UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT

Rapid development
for cave mines

Artist's impression of the Modular Mobile Mining (MMM) machine

io Tinto has partnered with

Herrenknecht, Atlas Copco and Aker
Wirth following a long and detailed
selection process to develop new shaft sinking
and horizontal development machines (IM,
April 2010, p5). Pursuing this in logical order,
let us look first at Herrenknecht and its Shaft
Boring System (SBS).
For those unfamiliar with this company,
better known in civil mechanised tunnelling,
Herrenknecht has more than 30 years
experience in this field. It is headquartered in
Schwanau, Germany. At this facility there is the
capacity to manufacture 15 Tunnel Boring
Machines (TBMs for tunnel diameters over
6 m). Since 1977, the companys machines have
bored more than 850 km of traffic tunnels.
Dr. Christian Frenzel, Mining Applications
Herrenknecht, told IM the company has been
getting involved in equipment for sinking
vertical shafts, raise and boxhole drilling for
some time. We have a couple of references
for the Vertical Shaft Sinking Machines (VSM).
These are mainly civil shafts, but one pre-sink
for a mine shaft has been undertaken as well.
The further developments aim for a muck
discharge system, which allows hoisting of
skips to the surface to overcome depth
limitations of slurry systems.
The shaft sinking jumbos have not been
built yet, but have been fully developed. The
actual drill systems have been built several
times for similar applications.

John Chadwick looks deeper into

mechanical cutting technologies
being developed in a very
interesting program

The SBS is designed for the mechanised

excavation of deep vertical blind shafts in hard
rock. The semi-full-face sequential excavation
process is accomplished by a rotating cutting
wheel excavating the full shaft diameter in a
two-stage process for one complete stroke. An
overview of the system is shown overleaf.
The first stage of the excavation process is
to cut a trench to a depth of one stroke with
the cutting wheel rotating around its
horizontal axis. The wheel is pushed
downward in the shaft direction. Then the
machine will excavate the entire bench (face)
area by slewing the rotating cutting wheel
180 around the shafts vertical axis.
The SBS machinery consists of three major
areas of equipment and operation, which are
(working up from the bottom):
Shaft boring equipment with excavation,
muck transport and gripping system as well
as equipment for primary rock support and
probe drilling
Primary platform decks for SBS supply
infrastructure and power packs
Secondary platform decks for final lining
installation, muck handling and services
extension.
Presenting this machine at this years SME
Annual Meeting1, Herrenknechts Werner
Burger explained that the cutting wheel
circumference and periphery of both sides is
equipped with appropriate cutting tools and
muck buckets to excavate the rock and remove

the cuttings while rotating. Excavation and

muck removal is a continuous process. The
cuttings are guided along internal muck
channels and discharged by gravity onto a
centre arranged secondary conveying system.
A full mining cycle consists of the
following steps:
Trench excavation (plunging)
Bench excavation (slewing)
Extend SBS support legs
Retract and reset main gripper system
Adjust SBS vertical alignment with rear
gripper system
Activate main gripper system.
The cutting wheel has a diameter that
equals the excavation diameter of the shaft. It
is equipped with disc cutters at the periphery
and the side areas. The front-loading disc
cutters are 483 mm in diameter with a narrow
cutter ring design.
The cutting wheel layout follows the
principle of a bucket wheel. At the periphery,
the bucket-lips are arranged so they pick up
the cuttings from the bench during the
rotation of the cutter wheel. Once in the
buckets the rotation of the wheel lifts the
muck, which at a certain position starts to slide
along internal muck channels towards a
stationary muck ring hopper arrangement.
Here the muck is finally discharged into the
loading area of the vertical conveyor running
up the centre of the machine.
First stage of rock support is the application

MAY 2010 International Mining 55

UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT
of the machine as the cutting wheel is used to
guide the SBS. Burger explains: After the
machine is adjusted to the vertical the
difference between the centre of the shaft and
the centre of the machine will be detected by
scanners. To get an accurate and redundant
position of the machine axis in relation to the
scanned shaft centre, three scanner levels are
planned. If this difference is out of a defined
tolerance a correction to the steering is
needed. Therefore, the machine has to be
tilted outside of the vertical direction.
To support the steering of the SBS out of
the vertical a function in the navigation system
is planned. This shall be implemented by a precalculated point of the machine axis in one
advance direction. By moving the SBS out of
the vertical this pre-calculated point can be
moved onto the planned shaft axis. This
system shall be controlled and calibrated
frequently by independent control
measurements.
SBS concept development has been
completed and detailed engineering has
started. It is expected to weigh some 2,000 t
and require a collar depth of around 55 m. The
target is to at least triple current average shaft
sinking rates, which are 2.5-3 m/d.

