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By A M. Nyembwe, A M. Garbers-Craig, R Cromarty

With the depletion of high-grade lump iron ore, concentrates have been identified as an alternative material for sinter making. Adding concentrates to the sinter mixture reduces sinter bed porosity and gas flow through the sinter bed. This will result in lower sinter strand productivity. A potential solution to this problem is to add concentrate in the form of micropellets. This study investigates the effect of concentrate and micropellet additions on the permeability of the sinter mixture. Permeability was measured on sinter mixtures containing ten to 40 per cent concentrates and micropellets at various moisture contents. The effect of concentrate and micropellet addition on the permeability–moisture relationship was examined. The results confirmed that the addition of concentrates into the sinter mix decreases the maximum permeability of the sinter bed. The incorporation of micropellets into the sinter mix reduced the permeability less than concentrate addition. The study also showed that the maximum permeability of sinter mixes containing concentrate is reached at the same moisture content as the sinter mixture without concentrate addition. For sinter mixes containing micropellets, additional water must be added to obtain maximum permeability. Parameters including the granule size, void fraction and angle of repose were also investigated to evaluate their effects on the sinter bed permeability.CITATION:Nyembwe, A M, Cromarty, R and Garbers-Craig, A M, 2015. Effect of concentrate and micropellet addition on iron ore sinter bed permeability, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2015, pp 69–76 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 13, 2015

By T Suwa, S Ishida, J Xue, S Fuchida, H Shimada, Y Aoki, C Tokoro

Pyrite depression with prolonged pre-conditioning treatment in high salinity water has attracted much of researchers’ interest in recent years considering the increased utilisation of multiple stage flotation, closed water circuits, clay minerals, and sea water in flotation plants. In this study, the role of calcium (Ca)/magnesium (Mg) precipitates in stabilising the dissociative ferric hydroxy-xanthate (FHX), and its effect on modifying the balance of hydrophobic/hydrophilic species on the pyrite surface were primarily investigated. The total amount of extractable Fe-bearing species on pyrite concentrates and tailings after floatability test was quantitively determined using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) extraction tests combined with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). A more evident accumulation of extracted-Fe in pyrite concentrates rather than it in pyrite tailings was observed at both pH 9 and 10.5 when pyrite was pre-conditioned in Ca/Mg-bearing solutions for 360 min. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed the main xanthate derivatives changed from di-xanthogen (1155 cm-1 ) to FHX (1167 cm-1 ) on the oxidised pyrite samples that were preconditioned in Ca/Mg-bearing solutions. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) suggested the preferential accumulation of FHX upon secondary Ca/Mg-bearing precipitates as reflected by the higher Fe/S ratio together with the decrease of O element herein after xanthate conditioning. Although the hydrophilic secondary Ca/Mg/Fe-bearing minerals on the pyrite surface generally deteriorate pyrite’s floatability, the upper section of these secondary hydrophilic aggregates is partially covered by FHX alongside with further multilayer-adsorbed di-xanthogen. The precipitated Ca/Mg-bearing precipitates promotes the immobilisation of dissociated FHX derived from the reaction among iron oxyhydroxides and xanthate anions upon the localised secondary Ca/Mg/Fe-bearing minerals via acid–base complexation. Therefore, this phenomenon alleviates the hydrophilic modification of secondary Ca/Mg/Fe-bearing minerals to pyrite considering the immobilised FHX upon localised precipitates shows a slight hydrophobicity, and meanwhile, the upper FHX benefits the multilayer adsorption of di-xanthogen via the interaction among their inner hydrophobic alkyl chains.

