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By Basson. J., L. R. Nelson, L. A. Cramer

The South African based platinum mines produce the world?s majority of platinum metal that is used in autocatalysts and jewellery. As the platinum market is forecast to grow at healthy rates into the future, the South African producers, Anglo Platinum, Impala, Lonmin and Northam are planning to expand in the next decade. Furthermore a number of smaller producers who are accessing other mineral rights are entering the buoyant market. The South African platinum mines have traditionally exploited the Merensky reef of the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC); however, the mining of this reef is reaching depths that require significant vertical shaft systems and costly refrigeration for access to the ore bodies at deeper levels. In the past decade all of the producers have begun to mine the less attractive UG2 reef because of its cheaper mining costs. This UG2 reef contains significant quantities of chromite with typically a chrome-to-iron (Cr/Fe) ratio of 1.35. UG2 ores can contain between 10 and 25% Cr2O3 depending upon the reef width and the selected mining method. It is relatively cheap and easy to extract a portion of the chromite from a platinum concentrator tailings stream at a grade of between 40-42% Cr2O3. However it is only in recent years that some ferrochrome producers have begun to source some of their chromite from the tailings of platinum producers. South Africa is also the world?s largest single producer of ferrochrome and supplies much of the world?s stainless steel producers and thus the growing market for their product. As the traditional sources of high Cr/Fe ratio ores have been depleted at the shallow economic depths and thus have become more expensive sources of chromite, technical developments have improved the ability to use fine chromite economically to make acceptable grades of ferrochrome. Thus UG2 fines are now becoming possible cheap sources of acceptable feed to the ferrochrome industry. The abundance of feedstock for ferrochrome production and the lessening dependence on mined material will impact upon the structure of the ferrochrome business in South Africa. With continued platinum mining from UG2 reefs, South Africa is set to remain highly competitive in the world?s ferrochrome/stainless steel industry.

Jan 1, 2004

By J. Basson, L. R. Nelson, L. A. Cramer

The South African based platinum mines produce the world?s majority of platinum metal that is used in autocatalysts and jewellery. As the platinum market is forecast to grow at healthy rates into the future, the South African producers, Anglo Platinum, Impala, Lonmin and Northam are planning to expand in the next decade. Furthermore a number of smaller producers who are accessing other mineral rights are entering the buoyant market. The South African platinum mines have traditionally exploited the Merensky reef of the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC); however, the mining of this reef is reaching depths that require significant vertical shaft systems and costly refrigeration for access to the ore bodies at deeper levels. In the past decade all of the producers have begun to mine the less attractive UG2 reef because of its cheaper mining costs. This UG2 reef contains significant quantities of chromite with typically a chrome-to-iron (Cr/Fe) ratio of 1.35. UG2 ores can contain between 10 and 25% Cr2O3 depending upon the reef width and the selected mining method. It is relatively cheap and easy to extract a portion of the chromite from a platinum concentrator tailings stream at a grade of between 40-42% Cr2O3. However it is only in recent years that some ferrochrome producers have begun to source some of their chromite from the tailings of platinum producers. South Africa is also the world?s largest single producer of ferrochrome and supplies much of the world?s stainless steel producers and thus the growing market for their product. As the traditional sources of high Cr/Fe ratio ores have been depleted at the shallow economic depths and thus have become more expensive sources of chromite, technical developments have improved the ability to use fine chromite economically to make acceptable grades of ferrochrome. Thus UG2 fines are now becoming possible cheap sources of acceptable feed to the ferrochrome industry. The abundance of feedstock for ferrochrome production and the lessening dependence on mined material will impact upon the structure of the ferrochrome business in South Africa. With continued platinum mining from UG2 reefs, South Africa is set to remain highly competitive in the world?s ferrochrome/stainless steel industry.

Jan 1, 2004

By H. Copur

Experimental studies for quantification of force and brittleness indices relevant to rock cutting performance are presented. A simple interpretation method is developed, which quantifies the force-penetration response obtained from indentation tests. Basic parameters of the quantification are force increment and decrementrates, force increment and decrement periods, and number of increment and decrement data points. Blocks of eleven different rock samples were collected from different operating mines in Turkey and subjected to indentation tests to calculate the indices. The samples included harzburgite, serpentinite, trona, limestone, claystone, two different sandstone samples, siltstone and three different chromite ore samples. The concept was validated by a set of full-scale linear cutting tests using a conical cutter for measuring the cutting performance in relieved and unrelieved conditions, i.e. cutter forces, specific energy, size distribution of rock cuttings. The rock cuttings were sieved to determine coarseness index, indicates coarse chip generation characteristics, and size distribution. The force index is moderately correlated with the cutting performance and mechanical properties of the rocks, and poorly correlated with the coarseness index and size distribution of cuttings. A general and moderate trend is observed between the brittleness index and the coarseness index, cutting performance for unrelieved cutting conditions and mechanical properties of the rocks. However, additional data is required to fill the data gaps and to potentially establish relationship between the brittleness index and all other parameters.

