Shaft Sinkers offers the following contracting services:
Shaft Sinking
Shaft Sinkers (Pty) Limited has exceptional expertise and knowledge in the underground construction industry and has, since 1961, sunk approximately 165km of vertical and other shafts around the globe. This figure is inclusive of 356 000 m of incline and decline shafts.
These shafts include small diameter exploratory shafts to large diameter (19m) surge chambers and ultra deep (3583m) multiple shaft systems for mining.
Shaft Sinkers is also capable of sinking:
- Vertical hydropower pressure shafts.
- Bussbar and cable shafts for hydro-electric power stations.
- Shafts for ventilation and geotechnical and seismic monitoring.
- Shafts to gain access to underground road and railway transit systems.
- Oil and low pressure gas storage caverns.
The company undertakes the removal of shaft pillars and the sinking of shafts through mined out areas, as well as the application of mid-shaft loading during sinking.
Shaft Sinkers also provides circular, rectangular and oval shafts, together with shafts with brattice walls to permit up and down ventilation in the same structure, as well as rehabilitation and refurbishment of shafts damaged or in need of an upgrade.
Large Underground Excavations
Shaft Sinkers has been associated with the design and construction of environmentally friendly large and small underground caverns for the containment of hydropower and pumped storage power plants, normal and high pressure oil, as well as gas storage.
In the international mining and civil engineering industry, underground sub-level hoist, and pump chambers are excavated by Shaft Sinkers.
Mining Contracting by Shaft Sinkers Mining (Pty) Ltd.
Shaft Sinkers Mining (Pty) Ltd is able to undertake metalliferous and coal mining, on behalf of clients, including assuming complete responsibility for the mine from shaft head to delivering ore at the mill. Conventional and mechanised mining methods are applied successfully at deep and shallow underground coal, platinum, gold and diamond mines.
Surface and Underground Construction
Shaft Sinkers is involved in most facets of the underground mining industry and is associated with various aspects of its construction. Installation of hoists and winders, pumps, pipes and water columns and backfill pipes is undertaken together with the laying of underground tracks and roadways.
The support of underground and surface structures is frequently undertaken and includes the design and installation of rock anchors and retaining structures, such as gabion walls in open cast applications, dry and wet shotcreting of high walls and underground excavations and tunnels.
Heavy sections of precast concrete are manufactured on site by the company and utilised in various applications including shaft brattice walls, using the steam curing system. The construction of water stop plugs and underground dams and the sealing thereof is undertaken together with the rehabilitation of cavitating orepasses. Specialist grouting and water sealing methods are provided and executed by the company in shafts and underground excavations and tunnels.
Tunnelling Civil and Mining Tunnelling
Shaft Sinkers services include the design and construction methods of civil tunnels, both horizontal and inclined to underground works and caverns, together with tunnels suitably lined to withstand high pressure water such as hydropower penstocks.
Underground development and tunnelling, including underground mine infrastructure, such as dams, pump stations, workshops, settlers, sub stations, orepasses, etc. are included in the shaft sinking service which the company provides to the mining industry.
Tunnelling by tunnel boring machines is undertaken by Shaft Sinkers in collaboration with specialist sub-contractors and owners of Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs).
High efficiency drilling and mucking machinery, both trackless and rail bound, is on offer to suit client specific requirements.
Design, Consulting and Draughting by METS as well as Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management
Mining and Engineering Technical Services (METS) is an ISO 9001-2000 accredited division of Shaft Sinkers (Pty) Limited.The division has considerable knowledge and expertise in underground construction and allied fields and provides a comprehensive consultancy and design service to the mining and civil engineering industries worldwide. The services provided for such projects include:
- Conceptual design.
- Exploratory works.
- Mine and project evaluation.
- Optimisation of design and layout of surface and underground works.
- Shaft and shaft equipment design, including shaft steelwork, conveyances and skips, loading arrangements, etc.
- Design of sinking arrangements, which include:
- Sinking stages
- Shaft drilling jumbos
- Ventilation arrangements, and
- Mucking devices, such as cactus grabs is provided.
- Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management of mining projects (EPCM).
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