Shaft Sinking after a mineral bed has been proved, if its extraction is considered economic, a decision py the planning engineers whether the mineral is to be extracted by opencast mining grate 5 jerground methods of working. To extract mineral by underground methods of working, of ne may be by an incline (a (unnel from surface to the mineral bed), by an adit, or by a stich is called shaft or pit in mining terminology, . d Size of a Shaft gnape an yecircular in shape and rectangular shafts are rare in this country, the exceptional v< being some of the shafts inmates iar dhe eo est eats esse FANE OSS section, offers the least rubbing surface to ventilating air current. It is ee to sink and line with bricks or concrete. The finished diameter of a shaft varies from 4,2 m ee - — A rectangiilar shaft sunk in recent years is the main shaft at Mochia Magra Mines, gawat, Ra asthan (Hindustan Zine Limited). It is of 5.2 m x 3.8 m in cross-section, vertical, 51m deep trom the shaft collar with 30 cm thick conérete lining. “Shalt sinking 1s costly operation. The mining companies pay to the shaft sinking contractors amounts varying from Rs. 50,000/- to Rs. 75,000/- per metre of overall depth of the gaft sunk and this amount includes sinking, lining with concrete, head gear, winding engine, compressors and all the machinery required for sinking and lining upto the final depth (A farokey job): The high cost involved demands much care in selecting the shaft site. It is, iherefore, a standard practice to bore a pilot hole at the proposed shaft site to have a core of the rocks. Such hole need not be at the shaft centre, but may be within 50 m radius of the shaft centre and often only one hole would serve for(twin shafts. The hole gives an idea toencounter during sinking and provides data essential for : 1. confirmation of shaft site, 2. selection of water control methods, 3. estimation of sinking time and costs, 4. design of shaft and permanent lining. we ‘The present practice prefers holes with cores of 100 mm diameter. Such large di cores and holes are preferred for reasons of deviation control, good core recovery, laboratory strengh & permeability tests. ai Surface Plant and Equipment ‘the'burface plant and equipment required for sinking is as follows : 1. Steam boilers or diesel engines for winding engine, pumps, ete. ‘available |70 / Shaft sinking ___ _70/ se fitted with locked oe i rape ines and winders 2. Winding engi 3. Steel headgear. THE headgear may be temporary nara after the sinking 18 OCT: it is replaced by a permanent hea, sind permanent winders, se See ae snes for walling sca fold, and other Wines ity 4.Double drumiwing lighting cables, $} pot-firing cables, PUMP suspensio,, » pee for r and pump cabl . 5. Air compressors for jack hammer drills used for driltin » ak and other compressed alt operated equipment, per minute ce pacity. xe 6. Fan of nearly 300 | or steam engine for lighting 7. Generator with diese doors to cover the shaft top. {inertia 8, Folding 9. Shaft centering arrangement. 10. Signalling arrangements from pit bottom to pit from pit to} ing engine set ges *9P an 7 ie ze i. For disposal of debris, chutes, buckets, and tippj with tramline, ete. 2 Uipping tub 12, Workshop including smithl usual machines. * ene berae il and _othe .-413-Lamp room, first ai A id room, magazine, , , Stores, office. 5 > Office, ete: Fi i9. 4.1 General Arrangement of Sinking Shaft Special diff i Sees ifficulties encountered during sinking would uld require use of additionaFig. 4.4 Riders used during sinking The centre of shaft is marked by concrete pillars, each having a plate with centre line =phed on it. These pillars are required always as reference marks when sinking. They should, fore, be so placed as not to be damaged by ‘sinking operations or covered by debris. The-strata through ‘which a shaft has to be sunk may be divided into three groups. i. Sub-soil or alluvium, ii, Slard rocks below the alluvium and above the mineral bed (generally consisting of sand sone, shale, thin coal seams, ete, in coal mining areas). iii The coal seam, or the mineral bed. She perimeter of excavi vation at the surface ii is marked by pegs, ae radius of such ncaation is cqual to finished