Cradle to grave
Continued from page 35
are able to transfer slurry at the high
specific gravities required to save water;
those that can, will certainly experience
increased wear rates. However, adopting
peristaltic pump technology will improve
the dewatering of the product and
water conservation, and in the process
contribute to higher production capacity
and a reduction in maintenance and
operating costs. Such thickener transfer
pump solutions are designed to pump
slurry at a higher specific gravity at a
steady flow rate, which will significantly
reduce the amount of water-to-product
ratio, thereby increasing the per tonnage
of product being transported.
Local mining companies are
undoubtedly under increasing pressure
to balance costs, increase productivity,
and reduce water usage, while still
ensuring safety and meeting all
stakeholder expectations. However,
navigating the technical obstacles
of pumping solutions for specific
mining applications can be complex
and these companies simply cannot
afford the potential high cost of losses
in operations, operational efficiencies,
and the costs of equipment churn that
can be caused by having an inferior
solution. Installing original equipment
manufacturer solutions, therefore, gives
the added quality and performance
assurance of a well-functioning and
long-lasting pumping solution that
could lead to substantial savings in
costs and improved application in
performance, not only in the short term,
but the longer term too.
Grout manufacturer
drives modernisation
P
The article was written by Darryl
Macdougall, managing director at Verder
Pumps South Africa.
[36] MINING MIRROR JANUARY 2019
is considered to be the future of
underground primary support as mines
continue to strive to reduce waste-rock
haulage. It delivers an ultimate tensile
strength of almost 80% of the cable
— far exceeding that of any other
product on the market. Importantly, it
also allows rock engineers to anchor
higher into the hang wall of the stope
than is possible using a conventional
solid-steel roof bolt.
Dlamini Kuseni, who acquired
a 26% stake in M and J Mining
in 2012, has been a major driver
of the company’s growth, and he
continues to steer the company into
new markets. Kuseni also assists in
the development of new offerings,
such as the popular package deals
that include high-quality grouting
mediums.
These are produced and packaged
under the M and J Mining brand at
Epoxerite’s factory in Westonaria,
Gauteng. According to Daniel
Matthews, sales director at M and J
Mining, Epoxerite has been supplying
all the company’s cable-grouting
requirements for the past five
years.
Extensive testing was undertaken on a number of
Daniel Matthews explains that
mixes to provide a grout that is suited to M and J
extensive
testing was undertaken
Mining’s unique applications.
on a number of mixes in
underground environments to
provide a grout that is suited
to M and J Mining’s unique
applications. The product reaches
its compressive strength within
four hours so as not to interrupt
the blasting teams, while
providing a long pot life to allow
for the installation of up to 20
pre-stressed cable anchors in a
single shift.
Moreover, it must be
pumpable to fill the drill holes
that are between three metres
(m) and 12m in length and vary
in diameter from 38 millimetres
(mm) to 51mm. Regular batch
testing is critical to ensure a
consistent high-quality grout, as
is the accurate numbering of the
10 kilogram (kg) and 20kg bags
that are dispatched to the mines.
re-stressed cable anchors provide
a much safer alternative to the
use of wooden props to support
stopes in an underground mine.
M and J Mining has remained the
principal supplier of pre-stressed
cable anchors to the South African
mining industry since founder,
Gurney Mathews, was first
approached by a prominent South
African mining house in 1986 to
design and develop a more effective
means of supporting haulages,
stations, and large caverns.
The seasoned civil engineer’s system
was modelled upon tried-and-tested
lateral and vertical rock-stabilisation
technologies deployed in typical
geotechnical applications. It also
formed the basis upon which
Mathews would design and develop a
more efficient and feasible anchoring
solution for stopes and panels, in
collaboration with one of the world’s
leading platinum group metals miners.
This includes the South African-
patented Flexibolt, a threaded
pre-stressed cable anchor that
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