Underground mining from above
Journal Article
·
· Mechanical Engineering
OSTI ID:451982
Remotely operated and autonomous ore-excavation technology could eventually eliminate the need for miners to travel deep underground. Though mining tools have evolved from primitive wood-and-antler pickaxes to modern diesel-powered drills, miners have always had to go underground to dig ore. Soon, however, going down the shafts may no longer be part of the daily routine for miners excavating some of the world`s deepest mines. Growing costs related to transporting miners to and from remote ore deposits and keeping them healthy in the mining environment are prompting engineers to develop remotely controlled and automated equipment for mining operations from the surface. These new mining systems include multi-ton haulage trucks, bulldozer-like scoop trams, automatic ore chutes, and large mobile rock drills operated from above via subterranean communications systems. Remote mining and mine automation is a trend that is starting to pick up speed in the industrialized world. Two large Canadian mining companies, Inco Ltd.`s Ontario division, in Copper Cliff, Ont., and Noranda Inc., in Montreal are working on programs to take all forms of control up to the surface by incrementally converting existing mine equipment into tele-operated and, later, autonomous systems. Likewise, the US Bureau of Mines is supporting research on what it calls computer-assisted mining in underground coal mines, where the emphasis is on taking the worker away from the hazards of the coal face. Elsewhere, Sweden`s Atlas CoPCo AB, in Stockholm, and Finland`s Tamrock Ltd., in Tampere, the industry`s primary suppliers of mining equipment, including drills, trucks, and load-haul-dump (LHD) machines (also called scoop trams), are also automating their wares.
- OSTI ID:
- 451982
- Journal Information:
- Mechanical Engineering, Journal Name: Mechanical Engineering Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 117; ISSN MEENAH; ISSN 0025-6501
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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