Chapter

13
Drum Hoists

Hard Rock Miners Handbook

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13 Drum Hoists
13.1 Introduction
Drum hoists are employed in mines on tuggers, slushers, stage winches, cranes, rope tensioners, and
even for long plumb line winches. Chapter 13 is mainly devoted to drum hoists that serve as mine
hoists (winders). These machines are the most significant hoists in a mine, used for hoisting the ore
and waste rock as well as moving personnel, equipment, and materials into and out of the mine.
Single-drum mine hoists are satisfactory for limited application; however, most are manufactured
double drum to facilitate balanced hoisting of two conveyances in the shaft. Balanced hoisting can
be accomplished with a single-drum hoist for shallow applications that require a single layer of rope
on the drum. In this case, the rope being wound is wrapped in the same grooves that are vacated by
the other rope being unwound. Single-drum hoists have been built with a divider flange and even
with the drums of different diameter on either side of the flange (split-differential) to accomplish
balanced hoisting these designs are no longer manufactured. This chapter is largely devoted to the
double-drum mine hoist because it is by far the most common type employed.
All mine hoists manufactured today are driven electrically by motors that have an independent
ventilation source. Having an independent source reduces the horsepower requirements by more
efficient cooling of the windings especially during slow-speed operations and permits filtering of the
air that reaches the motor.
Until recently, DC drives with solid-state converters (thyristors) were almost exclusively employed.
Lately, larger mine hoists have been manufactured with AC drives that are frequency controlled
(cyclo-converter).
Typically, the larger double drum hoists are direct driven with overhung armatures, while double
helical open gears drive those of medium size. Small or very slow mine hoists may employ a
gearbox for speed reduction.
For mine applications, drum hoists compete with friction hoists (refer to Chapter 14). The decision
concerning which one is best employed for a particular application is discussed as an example of a
side study in Chapter 6 Feasibility Studies. Some hoisting parameters explained in this chapter
(e.g. hoist cycle time) have equal application to friction hoists.
For historical reasons, drum hoists (unlike friction hoists) are still thought of in terms of Imperial
rather than metric units. To describe the size of a drum hoist, miners will say a 10-foot hoist
rather than a 3m hoist. For this reason, the explanations and calculations that follow are mainly
performed in Imperial units.
The Blair multi-rope (BMR) hoist (a variation of the double-drum hoist) employed for extremely
deep shafts is not discussed in this Chapter.

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13.2 Rules of Thumb

Hoist Speed

The maximum desirable speed for a double-drum hoist with fixed steel guides in the shaft is
18m/s (3,600 fpm). Source: Peter Collins

The maximum desirable speed for a drum hoist with wood guides in the shaft is 12m/s (2,400
fpm). Source: Don Purdie

An analysis of the theory developed by ASEA (now ABB) leads to the conclusion that the
optimum speed is a direct function of the square root of the hoisting distance. Applying the
guideline of 50% and assuming reasonable values for acceleration and retardation leads to the
following rule of thumb equation for the optimum economic speed for drum hoists, in which H
is the hoisting distance.
Optimum Speed (fpm) = 44H , where H is in feet
Or, Optimum Speed (m/s) = 0.405 H , where H is in metres
Source: Larry Cooper

Assuming reasonable values for acceleration gives the following rule of thumb equations for the
design speed of drum hoists, in which H is the hoisting distance (feet).
Design Speed (fpm) = 34 H , hoisting distance less than 1,500 feet
Design Speed (fpm) = 47 H , hoisting distance more than 1,500 feet
Source: Ingersoll-Rand

The hoist wheel rotation at full speed should not exceed 75 revolutions per minute (RPM) for a
geared drive, nor 100-RPM for a direct drive. Source: Ingersoll-Rand

Hoist Availability

With proper maintenance planning, a drum hoist should be available 19 hours per day for a
surface installation, 18 for an internal shaft (winze). Source: Alex Cameron