radius of shaft + thickriess of brick or concrete lining + a tarance of 230 10 300 mm. Vite start ing point of a vertical shait at the Ihe sels and hammers, soil varies from 3 m to 20m, The excavated materi ited he sae hgh cc hoised by rope in the same manner as practised for sinking ordinary ‘crane with a long jib or a grab is sometimes used for clearing the Setaaces Xe ae 5 “ deh of 30.7 ag ’ i ti a iF ep val nd ty ‘a E ‘measure the radius from @ plumb wire suspen ; _72/ Shaft sinking Temporai yporary Lining sotto 10 prevent their collapse, 4 the shots. . Blasting by tappipg current from surface by a hand operated heavy duty ee me as pracised in §) power lines is permitted by DGMS under certain Fig:4.14 Upward drivage of shaft pecial Methods Of-Sinking Ordinary methods of shaft sinking are not suitable in some cases and special methods we to be adopted under the following conditions. 1 Loose or unstable ground, such as sand, mud, ete. 2 Excessively watery strata. 3. Acombination of the above two. :a... The special methods are as follows + The Piling System and is suite 2 tr soiling’ or "sheet pling or ng This method is known as simply pine f or face to del a af a tional posi Tu ‘cally water-tight. sa ek faye pag and they are oer at piles. At the surface, thet steel piles, 6 m to 10 m long, ' + three len p kets ie riveting two 0! wn in rotation, mber ying tae mi eh ah ecw a) : eo is ted and cleared a ime by a direct-acting iles, is excaval : eecnd ir the lovee gound, the latter, enclosed by the plese kept slficintly ahead it should be remembered that the bottom ends of the tes excavation reaches tron excavation to prevent inrush of water or loose sand. ds in the manner already mn procee permanent lining is constructed and the sinking then p! for normal conditions. Section of a pile Fig. 4.15 Piling Caisson Methods The methods can be divided into three classes. i) Sinking drum process or open caisson method This consists of a cylindrical well of brick work, 0.3 m to 0.4 m in thickness over ams. ring having a steel cutting shoe. The shaft is ercavted aaa down gradually by its own weight. As the drum sinks down, further brick work is added on the top. A compound sinking drum consisting of brick work surrounded by 13 mm thick steel plates is Sometimes used to resist uncertain tensile stresses, Concrete sinking drums also can be used. Care must be taken to see that the drum descends vertically and with this object additional weights may be placed over the drum. di) Forced drop shaft method This is commonly adopted where the strata Consists of alternate tough and loose sound and also when the drop shaft refuses to sink further due to very high skin friction. In cases sinking is carried out with the help of hydraulic-rams which force down the cast ito? drums, This method can be used for depth upto 60 m (Fig, 4.16),Sand Sand Sand eating ose Fig. 4.16 Forced drop shaft i) pneumatic caisson method This method is adopted when there is a danger of ground filing up the shaft or where jsconsiderable inrush of water under a small head, Compressed air is led into the chamber by means ofa partition, 18 to 2 m above the cutting shoe Compressed air keeps back yater and sand. An air lock is mounted on top of the partition as a Passage for men sia, The limit of the pressure of the air is 4 kgf/cm? beyond which persons cannot work. Geol cannot be used for depths of more than 30 m. ‘These caisson methods are commonly adopted for the construction of foundations for edges, tall buildings, etc. freezing Method Senne es (Qerey This method is used when the sinking is proceeding through an unstable a sna with heavy inrush of water, or sand connected with inflow of water and essenti ly tanh the formation of a large block of frozen ground in the water-bearing strata. The frozen Sock prevents the influx of water into the shaft. The whole process can be divided into three ‘petations. ¥ : me aga ea fe” ‘the first operation consists of drilling holes, usually 150 mm diam, at 2.2 to 3m intervals around the shaft from the surface or from a fore shaft. The holes, after drilling, «cto be lined with special tubes and care should be taken to see that all the holes are Vertical, 1e 86 / Shaft