Modular Mobile Mining

The main sections of the SBS. The cutting wheel,
cutting wheel drive assembly, mechanical machine
support structure, shotcrete and probe drilling
equipment are all in the excavation chamber (1). Then
comes the adjustable front support with slew
bearing/drive assembly cutting wheel support and
dust shield (2). Regular rock support area for rock
bolts (3). The mainframe with gripper carrier, gripper
system and lowering/thrust cylinders (4) with the rear
alignment system (secondary gripper) above. Muck
handling system (5)

of shotcrete close to the face, below the dust

shield. The shotcrete nozzles slew with the
cutting wheel, which allows the nozzles to
apply a complete ring of shotcrete while the
bench excavation occurs.
The second step is to install the rock bolts
behind, above the dust shield. This is a non
slewing area so all activities can take place
while excavation is proceeding.
For both pre-excavation grouting and probe
drilling, there are two pivoting probe drill units
in front below the dust shield. Retractable
platforms are installed to access the bench for
installation of standpipes and blow-out
preventers.
An inclinometer mounted on the same part

56 International Mining MAY 2010

The challenge presented to Atlas Copco was

to come up with a mechanical cutting machine
for the following conditions:
Could accomplish a vast amount of different
tunnels, tight curves and cross cuts
Be a self-propelled unit between jobs
Cut in very high in-situ rock stress
applications
Large convergence expected
Generally poor ground
In some mines very hot ambient rock
Highest possible safety standards.
And it is to be able to progress at at least
twice the speed of the best drill & blast
operations.
Atlas Copco has extensive past experience in
TBMs and other mechanical cutting
innovations. A TBM would not have the
flexibility for tight curves, so the company
dusted off the Mobile Miner idea
(IM, September 2008, p62) of which three
models were made in the late 1980s, early
1990s. Two operated in Australian mines, the
MM120 at Mount Isa and the MM130 with
Pasminco at Broken Hill. The latest (1993) and
most advanced was a civil tunnelling machine
employed in Japan, the Taisei MM130R. This
was an articulated mobile miner, with vertical
boom movement. It has the ability to excavate
a tunnel with a height bigger than the

machine or its cutter wheel, giving space to

rock reinforcement equipment. It was intended
for large tunnels to be excavated in hard rock
and successfully completed a tunnel in granite.
Sverker Hartwig is the man at Atlas Copco
for mechanical cutting and he explains other
considerations that took the concept to the
mobile miner rather than a TBM. TBMs are
considered advantageous for high speed
tunnelling, as it is normally referred to a higher
advance rate, a very smooth profile and a
careful excavation, reducing demands for rock
support. On the other side is the cost of a
TBM, and its very limited possibility to change
profile as well as difficulties handling small
curve radii are all aspects where drill & blast
has a number of advantages. The TBM profile
has strengths and weaknesses. The arched roof
is a benefit, but the non-flat invert is not ideal
for all applications. Cutting crosscuts and
branching is difficult with TBMs, and normally
requires extensive, extra measures. The choice
between the two methods is therefore a
complex exercise involving many different
parameters and complex calculations.
Rio Tinto selected the new Atlas Copco
Modular Mobile Mining (MMM) machine
concept for a number of reasons including the
proven technology of the previous three
Mobile Miners and other commercial products,
combined with the ability to install complete
ground support typical with high rock stress
conditions at approximately 1,500 to 2,000 m
depth.
Atlas Copco, with support from Swiss
company ROWA that specialises in back up
systems for TBMs, is currently advancing the
detail design of the access version of the
MMM. Because of the different requirements
of an excavation system for access tunnels and
that for tunnels on what Hartwig describes as
the footprint, we envision two different
versions of the MMM technology. Both the
access and the footprint versions of the
machine share a majority of key technologies
and systems. Therefore we are able to conduct
a performance confirmation test using a fullscale version of the access machine that will
mitigate the technical risks for the footprint
version.
It was clear from the beginning that the
machine must operate in a mode where the
cutters follow their own tracks (significant
difference to previous Mobile Miners). So
instead of swinging the cutter head sideways,
when working the cutter head, it must be
advanced straight or almost straight forward.
Since only a portion of the face is excavated at
one time, the head has to be retracted out of
the rock and then moved sideways or vertically

UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT
The simplified model of the main beam only shows
how the MMM cutter head must be advanced
straight or almost straight forward. Since only a
portion of the face is excavated at one time, the
head has to be retracted out of the rock and then
moved sideways or vertically in the air and then
sumped forward again to cover the entire drift face

shotcrete pumps, compressors, ventilation fans

and dust suction fans. It will carry materials like
roof bolts, wire mesh, spares, and cutters.
Rio Tinto and Atlas Copco estimate the
average performance of this technology will be
between 10 to 16 m/d.
Like the SBS, the concept development is
complete and detail engineering is underway.

Tunnel boring
in the air and then sumped forward again to
cover the entire drift face. In order to reduce
the lost time for this necessary repositioning,
the machine should have a longer stroke than
the Mobile Miner.
The second issue to address was muck
collection in front of the machine. Atlas Copco
considered roadheader aprons with gathering
wheels/arms and chain conveyors to be more
suitable than the previous Mobile Miner
solution.
Rio Tinto requirements call for extensive rock
reinforcements. So the machine length had to
be stretched in order to provide enough room
for rock bolting and shotcreting equipment.
The rock support is to be installed
simultaneously with rock boring.
The original performance target was an
average of 240 to 360 m/month. Compare this
with the MM130 Pasminco machines best
month of 83 m. For these reasons, we
needed more power, more cutters, and a much
heavier machine for stability, Hartwig
explains.
The basic concept is for a cutter head
mounted in a fork, which can be moved along
the MMMs curved front plate 15. This
movement is normally made under no load.
Then the fork is locked in position, to make
the left, right, or centre cut. The cutter head
can be lifted horizontally 1.5 m for the upper
cuts. The advance for each part cut is a stroke
of 1.75 m. One complete advance of the drift
will require six to eight cuts, after which the
whole machine with trailing back-up system
will move forward for the next set.
Hartwig says this particular machine cannot
cut a lower profile then 4.5 m since thats the
size of the head. However, both larger and
smaller machines can be designed using similar
components. Other modules that can be
added are a cutter head revolving unit that can

tilt the head sideways 30 and also an

articulation [joint] that can be fitted between
the front and rear grippers. These aspects
enable this technology to ideally cover all
present and future requirements of both access
and footprint excavation of horizontal
infrastructure.
The back-up system should be regarded as
a full TBM back-up with all such facilities. It is
crawler based, with individually steerable
crawlers making it possible to negotiate
narrow curves both when boring and when
backing out for repositioning to a new face.
Muck is collected in front of the machine and
is transported to the rear of the back-up by
several conveyors. It can then be delivered to
mine trucks or possibly onto an extendable
conveyor system. The back-up hosts a 2,500
kVA system for the machines variable speed
drive and hydraulic systems. It will also carry

Aker Wirth has been selected as Rio Tinto's

partner to develop the other concept for fast
drift development. The concept chosen is
based on Aker Wirth's experience and
competence in underground hard rock mining
and tunnelling and combines the flexibility of a
roadheader operation with the robustness of a
TBM. This concept uses the learnings of the
previous version that was developed and
tested in the early 1990s. Using the
undercutting technology at the core of the
concept, the Mobile Tunnel Miner (MTM) is
capable of meeting the challenges set out by
Rio Tinto to improve safety and speed in drift
development.
The use of undercutting technology is one
of the key features of the MTM. This type of
cutting rock uses the lower tensile strength of
the rock to excavate it, rather than the higher
compressive strength (UCS). Tests with the

Summary data - Access Version of Atlas Copco MMM

(all numbers are preliminary)
Atlas Copco MMM Parameter
Tunnel width (m)
Tunnel height (m)
Horizontal curve radius (m)
Slope ()
Cutter head size (m)
Cutters number and size
Installed power (kVA)
Cutter head power (kW)
Cutter head speed (RPM)
Forward Thrust static (kN)
Load per cutter (kN)
Machine weight (t)
Complete Machine with back-up (t)

