. The trials were conducted by (b) The jumbos were required to speed work. The main reasons for production personnel with drill in small tunnels of 3 m the failure of those early attempts prototype equipment under pro- by 3 m at great depth, which were as follows. duction conditions. Naturally detracted from the use of the 1. Unit costs were expected to enough, as soon as the inevitable well-known tunnelling tech- be lower in terms of metres of difficulties arose, resistance to niques of drilling a few large- haulage advance. This has change manifested itself be- diameter (50 mm) holes, rather subsequently proved to be very cause the people involved had than many more small-diameter difficult to achieve in view of production targets to achieve, (40 mm) holes, to break the the low costs of wages and the and had neither the time nor round effectively. In large tun- inexpensive equipment associ- the resources to develop and nels (5 m by 4 m), drillout improve the equipment. time can be substantially re- 3. The combination of jumbo car- duced by the utilization of *Gold Division Technical Development Services, Anglo American Corporation riage, booms, drifters, steels, large-diameter holes and large- of South Africa Limited. and bits was unsuitable for the hole burdens. In small tunnels JOURNAL OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGY JANUARY 1975 151 this is not-the case, particularly earlier, unsuccessful attempts to chines. If extension rods have to be if cushion blasting of perimeter introduce jumbo rigs that there was used, 11 inch threads should be used holes is necessary. Furthermore, a need for a heavy jumbo that could on the drifter end of the steel. the blasting of large.diameter, replace the labour-intensive method With rifle bar rotation drifters, 61 heavily burdened holes under of high-speed development. The inch shank rods with forged collars stress at great depth causes advantages of such a machine would and It inch threads (double or excessive damage to the sides be that it could be made to exploit triple length) on the bit end are of the excavation. to the maximum the features in satisfactory. (c) In the case of a jumbo, two favour of mechanized drilling, and Drill Bits mechanized drilling units were that it would not be limited in its 40 to 43 mm heavy-duty, de- required to compete with six capacity by environmental factors tachable cruciform bits with large hand-held units. This meant such as heat and humidity. Accord- inserts (20 mm by 12 mm by 15 mm). that high penetration rates weer ingly, when the Anglo American The skirt must be 36 mm in dia- necessary. In an attempt to project team took over the jumbo meter and fitted with 1t inch reach this goal by the use of project, the objective was changed threads. Tungsten carbide inserts heavy striking drifters, failure of to that of developing a high-speed should be coarse-grained with a tungsten carbide inserts and drilling unit (even though it was relatively low cobalt content so that damage to drill rods became recognized that unit costs would they can withstand the high-power excessive in the tough, abrasive increase) that would exploit the transmission necessary for high pene- quartzites. following features, which favoured tration rates. (d) The compressed-air supply on a mechanized equipment and with With the aforementioned combin- typical gold mine can fall to as which hand-drilling could not com- ation, drilling costs are only slightly low as 400 kPa during peak pete adequately: higher than if 11 inch hexagonal rods periods, and the supply is (a) the use of high-power, heavily and 45 to 48 mm bits are used, but frequently erratic. While it is thrusted drifters to achieve the improvement in penetration rate a simple matter to provide an high penetration rates, is substantial and, as previously extra jackhammer if it is neces- (b) the ability to drill up to 4 m mentioned, 48 mm holes are com- sary to make up any shortfall rounds, pletely unacceptable in the small resulting from lack of com- (c) a reduction in labour, and tunnels of mines situated at moderate pressed air, in the case of a (d) elimination of arduous manual to great depth, particularly if prilled two-boom jumbo with large work and enrichment of the ammonium nitrate explosives are pneumatic drifters, there is little job of the operators. usedl. that can be done other than to A major breakthrough was During the development trials on provide a booster compressor. achieved when the technique of drifters, drill steel, and bits, hy- drilling small-diameter (40 mm) holes draulic drifters were tested and THE DEVELOPMENT OF by the use of high-frequency drifters evaluated together with several HIGH-SPEED JUMBOS was perfected during a prolonged pneumatic machines. The hydraulic testing and development trial with On the gold mines of the Anglo drifters proved to be particularly American Group, there is at present a various combinations of drifter attractive for the drilling of small- types, drill-steel sizes, and bit de- need to develop about 10 000 m of diameter (40 to 43 mm) holes using sign. It has subsequently been 3 m-by-3 m tunnel every month at light blows delivered at high fre- high rates of advance. This is usually satisfactorily demonstrated at quency. Compared with pneumatic done by double and treble shift work several sites, even in very hard machines, the drifters have the quartzite, that the following type under multi blast conditions. In addit- following advantages. ion, very much more tunnelling is car- of equipment will permit high pene- 1. The machines are more suited to tration rates to be achieved. ried out on Group mines where the high-frequency operation than target is low and, typically, three Drifter pneumatic equipment, and pro- men with two jackhammers drill a A light-blow, high-frequency 10 duce a higher input-output effic- 1,5 m round every day.