A drum hoist is available for production for 120 hours per week. This assumes the hoist is
manned 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and that muck is available for hoisting. Source: Jack
Morris

The total operating time scheduled during planning stages should not exceed 70% of the total
operating time available, that is 16.8 hours per day of twenty-four hours. Source: Tom Harvey

In certain exceptionally well-organized shafts, utilization factors as high as 92% have been
reported, but a more reasonable figure of 70% should be adopted. With multi-purpose
(skipping and caging) hoists, the availability will be much lower. Source: Fred Edwards

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Rope Pull

The manufacturers certified rope pull rating for a drum hoist assumes the rope flight angle is 25
degrees or more from the horizontal. The rope pull rating should be reduced by 10% for an
installation where the ropes run horizontally between the hoist and the head sheave. Source:
Ingersoll-Rand

Hoist Drums

The hoist drum should be designed to coil rope for the hoisting distance plus an allowance equal
in length to 10 dead wraps on the drum. Source: John Stephenson

The hoist drum should be designed to coil sufficient rope for the hoisting distance plus an
allowance of 500 feet, for most applications. Very deep shafts may need 600 feet of allowance.
Source: Jack de la Vergne

The hoist drum should be designed to coil sufficient rope for the hoisting distance plus the
statutory three dead wraps, the allowance for rope cuts and drum pull-ins for the life of the
ropes plus at least 200 feet of spare rope. (At least 250 feet of spare rope is desirable for deep
shafts.) Source: Largo Albert

The pitch distance between rope grooves on the drum face is the rope diameter plus onesixteenth of an inch for ropes up to 2 inches diameter. Source: Henry Broughton

The pitch distance between rope grooves on the drum face is the rope diameter plus onesixteenth of an inch for ropes up to 1 inches diameter, then it increases to one-eighth of an
inch. Source: Ingersoll Rand

The pitch distance between rope grooves on the drum face may be calculated at the rope
diameter plus 4% for ropes of any diameter. Source: Larry Cooper

The maximum allowable hoop stress for drum shells is 25,000 psi; the maximum allowable
bending stress for drum shells is 15,000 psi. Source: Julius Butty

The flanges on hoist drums must project either twice the rope diameter or 2 inches (whichever is
greater) beyond the last layer of rope. Source: Construction Safety Association of Ontario

Shafts and Gearing

At installation, the allowable out of level tolerance for the main shaft of a drum hoist is onethousandths of an inch per foot of length. Source: Gary Wilmott

Square keys are recommended for shafts up to 165 mm (6 inches) diameter. Rectangular keys
are recommended for larger shafts. Standard taper on taper keys is 1:100 (1/8 inch per foot).
Source: Hamiltons Gear book

The width of a key should be the shaft diameter. Source: Jack de la Vergne

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Shafts and Gearing (continued)

For geared drives, pinion gears should have a minimum number of 12 teeth and preferably not
less than 17. If the pinion has less than 17 teeth, undercutting may occur and the teeth should
be cut long addendum (addendum is the distance between the pitch line and the crown of the
tooth). Source: Hamiltons Gear book

For geared drive drum hoists, pinion gears should have a minimum number of 14 teeth. Source:
Ingersoll Rand

Overwind and Underwind

The overwind distance required for a drum hoist is one foot for every hundred fpm of hoist line
speed. Source: Tad Barton

The overwind distance required for a high-speed drum hoist is 7m. Source: Peter Collins

The underwind distance required is normally equal to the overwind distance. Source: Jack de
la Vergne

Hoist Inertia

The residual inertia of a double-drum hoist (including the head sheaves and motor drive, but not
ropes and conveyances), reduced to rope centre, is approximately equal to the weight of
10,300m (33,800 feet) of the hoist rope. For example, the approximate inertia (WR2) of a 10foot double drum hoist designed for 1 inch diameter stranded ropes weighing 4 Lbs. per foot,
will be:
5 x 5 x 4 x 33,800 = 3,380,000 Lbs-feet2.
Source: Tom Harvey