Aug 24, 2022

By M A. Rhamdhani, R Z. Mukhlis

Removing the ledge formation in the Hall-Heroult cell during the electrolysis process may significantly reduce the energy requirement of the aluminium production process. In the absence of the ledge, however, the sidewall-material types become heavily restricted since the cryolite is very corrosive at the electrolysis temperatures. This paper study the corrosion behaviour of sintered nickel ferrite, nickel aluminate, and magnesium aluminate refractories (as possible candidates for sidewall material) in molten aluminium and cryolite melts with various alumina content at 980°C. Immersion tests of refractories with various porosity were conducted to assess the suitability of the refractories in the corrosive environment of the electrolysis cells. Microstructural change of the refractory after immersion were analysed using secondary scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Sampling of the melts were taken at 0, 10 min, 30 min, and each hour up to 6 hrs, and subsequently analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) spectroscopy. Based on the projected concentration of the refractories constituents in the melts, it was predicted that the corrosion rate of NiFe2O4, NiAl2O4 and MgAl2O4 in cryolite with 11 wt per cent Al2O3 were 461 × 103, 1.03 × 103, and 798 × 103 cm/a, respectively. Much lower corrosion rate of 2.3 cm/a for NiFe2O4, 2.6 cm/a for NiAl2O4 and 0.3 cm/a for MgAl2O4 were predicted if the refractories in contact with aluminium melts. Erosion played an important role in the corrosion as the concentration of the refractory constituents in the melts were beyond its solubility limit. It is therefore crucial to increase the densities of the refractory and improve its wetting characteristics.

Aug 21, 2024

By P B. Schwann

The commonly accepted genetic theories of Pilbara iron ores and Woodie Woodie manganese ores have often presented them as quite unique. This apparent uniqueness is not confined to just iron and manganese, but is also seen in gold and copper deposits in Western Australia. The published material on iron and manganese ores would seem to have either a quite complicated genesis or none at all. An alternate theory for the origin of these deposits is presented which involves a protore with simple oxidation and pH controls with hydrothermal fluid sources from the diagenesis and dewatering of the underlying strata. This theory explains the distribution, thinning, cold dolerites and very high concentrations of deleterious minerals observed in these deposits. This genesis system is also related to the systems that deposit hydrothermal gold and copper in sediments in the region.This paper presents the author’s observations, sampling and mapping after several decades studying and exploring for the minerals in Australia and locations overseas. All of these theories were developed with (or in spite of!) the guidance of Mal Kneeshaw, but would never have seen the light of day without him and the others presenting here. It is not what I would call scientifically polished, and possibly deserves more detailed studies; it is, however, presented as a discussion paper.CITATION:Schwann, P B, 2015. Related genesis for iron, manganese and gold-copper ores in Western Australia, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2015, pp 327–336 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 13, 2015

By Thompson M

The humble gabion basket is to mine development what the light bulb and safety pin are to eir-ryday life. Gabions provide a flexible, easy to assemble and cost efficient solution for "101" mine and civil engineering development applications.In some instances gabion baskets are still efficiently in use after many years of faithful, maintenance-free service. In other situations, the baskets have been demolished or made redundant within days, either having served their temporary usefulness or negligently destroyed by the operator of heavy equipment. Either way, the gabion basket must surely rate among the top 10 cost efficient engineering construction materials.

Jan 1, 1994

By W. M. LONIE

Address by the President of the Institute (Mr W M Lonie) in making the presentation of the Certificate of Honorary Membership to Sir Ian McLellan, K.C.G.M, K.B.E. Address by Sir Ian McLellan after accepting the award.

Jan 1, 1979

By L Mollison, K W. Mills, N R. P Baczynski, M F. Lee, I A. de Bruyn

This is the first of two papers concerned with rock stress inputs to various mine design issues at the large Ok Tedi open pit mine in Papua New Guinea. The companion paper (also published at this conference) is ‘The Application of Rock Stress Inputs to Stability Assessments at Ok Tedi Mine, Papua New Guinea’ (de Bruyn et al, 2014).Stresses are a required input for numerical modelling of mine design issues. However, for some operations, like the very large Ok Tedi open pit mine in remote rugged mountainous terrain, direct and representative measurement of rock stresses can be technically difficult and expensive. In such situations, development of an appropriate and sufficient understanding of rock stresses can be challenging.This was addressed for Ok Tedi by considering the following:The tectonic and regional geologic setting of the mine.Results from three different programs of rock stress measurement over 19 years, including hydraulic fracturing (1991), acoustic emission (2007) and overcoring (2010). Some interesting results of the overcoring work are discussed. It was done in a 4 km long drainage tunnel, which intersected a thick monzodiorite intrusive that has metamorphosed contacts to host contact Ieru Formation siltstones; anomalously low horizontal stresses were measured within the monzodiorite.Compilation of rock stress measurements from other New Guinea mines and prospects, both in Papua New Guinea and Indonesian West Papua.Comparisons between the variable Ok Tedi rock stresses and similar data from other porphyry copper deposits.CITATION:Lee, M F, Baczynski, N R P, Mills, K W, de Bruyn, I A and Mollison, L, 2014. Rock stresses at Ok Tedi, Papua New Guinea, in Proceedings AusRock 2014: Third Australasian Ground Control in Mining Conference , pp 337–346 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 5, 2014

