I have been building my knowledge around the different underground mining mobile plant that operates at mining faces across the world. The equipment with the highest rank would be the jumbo, a rig that is used for both development drilling advance and install of ground support. This is perceived as the “top of food chain” for operators, but there are many potential issues and pit falls with using such a complex piece of equipment.
One operator, Troy Evans and his business partner Dale Harper, have created a very simple tool to increase the safety and efficiency around one part of the jumbo puzzle, the install of resin bolts. This can be a repetitive and challenging task, as there are many variables for the operator to overcome for a perfect install. If not installed correctly the resin bolt system may not offer the ground support required, creating a safety hazard for those working in the area.
The problem arises around drill hole depth, as the resin and bolt need to be properly installed to ensure the integrity of the ground support. When talking about this with various operators there are several different ways to check that you have drilled to the required depth, however none of them are hard and fast engineered solutions.
The Ezytail offers a simple and cost effective way of ensuring that resin bolts are installed correctly. It attaches neatly to the end of the existing OEM drill steel and allows the operator to clearly see (when the EzyTail reaches the rock/shotcrete) that the required depth has been drilled. This will make for a safer work environment and also reduce costly rework in areas where pull tests and QA/QC checks may have failed.
Summary
The EzyTail has been designed by operators to improve standards when installing resin rock bolts. This is a very good thing in my opinion! As an industry we want to take the guesswork out of ground support, especially as many mines mature to working at depth. If a Development Bolting Rig is out of the question for your project, then the EzyTail could be a cheaper alternative to help improve ground support standards. It is inspiring to see two Australian’s striving to improve standards within their industry and I will conduct a Q+A with Troy in 2021 to learn more about how he developed the product.
For additional info contact Troy or Dale here: enquires@ezymining.com.au
Iam a jumbo operator position or DD422i operator position and I am looking for job in your company.