The inertia of a single-drum hoist may be assumed to be 2/3 that of a double drum hoist of the
same diameter. Source: Ingersoll-Rand

The inertia (in Lbs-feet2) of the rotor of a direct current (DC) geared drive hoist motor is
approximately equal to 1,800 times the horsepower of the motor divided by its speed (RPM) to
the power of 1.5:
WR2 = 1800 [HP/RPM] 1.5
Source: Khoa Mai

The inertia (in Lbs-feet2) of the rotor of a direct current (DC) direct drive hoist motor is
approximately equal to 850 times the horsepower of the motor divided by its speed (RPM) to
the power of 1.35:
WR2 = 850 [HP/RPM] 1.35 .
Source: Khoa Mai

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Root Mean Square Power

Power consumption (energy portion of utility billing) of a drum hoist is approximately 75% of
root mean square (RMS) power equivalent. Source: Unknown

In calculating the RMS horsepower requirements of a drum hoist, it is not important to

determine a precise value for the inertia. A 10% error in inertia results in a 2% error in the RMS
horsepower. Source: Tom Harvey

Peak Power

For a DC hoist motor, the peak power should not exceed 2.1 times the RMS power for good
commutation. Source: Tom Harvey

A typical AC induction hoist motor is supplied with a 250% breakdown torque. In application,
this means that the peak horsepower should not exceed 1.8 times the RMS power. Source: Larry
Gill

Delivery

The delivery time for a new drum hoist is approximately 1 month per foot of diameter (i.e. for a
12-foot double drum hoist, the delivery time is approximately 12 months). Source: Dick Roach

The delivery time for new wire ropes for mine hoists is approximately 4 months for typical
requirements. For special ropes manufactured overseas, delivery is near 6 months. Source: Khoa
Mai

13.3 Tricks of the Trade

The easy way to design a drum hoist is to first determine the required hoisting speed and
payload, then determine the rope that is needed to meet the safety factor (SF). The hoist
parameters can then all be determined only considering the hoist rope and line speed. Source:
Tom Harvey

For purposes of initial design, the hoist line speed should be 40% of the highest speed that is
theoretically obtainable over the hoisting distance. This value leaves room to increase the speed
at some future date to as high as 60% without seriously compromising power costs. Source:
ASEA

The statutory minimum drum diameter to rope diameter ratios have been deleted from MSHA
regulations; however, the ratios remain intact in the ANSI guidelines and these should be
incorporated into the specifications for a proposed drum hoist installation at normal hoisting
speeds. Source: Julian Fisher

Where guidelines indicate an 80:1 drum to rope ratio, it may be reduced to 72:1 at hoisting
speeds up to 2,000 fpm (10m/s) without significant loss of rope life when employing stranded
wire ropes on drum hoists. For speeds exceeding 3,000 fpm (15m/s), the minimum drum
diameter to rope diameter ratio is 96:1. At this minimum, the head sheave diameter to rope

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diameter ratio may be increased to 120:1 as an inexpensive means to help maintain good rope
life. Source: Largo Albert

The overwind distance is normally first calculated for the minimum statutory requirement and
then increased if required to meet good engineering practice. Source: Jack de la Vergne

For deep shafts, the overwind distance calculated must include an allowance for less turns of the
hoist drum that result from hoisting an empty conveyance. Hoist controllers dont know where
the conveyance is; they precisely track the revolutions of the hoist drum. Source: Largo Albert

The inertia of the drive motor rotor must be multiplied by the square of the gear ratio for the
effect at drum radius. Source: John Maude

An easy way to obtain an accurate value for the RMS horsepower of a counterweight hoisting
system (round trip) from a computer program designed for balanced skip hoisting (one-way trip)
is by making two runs. The first run hoists the full payload and the second hoists the
counterweight while lowering the empty conveyance. The RMS horsepower for the round trip
may then be obtained from averaging the heating values:
RMS HP = [(HP12 + HP22)/2]
Source: Jack de la Vergne