By H Bateman, I Cawrse, G Carnes, S Cawrse

In developing mineral resources, the focus typically centres on the management of identified social and environmental impacts and compliance with regulatory requirements. However, opportunities to protect and enhance the environment and communities are most effective in the planning and design phases. Achieving the objective of integrating sustainability considerations as an element of design decision making requires that the design criteria be technically sound, relevant to the project and applicable to desired design outcomes. This is particularly important for projects employing virtual teaming, where design engineers may be geographically dispersed and are unlikely to be familiar with site specific sustainability challenges and opportunities. This paper documents the approach taken by BHP Billiton to incorporate sustainability principles, objectives and guidelines in design criteria for the Olympic Dam Expansion (ODX) project. It describes the range of inputs used in defining sustainability objectives which interface in a framework that is dynamic and transferable to other mining projects and to engineering design in general. The Sustainability in Design Criteria document distils statutory requirements, corporate standards, lessons learned and leading industry practice into a single coherent framework that supports engineers to approach problem solving as a holistic and integrated exercise with a long term perspective. The framework also serves to improve linkages between internal stakeholders by fostering greater communication, collaboration and innovation to deliver more sustainable outcomes through the design process.

Jan 1, 2009

By Bhattacherjee A, Makesh S

Mechanised sub-level stoping is one of the most widely accepted stoping practices followed in base metal mines in India. As a general practice, blast-scheduling of rings in these stopes is done either heuristically or randomly which leads to a high fluctuation in ore grade when drawn and delivered to the mill. In this paper, dynamic programming has been investigated as an optimisation technique for optimal blast-scheduling of rings. A microcomputer based dynamic programming algorithm has been developed in C language which runs under the UNIX environment. A case study based on Indian mine data is presented to demonstrate the application of the dynamic programming concept and use of the developed software. It is concluded that dynamic programming can be used as a production planning tool in Indian mines practicing sub-level stoping and following heuristic/random approaches for blast-scheduling of rings.

Jan 1, 1995

By Floyd JM, Bultitude-Paul J

The development of a process for the extraction of antimony from materials produced by Greenbushes Tin Limited has been carried out based on theoretical and laboratory studies. The materials treated have included concentrates of tantalite and cassiterite containing antimony at levels ranging from 0.3% to 2%. Roasting under controlled atmospheres is required to stabilise Sb203 rather than the low vapour pressure metal or higher oxide. Sulphidising additives such as pyrite, pyrrhotite or sulphur give enhanced antimony removal from tantalite and cassiterite at roasting temperatures of 900¦ to 1100¦C. Substantial elimination of antimony to levels of 0.1% or less was Achieved.

Jan 1, 1986

By J R. Robinson

Prior to mine development, exploration drilling within the Luise Caldera on Niolam Island encountered gold mineralisation to the northwest of the main Minifie and Lienetz orebodies. This mineralisation was referred to as the Kapit orebody, and ten diamond drill holes were subsequently completed over the area to investigate its economic potential. Several significant mineralised intercepts were returned. These were interpreted using the orebody model developed for Lihir at that time which invoked a strong horizontal control to mineralisation. Additional consideration was given to the elevated geothermal temperatures encountered, the proximity of the mineralisation to the ocean, and its perceived depth below sea level, resulting in the Kapit area being given a low priority for follow up investigation. As a result, no further work was completed over Kapit until recently. The Kapit orebody was the target of an intense diamond drilling programme during 2002/2003. Data from this latest round of drilling has significantly improved understanding of the mineralisation and associated geology. The significant orebody now delineated at Kapit substantially differs from past interpretations, and the latest data has upgraded its economic potential. A resource estimate and other critical studies completed in 2003 enabled an updated reserve statement to be issued in February 2004 including the Kapit mineralisation for the first time. Total Probable Reserves at Kapit stand at 25.2 million tonnes (Mt) at 5.28 grams of gold per tonne (g Au/t), for a total of 4.3 million ounces (Moz) of contained gold.

