SHAFT SINKING
Redpath Deilmann, on behalf of Anglo American, continues to cut rock using a modified Shaft Boring Roadheader, delivered by manufacturer Herrenknecht
The depth charge
From concurrent processes to new mechanised blind sinking technology, the shaft sinking market continues to innovate, Dan Gleeson reports
Shaft sinking as a mine development process continues to find favour in this environment.
Enough case studies have been circulated around the industry to showcase how the sinking of shafts can facilitate costeffective and energy-efficient operations, the latter of which is being aided by the increasing use of permanent infrastructure to regenerate energy.
For our annual focus, we spoke to leading contractors and manufacturers in the field to get the latest on what is going on down below. or other tools for mucking, drilling, ripping, cutting and cleaning to take place on a teleremote basis. All these attachments are connected to the galloway within the shaft via a telescopic boom that also reduces the need to continuously lower the galloway during mucking.
Offering a maximum working radius of 6.95 m, bucket digging force of 110 kN, a digging depth( below the telescopic boom) of 8.7 m and increased flexibility in terms of boom swing and movement, the S100 is part of Redpath’ s roadmap towards automating the drill and blast shaft sinking process.
Redpath Deilmann, at its Dortmund base, has tested out the addition of a 0.75 cu. m bucket to the S100 via a 2.4-m-long, 1.3-m-diameter telescopic boom on a headframe. Tests on the mucking process using this attachment have proven out the concept, Greinacher said.
The company is now looking into the possibility of a“ hybrid” Shaft Boring Roadheader( SBR)-S100 setup for a project in Europe that would see Herrenknecht’ s SBR, developed for the mechanised sinking of blind shafts in soft-to-medium rock, teamed with both the S100 and drill and blast operations to cope with hard-rock formations.
“ We have to marry the S100 to the steel ring of the SBR, remove the SBR’ s cutting head and use the S100 mucker, in tandem with a small crusher,” Greinacher explained of this system.“ The PNM( pneumatic mucking system) from the SBR can then be used to muck the crushed material, with the
Redpath Deilmann ready to muck in
As Redpath Deilmann continues to tackle the Sherwood Sandstone at Woodsmith, in the UK, it is also developing hydraulic mucking setups that could be used in tandem with traditional drill and blast methods for sinking deep shafts.
Both the company’ s S100 and S20 have been advanced to the point where they can now be deployed in a commercial sinking operation, Redpath Deilmann Managing Director, Jochen Greinacher, told IM in mid- July.
The S100 is designed for the attachment of a shovel, double drill feed, cutting drum
Redpath Deilmann, at its Dortmund base, has tested out the addition of a 0.75 cu. m bucket to the S100 via a 2.4-m-long, 1.3-m-diameter telescopic boom on a headframe
International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2025