Access Version of Atlas Copco MMM

5.3-6.3*
5.25-6.1**
70/30***
15
4.5 x 1.8 (diameter x width)
2 x 28 x 483 mm
2,500 (6/10/16 kV)
1,260 at 12 RPM
0-15, both directions
3,500
183 -270
350
675

*Without change of modules **Can be increased by spacers

***30 m with increased tunnel width

MAY 2010 International Mining 57

UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT
initial MTM prototype showed that the energy
per excavated m3 rock is about half of the
energy required with full face cutters mounted
on a TBM.
Two areas of development have been
identified:
Access and infrastructure, which include
ventilation and ore handling with an area 20
to 30 m.
Footprint development, which includes the
undercut and extraction levels with an area of
15 to 20 m.
For a typical block caving operation the drift
profile has to be suitable to incorporate a flat
floor, wide enough for the use of standard
mine trucks and LHDs. The four-arm MTM is
particularly suitable for the footprint

Main technical data of the Aker Wirth MTM

Maximum boring diameter
Minimum tunnel dimensions
Average advance rate
Length of MTM
Minimum curve radius
Weight of the MTM system including back-up
Total installed power
Number of cutting arms
Operating torque cutterhead drive
Maximum cutterhead speed
Disc cutter diameter
Crawler speed
Shotcrete pumping capacity
Number of rockbolting units
50 mm shotcrete in
L2.
The engineering
process has resulted
in a concept
consisting of the
main six-arm MTM
machine, followed
by three self-propelled
backup cars which contain
all the logistical equipment.

MTM excavation/material
handling

development, however for the infrastructure

tunnels, a larger model is required. Therefore it
was decided to increase the number of cutting
arms to six, in order to achieve the required
tunnel dimensions (6 m in diameter), without
compromising on advance rates. The target
was set at a challenging average advance rate
in a single heading of 12 m/d.

The MTM has to be self-supporting, travel

independently with a short turning radius
(< 30 m), suitable for place-changes and high
manoeuvrability. Rock support specifications
include:
Temporary roof support near the face to
prevent rock fall
Immediate lining support as close to the
face as possible with 50 mm shotcrete and
rockbolting with a 1 m spacing in L1
Installation of mesh and a second layer of
58 International Mining MAY 2010

The MTM is developed to excavate non-circular

tunnel profiles in hard rock with high flexibility
of movement and short turning radius. The
centre area of the face is excavated with two
inner cutting arms, which move during head
rotation from outside to the centre. The outer
area is excavated with four outer arms, which
move from the centre to the outside.
This cutting principle should create a curved
tunnel face with high stability. A roof

support in the front area

provides protection against rock fall. The front
area of the MTM is accessible for maintenance
and cutter exchange with special tools to
handle the 560 mm diameter cutters.
Excavated muck is collected on a loading
apron, fitted with spinners, to direct the
material to the mouth of the conveyor identical to standard Aker Wirth roadheaders.
With regard to Rio Tinto's requirements, the
system provides the following unique features:
The basic six-arm MTM with a logistical
back-up trailer, produces a fully grouted and
bolted tunnel

6m
5x5m
>12 m/d
64 m
30 m
305 t
1,870 kW
6
685 kNm
24 rpm
560 mm
0-10 m/min
20 m/h
2+2
The MTM is capable of achieving advance
rates of 12 m/d in varying rock
classifications
There is no limit in rock strength for the
application of the MTM system. The
advance rates and wear costs remain
economically acceptable in high strength
rock (>200 MPa UCS)
The system uses the unique and energy
saving undercutting principle to excavate
rock
The Aker Wirth MTM can produce different
drift cross-sections, using one and the same
machine, from rectangular, to horseshoe
and circular shape
Due to its own crawler drive, the system has
relatively high manoeuvrability and can
travel underground to different faces.
The next step in the development will be a
pilot project where the MTM can prove its
performance in practice. IM

References
1. Burger, Werner, Delabbio, Fred and Frenzel,
Christian, Accessing deep orebodies using mechanical
excavation equipment, SME Annual Meeting,
Phoenix, March 2010.
2. Hartwig, Sverker and Delabbio, Fred, New Atlas
Copco tunnel boring machine for accelerating tunnel
construction in deep mining operations, SME Annual
Meeting, Phoenix, March 2010.
3. Hensgens, Werner; Greve, Hans and Delabbio,
Fred; Aker Wirth develops a new machine for rapid
underground mine development. Pending conference
presentation.