Machine-Bored Tunnel And Raises: Their Application To Underground Mining

A tunnel boring machine has potential use in al- most any type of mining where the access shaft (or adit) is large enough or can be made large enough for its initial entry and where the orebody is of sufficient size to warrant its use. Some time will inevitably be lost in negotiating curves or making lateral moves and moving from level to level. Nevertheless, if the orebody is sufficiently large, advance scheduling can minimize the lost time encountered in such moves. Ideally, a mine will be planned for the use of these machines, thus eliminating access and transport problems. From the viewpoint of time involved, the rate of advance by boring as compared to conventional means is worthy of review. For instance, the Blanco Tunnel, one section of the Bureau of Reclamation's San Juan-Chama Project in southern Colorado, was bored in competent sedimentary rock with the following performance: