Muhammad Talha 16PWMIN0779 Assignment No.

Shaft sinking:
It may be described as an excavation of vertical or inclined opening from surface for conveyance of men,
materials, ventilation, pumping water, in addition to hoisting ore and waste rock. It is also called Shaft
Construction or Shaft Mining.

Purpose of shaft sinking:

To transport men and materials.
For hoisting ore and waste from underground.
To serve as intake and return airways for the mine (ventilation purpose).
To access an ore body.

Methods of Shaft Sinking:

There are different methods of shaft sinking/construction. Actually three possible methods allowing a
shaft to be sunk through highly weathered over burden on the basis of Excavation and Wall support.
These are;
1.Down the hole Shaft sinking Methods(On the basis of Excavation Support)

2.Remote Shaft sinking Methods

3.Raise boring Method

1. Down the hole Shaft sinking Methods:

This method includes the following:

1.Drilling & Blasting:

In this method a shaft is constructed by drilling holes and filling them with explosives.Using this method,
drilling and blasting can sink around 5-10 metres in one blast.This is very labour-intensive, unsafe and
has high running costs.It is the most viable alternative for shafts up to 100m in length.
2.Mucking:

This is the operation of loading broken rock by hand or machine, usually in shafts or tunnels.This method
is used for mucking out cuttings from the bottom of the shaft. Usually this would require some skip-
hoisting, bucket-hoisting or clam-shell-grab equipment.

3.V-mole with Pilot hole:

The V-mole is an improvement on the concept of the shaft boring machine.In this method,before boring,
a pilot-hole is drilled, to assist in both cuttings removal and guiding the machine along the correct path.
The V-mole uses grippers to hold on to the side of the shaft.The V-mole is a costly machine not suited
for drilling short shafts.

4.Rock Bolting & Meshing:

A wire mesh is fastened to the walls with evenly spaced rock bolts called rock bolting.Rock bolting is a
commonly used is cheap method.The rock-bolts increase normal stresses on joints so that shear failure
along joints becomes more difficult.Often rock bolts and mesh are used as a basis for shotcreting.Water
in-flow during shotcreting severely reduces the quality of shortcrete.
5.Cast in place lining:

It is possible to cast concrete rings as the shaft sink progresses.This method provides a smooth,
watertight and permanent lining for the shaft. The casing can be reinforced to cope with horizontal
stresses (i.e. ring-shaped reinforcement) making the casing elements more economical.

6.Pre Cast lining Segments:

By pre cast lining segments,In sands, mudstone and sandstone, steel, pre-stressed concrete or
composite liners with a smaller diameter (i.e. up to the 4.5 dia) than the shaft are lowered after drilling
out the hole.Concrete can then be poured behind the walls to create the lining.

Conventional Methods of Shaft Sinking:

1.Wood/Steel Pilling:

The first set of piles, forming a circle around the shaft site is started at the surface.In this method,the
piles are driven down, the ground isexcavated, and a circular crib is put in every
few feet. In this way the shaft is sunk in a series of short wooden cylinders.

2.Open Caisson:

In this method the shaft is started by digging a shallow excavation and placing a cutting shoe on the
bottom of the pit. The ground inside and just under the shoe is excavated and the lining is built up as the
shoe sinks.
3.Cementation Process:
Cavities and fissures are filled with quick-setting cement under high pressure then allowed to set.
Cement pumps are designed for
pressure as high as 5000 lb/sqin.
4.Freezing Process:
This method was first used in 1883. The wet round is artificially frozen and then blasted and excavated
as though it were solid rock. From 20 to 50 holes are drilled on the circumference of a circle. Circulating
pipes are placed in the holes and a calcium or magnesium chloride solution is pumped through the pipes
to freeze the ground.

6.Vertical shaft sinking machine:

This method is suitable for hard rock formations in which a shaft of diameter 5 to 10 meters is drill with
a maximum depth of 65 meters,called VSM Technique.It is an application for Offshore Mining Purposes.
Shaft Sinking Machine consists of two main components:
1. Shaft boring machine 2. The lowering units