An easy way to obtain a value for the RMS horsepower of a double-drum sinking hoist from a
computer program designed for balanced skip hoisting is to substitute the sums of the stop and
creep times in the sinking cycle for those of the skipping cycle. Source: Jack de la Vergne

The RMS horsepower calculation is not always the criteria for selecting the drive for a drum
hoist installation. When hoisting single from a deep horizon (or balanced hoisting from great
depths), if the peak horsepower exceeds the RMS by a wide margin, the peak horsepower may
be the basis for selecting the size of the hoist drive. Source: Jack de la Vergne

For drum hoists, fleet angles of 1 in 45 (10 16) or 1 in 50 (10 9) are desirable. Source: Henry
Broughton

The fleet angle for drum hoists should not exceed 10 30. Source: Ingersoll Rand

In mine-shaft hoisting, the fleet angle should be as close as possible to 10 20. Excessive drum
wear and poor spooling will result if this angle is exceeded. Source: Wire Rope Industries

Ideally, the fleet angle should not exceed 10 15. Some line scrubbing will occur in the zone
between this angle and 10 30, but at a wider angle the rope may pull away from the flange or
jump at high speed. Source: Lebus International

In practice, the maximum acceptable fleet angle depends upon the rope line speed. For speeds
of 5m/s (1,000 fpm) 10 45 may be satisfactory as may 10 30 at 10m/s (2,000 fpm) and 10 15 at
15m/s (3,000 fpm). Source: Jack de la Vergne

A minimum fleet angle of 30 for a drum hoist will ensure that the rope will cross back and start
a new layer without piling. Source: Fred Edwards

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Ideally, the minimum fleet angle should not be less than 15. In the zone between this angle and
zero, there may be trouble to kick or turn the rope back for the next layer. Source: Lebus
International

You have only to consider a tower mounted auxiliary drum hoist over a deep shaft (that operates
without an intermediary sheave) to realize that the minimum acceptable fleet angle is zero.
Source: Cass Atkinson

In practice, the minimum fleet angle must never be negative, but it may be near to zero at slow
hoisting speeds. Source: Jack de la Vergne

Optimization of fleet angle geometry is obtained when the axes of the head sheaves are aligned
to aim the sheave flight at the center of the face of the hoist drums rather than have the flights
exactly parallel. Source: Largo Albert

13.4 Hoist Cycle Time T

One of the important aspects of hoisting is determining the cycle time. For an existing installation,
it may be measured with a stopwatch or determined with a portable hoist trip recorder. The cycle
time must be determined to design and specify a proposed hoist and, for this purpose, a simulated
hoist cycle is calculated. The simulated cycle enables prediction of the hoist production and the
capacity of the drive motor(s).
The hoist cycle time is the time taken for one complete trip. It is usually measured in seconds. The
cycle is different for skipping, caging, or shaft sinking. For balanced hoisting (i.e. two skips), it is a
one-way trip. For single hoisting or counterweight hoisting, the cycle is a round trip (up and down).
The cycle consists of the following components.

Creep speed typically 2 feet/second, except for cage hoists that creep at 1 foot/second.

Acceleration rate typically varies with line speed.

Full speed maximum rated or controlled line speed of hoist.

Retardation rate typically varies with line speed.

Rest Stop: 10-15 seconds for skip, 30-45 seconds for cage.

For hoisting skips or sinking buckets in balance, the cycle time, T (in seconds), can be accurately
simplified to the following formula.
T = H/V + V/a + stops + creep times
In which
H is the hoisting distance in meters (or feet)
V is the full line speed in meters/second (or feet per second)
a is the average of acceleration and retard rates in m/s/s (or feet per second/second)
Stops are rest periods at the pocket, dump, or hanging mark (in seconds), and creep times are the
sum of the duration of travel at creep speed (in seconds).

