Foreword
In history, before miners had access to productive equipment
and blasting agents, mining was hard and hazardous manual
work. The idea of excavating large volumes of rock to access
even the richest mineral zones was not feasible, and, as a re-
sult, ore veins were selectively followed, predominantly close
to the surface, or inside mountains. During the past century,
introduction of diesel power and electricity, combined with
new methods of mineral dressing, paved the way for large
scale open pit mining, and later for mechanized underground
mining. Nevertheless, the largest quantities of ore are still
excavated from surface deposits.
Atlas Copco, as an equipment supplier with a truly global
presence, has been at the forefront of technical and innova-
tive development. From pneumatic to hydraulic power, from
railbound to trackless haulage, from handheld to rig mounted
rock drills, and lately, from manual to computerized opera-
tion, Atlas Copco expertise is making mining safer and more
efficient.
Today, the mining industry, in its continuous battle for profit-
ability, is getting more and more capital intensive. Technical
development, especially in underground mining, has been
extremely rapid during the past decade. Less labour is re-
quired, and safety and environmental aspects are of prime
importance.
Growing demand for metals has resulted in today’s world wide
exploration and mining boom. However, mining companies
have experienced increasing difficulties in recruiting skilled
labour to work in remote mining communities. This has led
to a stronger involvement from contractors now carrying out
tasks beyond the more traditional shaft sinking operations.
Today, contractors get engaged in all kinds of mine infra-
structure works such as drifting, both inside and outside
the orebodies, and might also be involved in production and
mine planning, as well as scheduling. The miners, tradition-
ally focusing on maximizing the utilization of their equipment
Hans Fernberg
M Sc Mining Engineering
Senior Adviser
Atlas Copco Rock Drills AB
hans.fernberg@se.atlascopco.com
2 underground mining methods
mine-wide, are benefiting from experience gained by tunnel
contractors, who frequently have to concentrate their focus
on a single tunnel face. This makes the latter more suited for
high-speed ramp and drift development, and is one reason
why contractors are increasingly being employed by mine
owners on this type of work. Also, contractors bring with
them a range of skills developed under various conditions in
multiple locations, and frequently have the latest and most
sophisticated equipment immediately available. Gone are the
days when contractors got only the jobs that the mine manage-
ment could not do, or simply didn’t want to do. Nowadays, it
is normal for a contractor to bring specialist skills and equip-
ment to the project, and for the mine to get its development
work completed faster and cheaper than by doing it itself.
After all, when bringing mines to production, time and cost
are crucial factors in their viability.
When designing, manufacturing, selling and servicing Atlas
Copco equipment, we commit ourselves to achieving the high-
est productivity, and the best return on customer investment.
Only by being close to customers, by sharing their problems
and understanding their methods and applications, do we earn
the opportunity to be the leading manufacturer, and the natu-
ral first choice.
Our main ambition with this book is to stimulate technical
interchange between all people with a special interest in this
fascinating business. These include, in particular, underground
miners, managers and consultants, universities, and our own
sales and marketing organization.
The various cases from leading mines around the world illus-
trate how geological and geotechnical conditions, never being
identical, give birth to new and more successful variants of
mining methods. We hope that some of this material will
result in expanded contacts between mining companies in
their battle to be more competitive and profitable.