UNDERGROUND RAIL
that goes from development , to production , to backfilling . This wholly-mechanised , patented rail-based system brings with it several opportunities for innovation in any underground mining operations by enhancing worker safety , overall mine productivity and reducing the mine site environmental footprint .
“ The SAMS is backed by thousands of manhours of R & D work and field tests that only need to be commercialised .”
SAMS , or the shallow angle mining system , has been in existence since 2012 when Minrail consolidated several patents associated with previous iterations of a mechanised mining technique developed for narrow , shallow dipping deposits oriented at 10-45 °
thus increasing the number of levels within the mine infrastructure .”
Using wider spaced levels reduces the amount of time required to extract the ore from within the orebody as less time is spent excavating waste rock material , according to Beauvais .
“ In certain cases , we have seen up to a 40 % reduction in lateral development , translating into millions of dollars in savings ,” he told IM . This also translates to the ability to access ore zones much quicker than conventional methods .
“ On top of that , the mining method , in itself , is highly selective , therefore , reducing again the rock work required to extract the ore . What people need to understand is in a SAMS mine layout , SAMS aims at the ‘ ounces contained ’ within the orebody , not the raw tonnage ,” Beauvais said .
It is these characteristics , on top of the significant safety benefits of applying the system and the potential to automate part of the process – through the Suspended Muck Handling System , or SMHS – that has attracted mining companies to the technology . This includes Eldorado Gold ’ s Lamaque operation , also in Quebec , that has previously trialled SAMS .
In a recent update on LinkedIn , Minrail said : “ The SAMS is a fully integrated mining method
Scharf solution to leverage state-ofthe-art battery tech
Germany-based SMT Scharf has a significant market share in the underground monorail market and is looking to increasingly focus on tunnel logistics and hard-rock mining .
In its most recent 2023 annual results release , it said : “ The aim here is to further optimise our decades of experience in underground mining and our proven sustainable product development for the requirements of the respective market segment .”
SMT Scharf gave an example here , saying it would shortly be delivering the successor products to electric monorail transport systems that have been in use for more than 20 years to two gold and platinum mining companies . These systems will leverage “ state-of-the-art ” battery technology that makes it possible to bridge a mains power failure , it explained .