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The acceleration and retard rates may be adjusted for a particular installation. For purposes of
general cycle calculations, it can be assumed that they are equal and proportional to the hoist speed.
a = V/15
In which
a is feet/second/second (or m/s/s)
V is feet per second (or m/s)
This permits a further simplification that is satisfactory to determine the hoist cycle for balanced
hoisting.
T = H/V + 15 + stops + creep times
Stops
The stops for balanced hoisting with skips include simultaneous loading and dumping. This is
traditionally assumed to be 10 or 12 seconds but ought to be increased to 15 seconds or more when
automatic hoisting is employed. The extra time is required for PLC proving before and after the
skip is loaded. The stop time for cage hoisting is taken at 30 seconds for a small cage and 45
seconds for a large one. The sum of the stop times for double-drum shaft sinking may be taken as
45 seconds.
Creep Times
The creep times for skip hoisting applications is usually taken as equal to 5 seconds at the beginning
and 5 seconds at the end of the wind (creep out and creep in). For deep shafts, the creep out
can be omitted, but the creep in is typically increased to 15 or even 20 seconds for high-speed
hoisting from deep shafts, to provide an extra safety margin. For cage hoisting, the creep out can be
omitted, but the creep in may be increased to 10 seconds to allow for spotting the deck. The sum of
the creep in times for shaft sinking in North America with a double-drum hoist may be taken as 65
seconds, and for creep out it totals about 40 seconds.
With these considerations, formulas for the hoisting cycles (in seconds) of different drum hoisting
applications (valid for use with either metric or Imperial units) can be derived as follows.
Typical shaft skip hoisting in balance

T = H/V + 35 (manual)
Typical shaft skip hoisting in balance

T = H/V + 40 (automatic)
Deep shaft skip hoisting in balance

T = H/V + 45 (automatic)
Shaft sinking in balance

T = H/V + 165 (North America)

Shaft sinking in balance

T = H/V + 135 (South Africa*)

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Small cage and counterweight hoisting

T = 2H/V + 100 (round trip)

Large cage and counterweight hoisting

T = 2H/V + 130 (round trip)

Single drum shaft sinking (North America)

T = 2H/V + 215 (round trip)

* South African shaft sinkers employ a creep speed higher than 2 feet/second.
Note

At installations where skips are hoisted on rope guides, the cycle time may have to be
modified to account for slow down at the ends of travel required for the transition from
rope guides to fixed guides. An entry speed of 300 fpm (1.5m/s) is considered desirable
although there are installations that have been carefully engineered to permit a faster
transition speed (as high as 1,100 fpm).

13.5 Maximum Line Speeds for Drum Hoists

The speed selected for a proposed drum hoist installation is first selected on the basis of economics.
This speed is determined with sufficient accuracy by applying a rule of thumb formula (Cooper or
Ingersoll Rand formulas provided above). A practical limit exists to the hoisting speed that may be
employed. This maximum speed may be determined by rule of thumb and by investigating the
maximum speeds employed at existing operations elsewhere.
Case Histories
Tables 13-1 and 13-2 show case histories on hoisting speeds on wood and fixed guides.
Table 13-1 Hoisting Speeds on Wood Guides Exceeding 10m/s (2,000 fpm)
Mine
INCO-Copper Cliff
INCO-Levack
INCO- Garson
INCO- Frood
Teck Corona
Macassa
Pamour
Rio Algom
Lac Dufault

Shaft
North
2
2
3
David Bell
No.3
14
Stanleigh
Corbet

McIntosh Redpath Engineering

Skip
Capacity
15.00 tons
12.00 tons
10.00 tons
12.00 tons
7.00 tons
5.00 tons
15.00 tons
10.00 tons

168

Hoisting
Speed
15.2 m/s
14.2 m/s
11.2 m/s
12.2 m/s
11.4 m/s
11.2 m/s
12.2 m/s
14.6 m/s
13.2 m/s

Hoisting
Speed
3,000 fpm
2,800 fpm
2,205 fpm
2,400 fpm
2,250 fpm
2,200 fpm
2,400 fpm
2,880 fpm
2,600 fpm

