Raise-Boring Experiences in the Gold Mines of the Anglo American Corporation Group

Author

John W. Wilson, Missouri University of Science and TechnologyFollow
P. C. Graham

Abstract

Gold mining is being carried out at ever-increasing depths in South Africa. For reasons of safety and human comfort, it is becoming imperative for raises to be developed by means other than conventional drilling and blasting. Raise-boring is an attractive alternative method. Initial raise-boring experiences in South African gold mines showed disappointingly high costs due to the abrasivity and difficulty of drilling Witwatersrand quartzites. Consequently, a research and development project was instigated with the objective of making raise-boring an economically viable technique in hard abrasive rock. A Robbins 61R raise-borer was made available to Research and Development team and a number of raises have been drilled. During these trials two advances in cutter design were tested. This paper presents the results obtained, including drilling costs, and provides details of the equipment used.

Recommended Citation

J. W. Wilson and P. C. Graham, "Raise-Boring Experiences in the Gold Mines of the Anglo American Corporation Group," Journal of The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Jan 1972.

Department(s)

Mining Engineering

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 1972 South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 1972