Jan 1, 2004

By E Macmillan

For any processing plant there will be deleterious elements or minerals which affect production or quality, and a strategy to predict their occurrence and mitigate their impact is required. An early objective of the Olympic Dam geometallurgy program was prediction of the acid consumption and gelling behaviour of the ore, which affects leach recovery, throughput and circuit availability. The geometallurgical test program measured the response of a wide range of ore types, and then relationships between mineralogy, metallurgy and chemistry were developed. Thus the drivers of acid consumption and triggers for gelling events could be described in ways that were meaningful to plant operations.To enable optimisation of the mine planning and ore blending processes, the parameters driving metallurgical response must be translated to the block model. Data support is critical in populating a block model. Assay information is easily obtained, but mineralogical and metallurgical information is more expensive and time consuming to collect. Hence population of a block model with mineralogical and metallurgical values using a conventional geostatistical approach is not always possible.An alternative approach employed at Olympic Dam was the development of a suite of assay-to-mineral algorithms. These algorithms were calibrated using all available mineralogical information, and this enabled the calculation of mineral abundances for more than 1.5 million assayed samples. Estimation of the minerals in the block model, and the generation of acid consumption values for each block could subsequently occur.The use of back-calculated mineralogy from assays as part of process model generation is an innovative tool which can be used for mine planning and optimisation and to ensure the plant does not receive any unwelcome surprises. Ultimately, one purpose of geometallurgy is to predict potential processing issues and their drivers so that these can be mitigated. A strategy to achieve this is outlined hereafter.

Sep 5, 2011

Although forty-seven years have passed since the by-product coke oven made its successful commercial appearance, it is only during the past fifteen or twenty years that this system of coal carbonisation has advanced rapidly to its present position ofabsolute supremacy.Early designs of by-product ovens proved more or less faulty, and the coke produced was so inferior to coke made in beehive ovens that there was a natural hesitancy on the part of coke producers to invest large sums of money in installations of by-productovens of doubtful utility-more especially in view of the fact that beehive ovens could be erected cheaply and operated by non technical labour for the production of high-grade coke under the most variable conditions of trade.Surely and steadily designers brought forward by-product ovens of improved type, coupled with more efficient apparatus for the recovery of by-products, but still the industry lagged, due almost entirely to the insistence on the part of coke users that the qualityof ordinary beehive coke was vastly superior for metallurgical operations to the best coke produced from by-product ovens. So deep rooted was this prejudice that only the passage of time could eradicate it. That it has successfully done so is strikingly illustratedin the following statistics:

Jan 1, 1928

Coal washing practice can be improved not only by critical examination of the plant being operated but also by studying plants operated in other areas. The developments at the Australian Iron & Steel Pty. Ltd. plants are discussed in relation to experiences there as well as developments which have taken place in Queensland in recent years. Early A.I.S. problems involved small coal cleaning in heavy medium cyclones and flotation. A proposed future plant flowsheet for A.I.S. is considered in the light of these experiences. Reference is made to plants operated by the Thiess, Peabody, Mitsui Coal Company Pty. Ltd. at Moura and the Utah Development Company's plants at Blackwater and Goonyella in the development of coal washing prac- tice in Australia.

Jan 1, 1975

Blasting is an essential component of most mining operations, and is used to reduce the rock mass to a workable size distribution, as well as to create stable openings and pit walls. Frequently, there is little difference between the designs of blasts to achieve these two functions, though more advanced operations have developed different designs for these very different functions. To assist in the appreciation of how blasting practices can impact on the stability of rock openings and pit excavations, this paper reviews the role of high pressure explosion gases on final block stability. It is assumed that the stability of all surface and underground excavations are, to a greater or lesser extent, controlled by the interaction between discrete rock blocks. Typically, these blocks will be defined by either natural, or excavation induced, jointing.

Jan 1, 1999

By E R. Ramanaidou, M A. Wells

Reflectance spectroscopy is now an established technique for mineral exploration and ore characterisation. The efficacy of the technique as a tool to characterise the main iron ore and gangue mineralogy at African Minerals Ltd’s Simbili iron ore deposit in north-central Sierra Leone was tested through reflectance spectroscopic analysis of 13 000 pulped drill reserve samples using CSIRO’s HyLogger-1™ system. Specifically, integration of reflectance spectral data with more traditional methods of analysis, such as geochemical analysis and Satmagan measurements, characterised the mineralogy (ie hematite versus goethite) of the oxidised ore at Simbili, quantified the Al associated with goethite and hematite and evaluated the distribution of the main gangue minerals – kaolinite and gibbsite. Relative changes in the Fe2+/Fe3+-bearing oxide and silicate mineralogy, based on mineral indices derived from reflectance spectroscopic measurements, appeared well-related to changes in the ore profile mineralogy consistent with the main ore types identified at Simbili, as representative of an oxidised banded iron formation sequence. Spectral calibration models, developed from a well-characterised training set of mineral mixtures, representative of the oxidised ore zone mineralogy were used to quantify the distribution of Al associated with kaolinite and gibbsite and the iron oxides, goethite and hematite. Combining these mineral spectral parameters with compositional data enabled the differentiation of Al-substituted goethite and hematite and resulted in the identification of low Al-bearing, or ‘clean’, goethite and hematite from high Al-bearing, or ‘dirty’, goethite and hematite. Spectral quantification of the iron oxide Al composition provides a far more rapid means of quantifying the Al substitution in iron oxides at the deposit scale compared to traditional techniques such as X-ray diffraction analysis. It also enables a level of volumetric characterisation and the potential for large-scale (ie three-dimensional) mapping, which was not previously possible with other techniques. The potential of the technique was also highlighted when mapping the distribution of the main Al-bearing contaminants (gibbsite and kaolinite) identified in the oxidised ore zone at Simbili. Delineation of such zones provides a guide to managing the most appropriate processing options (ie upgrade potential) within a mineralogical framework. Three-dimensional modelling of the gangue phase distribution may also allow the mapping of lithological and/or structural controls that may be prevalent at Simbili. This work highlights the value in the application of HyLogging™ technology for rapid resource characterisation, particularly for volumetric identification and mapping the distribution of both the economic and gangue phases, which otherwise would be difficult to achieve. As such, the technique can provide a fast and inexpensive means to evaluate ore and gangue mineralogy at the deposit scale and provide a first-pass assessment of the mineralogy and compositional attributes, with the potential to better predict ore metallurgical properties.CITATION:Wells, M A and Ramanaidou, E R, 2015. Waste not, want not – delving deeper into the Simbili iron ore deposit using HyLogging™ scanning technology, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2015, pp 337–346 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 13, 2015

By V Srinivasan, P Knights, C T. Farrelly

By 2025, with the widespread industry adoption of remote operation centres and advanced analytics, mining companies will find themselves making better, more informed decisions across the value chain. Process automation will drive significant business integration and reorganisation. Better collaboration between functions will make cross value chain optimisation a reality. Wherever possible decisions will be automated, based on analytical models and embedded in an enterprise decision management (EDM) architecture. This will take care of many of the minor day-to-day or the minute-to-minute decisions that consume operators and managers today. More flexible information technologies and architectures derived from the extensions to Web 2.0 and service oriented architecture (SOA) will solve many of the integration issues of today. The ongoing business imperatives for doing more with less people will make true collaboration with partners such as mining contractors, equipment vendors, transport providers, suppliers and maintenance contractors commonplace throughout the industry. All these organisations will be linked in and share common goals and objectives in real-time while providing visibility of internal constraints and available capability, allowing optimised decisions to be made across the extended enterprise. Humans will increasingly move to a more supervisory role and will use advanced collaboration to quickly solve complex abnormal issues that span the value chain out to the extended enterprise. The open collaboration and communication models instilled in the workforce through the widespread use of social networking technologies will drive thought leadership far beyond current æbest practiceÆ thinking. This will encourage the mining industry to extract the business value from rapidly converging fields of study such as environmental sciences, neuroscience, psychology, engineering, information technology and business finance. The future of mining will see a more uniform distribution of data savvy workers between the ages of 20 - 40, forcing a change in current operations. This group will drive the adoption of ubiquitous computing, augmented reality, presence and digital labelling. The enterprise will shift from a relatively static disparate set of functions to a digitally aware, integrated and interactive environment with information available, in context and just in time, to those who need it. The networked virtual enterprise will therefore be a reality.