Jan 1, 2003

By D. C. Oliver

Paper written on project work carried out in partial fulfilment of B.Sc. (Eng.) (Metallurgy and Materials) degree Corrosion in exhaust systems can occur on both the interior and exterior surfaces. Chloride-containing de-icing salts on the roads in colder countries greatly increases the rate of corrosion on the exterior surfaces. This paper investigates the relative exterior corrosion resistance of three alloys?two ferritic stainless steels( AISI Types 409 and 441) and an aluminized mild steel. The exhaust system is split into two categories?the hot end and the cold end. A test for each of these ends was designed?the standard ASTM G85test was modified to create a simulated driving cycle. The cold end test samples were exposed to ten driving cycles, and the hot end test samples were exposed to five driving cycles. A driving cycle constitutes the car being started from cold, driven until the operating temperatures are reached, and switched off and allowed to cool. Pitting corrosion is the primary corrosion mechanism occurring at the cold end of the exhaust system. The aluminized mild steel was the most resistant alloy in this test, and Type 409 the least. However, once the protective aluminium layer degrades, corrosion will occur rapidly. At the hot end of the exhaust system, spalling of the surface oxide layer is the primary corrosion mechanism occurring. Type 441 was the most resistant in this test, and the aluminized mild steel the least resistant. Potentiodynamic tests were performed on the alloys?the results agreed with the results obtained in the exposure tests.

Jan 1, 2003

By H. Tveit, E. H. Myrhaug, J. K. Tuset

Silicon metal as a commodity material is produced by carbothermic reduction of quartz in electric submerged arc furnaces, where CO2 forms as a by-product. Since 1997 the Norwegian Ferroalloy Producers Association have been engaged in research programmes aiming for reduced CO2-emissions associated with fossil carbon in their processes. One important issue has been to study how charcoal and wood chips perform compared to coal and coke in the silicon process. The ability of the carbon-rich reduction materials to react with SiO-gas is commonly assumed to be of large importance to the performance of the process. Based on laboratory experiments with different carbon materials, combined with estimation of parameters in a mathematical model of the reaction between carbon and SiO-gas, a foundation for a theoretical study of the performance of the carbon materials in a silicon furnace is established.

Jan 1, 2004

By J. N. Van der Merwe

"A major shortcoming of the statistical back-analysis of coal pillar strength is that it relies on the asmined pillar dimensions, not taking into account time-related pillar scaling with subsequent reduction in pillar width. The paper describes an investigation where the rate of pillar scaling was applied to the pillars in the databases of failed and unfailed pillars. The reduced pillar sizes were then used in the same method of statistical back-analysis that had been used in the past.This resulted in an equation for pillar strength which predicts significantly greater pillar strength than the previous statistical analyses, which is similar to the strength which had been found earlier by direct testing of large specimens underground. It is concluded that the lower strengths found by previous statistical analyses are due to the incorrect pillar width being used and that by adjusting the pillar sizes to compensate for scaling, more credible results that correspond to direct testing are obtained.As the newly derived strength equation is time-dependent, it follows that the safety factors and probabilities of failure are likewise time-dependant. An equation to determine the probability of failure is also developed. This results in the safety factor being close to unity at a probability of failure of 50%, which is aligned to statistical expectation. IntroductionSince the Coalbrook mine disaster, caused by massive pillar collapse, there have been several attempts at analysing and defining the strength of coal pillars. It was realized in the very beginning that performing classical strength tests on coal specimens in a laboratory and then transferring those results to real coal pillars could not be successful. The scatter of results is one problem and, more seriously, there is a size effect (at least for small specimens) that made the transformation of strength results to much larger coal pillars underground all but impossible.Two main schools of thought then emerged. Some researchers preferred to perform direct strength tests on large specimens underground, while others relied on statistical back-analysis of failed and unfailed pillar cases, attempting to determine the differences in size and shape that would allow a satisfactory prediction of failure. The latter school of thought resulted in the method that was widely accepted by the South African coal mining industry, described in the landmark publication by Salamon and Munro (1967)."

Jul 1, 2019

By S. D. Dladla, S. Ramsamy

The majority of the tailings dam operations in South Africa will be required to comply with the new Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) within the next one to three years, depending on the dam classification and the requirements of the respective investors and insurers. With up to 72 auditable requirements, the implementation of the Standard needs careful planning and prioritization. This paper focuses on the practical steps to GISTM compliance for tailings facilities in operation in South Africa. The discussions are based on current practices, South African regulations, and industry standards requirements. The possible changes in dam classifications and the associated requirements are presented.