Guide
Type
Wood
Wood
Wood
Wood
Wood
Wood
Wood
Wood
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Table 13-2 Hoisting Speeds on Fixed Guides (Steel), Exceeding 15m/s (3,000 fpm)
Mine
INCO-Creighton
INCO-Copper Cliff
Falco - Onaping
Buffelsfontein
West Driefontein
West Driefontein
East Driefontein
East Driefontein
Deelkraal
Elandsrand
Western Holdings
Western Holdings
President Brand
Vaal Reefs
South Deep

Shaft
No.9
South
Craig
East Primary
4
6
2
1
1
Rock Vent
Saaiplaas 2
Saaiplaas 3
3
7
man/mat

Skip
Capacity
16.00 tons
17.00 tons
13.10 tons
9.00 tons
10.00 tons
17.20 tons
13.60 tons
21.00 tons
12.50 tons
11.80 tons
21.00 tons
9.10 tons
9.25 tons
27.00 tons

Hoisting
Speed
16.8 m/s
16.8 m/s
18.3 m/s
18.3 m/s
16.0 m/s
16.0 m/s
18.3 m/s
18.0 m/s
18.3 m/s
16.0 m/s
17.8 m/s
16.0 m/s
16.0 m/s
16.0 m/s
18.0 m/s

Hoisting
Speed
3,300 fpm
3,300 fpm
3,600 fpm
3,600 fpm
3,150 fpm
3,150 fpm
3,600 fpm
3,550 fpm
3,600 fpm
3,150 fpm
3,500 fpm
3,150 fpm
3,150 fpm
3,150 fpm
3,550 fpm

Guide
Type
HSS
HSS
HSS
Top Hat
Top Hat
Top Hat
Top Hat
Top Hat
Top Hat
Top Hat
Channel
Top Hat
Top Hat
Top Hat
Top Hat

13.6 Production Availability

Confusion and controversy exists in the mining industry when defining the word availability as
applied to mine hoists. For hoist maintenance personnel, it may mean the percent of the time the
piece of equipment is available to work compared with the total time available. On the other hand,
those engaged in selecting and evaluating hoists for mine service must consider the availability of the
total hoist system, taking not only maintenance downtime into account, but also downtime due to
shaft repairs, power outages, rope dressing, skip change-out, etc. This chapter is concerned with the
availability of the total system, and for this purpose, it is described as production availability.
To determine the production availability of a double drum hoist for purpose of estimating hoisting
capacity per day, a detailed calculation should be made for each case, taking into account the total
hoisting system. This will include allowances for empty loading pocket, full bin, hoisting spill, etc.
It will usually be equivalent to approximately 16 hours of hoisting per day (67%), for a seven day per
week operation. For a five or six day per week operation, it may be 18 hours per day (75%) because
some maintenance work can be performed on the weekend.
Example

Facts:

1. Estimate is based on a seven-day workweek

2. Automatic hoisting is assumed.
3. No cage service is required
4. 12-day annual shutdown is assumed

Solution:
Hoist plant availability is shown in Table 13-3.

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Table 13-3 Hoist Plant Availability Double Drum Hoist (Seven Days per Week Operation)
Activity

Skipping
Continued?

Frequency

Duration
(hours)

no
N/A

weekly
monthly

8
N/A

1.000
0.000

Hoist from spill pocket

Hoist spill from spill ramp
Skip Hoisting

yes
yes

N/A
weekly

N/A
0.9

1.000
1.000

Shift change
Lunch time
21st shift in the week
Change from ore to rock
Change back to ore
hoisting
Electrical/Mechanical

yes
yes
no
no
no

daily
daily
weekly
daily
(in above)