Jan 1, 2008

By K Blay, C McCamley, P Petrucci

The Newmont Boddington Gold (NBG) processing plant was designed for 35Mt/y with ball mills expected to deliver a combined new mill feed rate of 4837 tonnes/hr. Since beginning commercial production in late 2009, the plant has steadily increased throughput to meet design capacity in 2014 and reached 37 Mt/y in 2015. Through improved efficiencies, changes to the milling circuit have taken place since commissioning to take the plant beyond its design to an actual throughput of 39.0 Mt in 2017 and a budgeted throughput of 39.4 Mt/y this year.The NBG milling circuit has four parallel ball mills, each consisting of a 7.9 x 13.4 m ball mill with twin 7.5 MW fixed speed motors in closed circuit with twelve 650 mm cyclones. Each mill is fed by two wet screens with the undersize gravitating to a mill discharge hopper where it is combined with the ball mill discharge and pumped to hydrocyclones for classification. The cyclone underflow is re-ground to a target P80 of 150 µm.This paper will focus on process improvements made to the NBG milling circuit which include cyclone reconfiguration, fine screen panel redesign, implementation of an expert control system, mill power draw increase and grinding media changes to take NBG beyond its design throughput.CITATION:McCamley, C, Petrucci, P and Blay, K, 2018. Going beyond design at Newmont Boddington Gold, in Proceedings 14th AusIMM Mill Operators' Conference 2018, pp 497–508 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 29, 2018

By M Johnson, M Horrigan

The scope of this report is to examine the aforementioned hypothesis by performing a detailed analytical comparison of a P&H electric rope shovel to an O&K diesel powered hydraulic excavator. In order to complement the integrity of the concluding results, two different size categories will be analysed in order to demonstrate that the findings can be extrapolated and applied to all the machinesÆ size classes. These two size classes are categorised by their bucket sizes and they are in the range of 43 - 58 cubic metres and 23 - 26 cubic metres. It should be noted that electric powered hydraulic excavators will not be considered in this report. In order to compare the electric and hydraulic types, the machine variants that will be analysed are commercial cost-effectiveness and operational flexibility. Although operational flexibility can be an ambiguous characteristic, a clear and thorough definition describing its exact meaning has been included. In order to simplify this study, all the data collected for this comparison have been for overburden removal, eliminating the variation that occurs with the movements of the shovel when selectively mining in the ore deposit. Thus, it ensures that all the data that is compared stems from a common origin for all the shovels. In other words the information will be compared when digging in the same material, loading into the same sized haul trucks, and when possible, with the same operators. Theoretical data received form the respective manufacturers, and actual data obtained from Mount Whaleback, was used for this comparison. This leads to the final comparison, where the operational flexibility and the cost-effectiveness are evaluated, with respect to their individual importance, ultimately influencing the final recommendation.

Jan 1, 2002

By P Jere

Mechanically coupled rock bolts encapsulated in cementitious or polyester cartridge resin grouts have been widely adopted for various underground rock reinforcement applications. Resin grouts are considered a superior product, however, both systems have their advantages and limitations, with the relative performance, quality installation cost and cycle time as the most notable parameters. Both applications have optimal rock bolt combinations and preferred ground conditions. Cementitious grouts are favourable for use with secondary deep embedment anchors. These are installed using various equipment with a series of autonomous tasks required to complete the installation cycle. The cartridge resin system can be utilised by a bolting or face boring rock drill to complete the full support installation cycle. This reduction in equipment changeouts mid-cycle generally deems it the more practical application and popular choice for primary support. Self-drilling anchors (SDAs) and hollow bolts have been a viable alternative to traditional rock reinforcement in variable and challenging ground conditions. Using a pumpable post installation grouting system, SDAs have proven to aid the quality of installation, but due to the additional equipment and cycle steps associated with application, the cycle time is increased. In recent years, fully mechanised bolting equipment designed to utilise a combination of self-drilling anchors and a thixotropic pumpable resin installed in a single pass has entered the market. This innovation is anticipated to deliver the advantages described above, with fewer limitations, and significantly improved development and rehabilitation rates. St Barbara Mining and Byrnecut Australia, supported by Master Builders Solutions, were first to conduct extensive trials and implement this rock bolting approach in an Australian hard rock underground mine and record the actual performance.

Mar 29, 2023