Sinking 4 able the cold bring 2. / Inside the holes special small tubes are neat sartpmcree Se » CaCl) to be circulated. Cold brine, a Se AReieh eee ae ote NY is Lior from the surrounding strata and the ie is carried out in the normal way anita sufficient size is formed. Sinking and lining ter ation of icc wall. a : formation a which consists in removing the jeg 3. Thehige and final operation is thaws = sending hot brine throu, The existing holes. This method is very rarely used in India. Santag Cementation Process . a ie used in all cases of shaft sinking, Pa inany fissured = This process can be Sacceaafilly appliais bearing strata except in running sam or loose ground. Itcan be Y applied in gj even when the inrush of water is heavy. ; .d out to achieve one or more 7 ‘Treatment of ground around the shaft i carrie following objectives : (1) To stabilise the collapsing pea) To con of water, (3) ‘To avoid flooding, (4) To prevent sand "boiling". The ope! ly Cartied oy : ee 2 phases, one before the sinking and the other after shaft lining. dictate the pattern of treatment. The pre-sinking treatment reduces the surprise-stoppages of the sinking due jp unfavourable ground conditions. Further, by reducing the amount of water inflow it not sa\: © penditure on the dewatering pumps but substantially enhances the rate of sinking ang the quality of the work. On occasions post-cementation treatment may be neeessary to have improved working conditions in the mine. Otherwise humidity in the underground excavation would create serious ventilation ahd corrosion problems. Sete eee a The fnethod consists in drilling the holes as shown in Fig. 4.17 and then injecting a slurry of waterand cement under pressure through the holes till they are completely sealed off. In the past injection was done at low pressures like 6 kgf/cm? but it has been proved that high te “rs of the order of 300 kgf/cm* can be used successfully. The water cement ratio can be ling to the requirements. Ground conditions usta ai A process known as pre-silicatisation, which reduces the frctich ofthe rock to the Passage of cement is necessary in certain types of rocks, Extra holes are drilled for the purpose and are treated first with silicate of soda and then with 1 aluminium sulphate is process of pantins the holes with the chemicals “is known “silicatsati holes to be treated with chemicals are known “product-hole" number * times that of cementation holes, = on ake, 3 After cementation of holes the haft =. . vaAt sudamdih id Monidih Collieries ; » first mine in India wh ak aan the first m jere two shafts were ¢ sunk in the early sixties ida ec a Jish engineers in a manner that was complet of Po! pletely new for the mining industry pelP?' distinctive features adopted for the fi tt * so : first time in shaft sinking at Sudamdih, diy amet at moni a as carried out with the help of one head gear : ne each other on either side of the Bake and 2 winders, diametrically oer le deck platform was used for simultaneous vahing si ele 2 lay detonators were used. e lining. 3S hotlring was carried out with the current from the electric power line at 550 V, 4 ders, suspended from the double deck platf 50 V. & crt sal bottom. platform, were used for loading of “ah rates of sinking with completion of shaft lining we: i 6 vist 6s per month was 25 metres and the fatima wi cues — Entire shaft depth was lined with concrete. ’ at Sudamdih No. 1 shaft is 450 m deep, finished dia. 7.2 m and the adjacent No. 2 420m deep, 6.5 finished dia. All the coal production comes from 400 meters horizon = pelow M.S.L.) by means of skips in No. 1 pit. During sinking at shaft No. 1 a temporary é and two winders were installed but the headgear and winders were replaced later by permanent ones. ral time-study of different operations : Agent! L Drilling 3 to 4 hours. 4 2 Charging and blasting 11/2 to 2 hours. Clearance of smoke and cleaning of D.D. platform 1/2 to hour. Lowering of pipes, equipment and grab-1/2 to 1 hour. Loading of much 18 to 21 hours. Lowering the steel shuttering 45 min to 1 hour. Placing and plumbing the shuttering 1 to 11/2 hours. Extension of concrete pipe line (flexible portion 1/2 to 1 hour. Pouring concrete 3 to 4 hours. ee aT