N/A
1.5
8
0.5

0.000
0.000
1.000
7.000

8.00
3.50

Daily mechanical hoist

inspection
Inspection of skips and
attachments
Inspection of ropes
Weekly mech. running
tests
Weekly electrical
inspection
Grease both ropes
Replace scroll wear
plates
EM Test of the ropes
Cage Drop Test
Recap hoist ropes
Major Hoist Electrical

no

daily

7.000

7.00

no

daily

no
no

daily
weekly

no

weekly

no
no

monthly
annually

Work in Shaft
Shaft Inspection
Manway Inspection

no
no
no
no

Equivalent
Hrs/Week

(included above)
1
1.000
4

2
During Annual
Shutdown
quarterly
2
quarterly
2
semi-annual
12
annually
During Annual
Shutdown
annually
During Annual
Shutdown
annually
During Annual
Shutdown
500,000 tons
12

no

Major Hoist Mechanical

no

Change skip @ 500,000

tons
Change-out cage

no
no

5 years

Change Counterweight

no

5 years

Annual maintenance
allowance for shaft
signals
Headframe Annual
Inspection maintenance

no

annually

no

annually

170

During Annual
Shutdown
During Annual
Shutdown
During Annual
Shutdown
During Annual
Shutdown

Remarks

8.00
During
inspection
No spill pocket
0.90
% spill
Automatic hoist
Automatic hoist

(included above)

Major Drive Electrical

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Factor

1.00

1.000

4.00

0.231

0.46

0.077
0.077
0.038

0.15
0.15
0.46

0.098

1.17

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Table 13-3 (continued)

Electrical/Mechanical (continued)
Inspect & adjust head
sheaves for 2 skip ropes
Change one skip rope &
groove head sheaves
Change other skip rope &
groove head sheaves
Change cage rope

no

annually

During Annual
Shutdown
During Annual
Shutdown
During Annual
Shutdown
During Annual
Shutdown
During Annual
Shutdown
During Annual
Shutdown

no

36 months

no

36 months

no

4 years

Change counterweight
rope
NDT on hoist brakes,
pins, shafts, etc.
Delays
Load-out delays, Ore Bin
full
Repairs to underground
ore handling
Loading Pocket delays
Loading Pocket
maintenance and repair
PLC proving bugs
Fault Finding
Repairs to surface
conveyors, bins, etc.

no

4 years

no

annually

no

per week

1.000

2.00

no

per month

0.231

0.92

no
no

per week
per month

6
8

1.000
0.231

6.00
1.85

no
no
no

per week
per week
per month

4
2
4

1.000
1.000
0.231

4.00
2.00
0.92

Delays for slinging

no

per week

1.000

0.00 use cage hoist

No muck - system empty

no

per month

0.231

0.92

Power outages

no

per month

0.231

0.69

Shaft bottom pumps

repair

no

weekly

1.000

0.00

Shaft bottom clean-up

no

quarterly

0.077

0.62

Misc. delays
(unidentified)

no

weekly

1.000

4.00

Total Weekly Downtime (hours)

59 hours

Total Hours in a Week (7 days x 24 hours)

168 hours

Remaining Time to Skip (hours/week)

109 hours

PRODUCTION AVAILABILITY

65.0%

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McIntosh Redpath Engineering

Engineering

H A R D

R O C K

M I N E R S

H A N D B O O K

Example

Determine the skip capacity required for a double-drum hoist.

Facts:

1. Production Availability = 65%

2. Production capacity required = 4,500 tpd (ore and rock)
3. Hoisting distance (lift), H = 2,025 feet
4. Fully automatic hoisting
5. 24 hours per day operation

Solution: 1. Optimum line speed, V = 44 x 2025 =1,980 fpm = 33FPS

2. Cycle Time, T = H/V + 40 = 2025/33 + 40 100 seconds
3. Trips per hour = 3,600/100 = 36
4. Trips per day = 36 x 24 x 65% = 562
5. Skip capacity = 4,500/562 = 8 tons
Note

Refer to Chapter 15 of this handbook to determine the hoist rope required for a skip
capacity of 8 tons and subsequent determination of drum hoist design parameters for this
example.

McIntosh Redpath Engineering

172