Jun 2, 2022

By M. Mpofu, G. Stenzel, F. Magweregwede, B. Maphalala, T. Kgarume

Surface coal operations in which mining activities are conducted above old underground workings experience hot holes after drilling. In a coal mine, hot holes are defined as shot holes, which after being drilled have an in-hole ambient temperature of 40°C or above or show a temperature increase of 3°C or more during monitoring. Hot holes and other cavities, such as cracks, pose health and safety risks to workers, such as exposure to hot air and high concentrations of noxious gases released from these holes. In addition, workers may be exposed to premature detonation of explosives caused by in-hole temperature increases and chemical reactions. To this end, Coaltech Research Association commissioned a project to develop a Best Practice Guideline for the management of hot holes. This paper is a compilation of the activities conducted in the development of the Best Practice Guideline between 2021 and 2022. The activities included a review of standard operating procedures and hot-hole temperature-measuring and -monitoring devices, and the assessment of current hot-hole procedures at selected mines. The results indicated that management of hot holes requires a focus on pre-emptive risk assessment of mining blocks, identification of hot holes using the correct temperature-measuring devices, and continuous monitoring of hot holes from the time of drilling until just before blasting. Hot-hole management accessories, such as polyvinyl chloride sleeves, were found to be effective in insulating the hot-hole emulsion from the rock mass temperature, thus preventing the potential for premature detonation.

Sep 9, 2024

By B. P. Watson

The first crush pillars on the Bushveld platinum mines were introduced at Union Section in 1978. Before the introduction of crush pillars, serious problems were experienced when stoping advanced to a point 30 m to 40 m on both sides of the centre gully. At least three to four stopes were collapsing per month. The introduction of the pillars stopped the stope collapses in the mining area where they were introduced. The residual stresses of these pillars were never measured; however, the successful elimination of the ?back-break? problem suggests that the original pillars had a residual strength of at least 8 MPa. Apart from back analyses, very little work has been done to determine the residual strength of crush pillars and only very recently have any measurements been made. The lack of knowledge in this field has resulted in pillars being designed based on experience. Concerns about stope collapses, similar to the Coalbrook disaster, have led to larger pillars being cut in more recent times. If such pillars were cut in brittle quartzites they would always fail violently but the ductile nature of the Merensky Reef generally allows large pillars to fail without bursting. Occasionally, however, one would burst in a working area. Increased incidence of bursting has been reported on some mines at deeper levels but most of these bursts occur in the back areas. Nevertheless, the incidence of bursting increases the risk of falls of ground in already dangerous areas, and the larger pillars decrease the extraction ratio. This paper describes the evaluation of stress measurements conducted in two boreholes over a crush pillar with dimensions 2.5 m x4.0 m, and a height of 1.2 m. Boussinesq equations for vertical and shear stress were used to analyse the original measurements and provide a stress profile across the pillar as well as the residual strength of the pillar. The results showed an unexpectedly high peak stress of 280 MPa at the centre of the pillar and a residual strength of 48 MPa. The reason for the high residual strength is suspected to be the result of the stiff environment under which the pillar failed and the small height of the siding on the up-dip edge of the pillar. More measurements should be conducted on several mines to establish a range of residual strengths for narrow crush pillars.

Jan 1, 2008

By P. K. Sahoo, C. R. Ray, S. S. Rao

Good operation of Soderberg electrodes is dependent upon high quality electrode paste coupled with better electrode management procedures. Without having a good electrode operation, it is not possible to obtain the best outcome from the furnace. In other words that is a good way to say how important the proper electrode operation is. Good electrode performance depends on the slipping rate and current levels, which decides the shape of the baking curve at the level of just below the contact clamps. Negative curvature of baking zone in the central part is considered dangerous because shrinkage takes place outwardly creating abnormal stresses in the electrode. Soft breakages occur when the baking zone comes below the clamps and the casing cannot take the current. This paper deals with various factors affecting baking characteristics leading to soft breakages and also presents case studies in a closed 48MVA furnace with smelting for charge chrome. In case studies in a closed furnace, it has happened that the energy for baking at the low current operation before breakage has been lower than the actual slipping has demanded. At low current there should not be problem, but a problem can occur when the current for some period is raised above the current carrying capacity of the casing. So data for electrode operation in actual period was studied and presented in this paper.

Jan 1, 2007

Like it or not, CPD is upon us. As from 1 January 2006, all registered engineering professionals, i.e. professional engineers, professional engineering technologists, professional certificated engineers and professional engineering technicians, were required to undertake CPD in order to keep their professional registration current. The rules regarding CPD have been gazetted under Government Gazette No. 28328, Board Notice 131 on 23 December 2005, and they also appear on the ECSA website?www.ecsa.co.za. For the convenience of our members they are reproduced in full in this issue of the SAIMM Journal.

Jan 1, 2006

By J. W. van der Merwe, A. S. Bolokang, M. J. Phasha, V. J. Matjeke, C. Moopanar

"Excessive wear rates on railway wheels can result in rolling-stock derailments. If wear is detected early the possible derailments can be prevented by prematurely replacing wheelsets, although the inventory cost and maintenance downtime remain a challenge. In the current study, wheels were introduced and monitored in-service for two years to investigate the cause of excessive wear rates. The wear rates and stresses were calculated for the wheels suitable for a maximum load of 26 t per axle. Microstructural and mechanical properties were analysed. As expected, the general microstructure of all the wheels tested was pearlitic. Although all the wheels complied with the tensile strength requirements, stress calculations confirmed material distortion on excessively worn wheels whereas trial wheels revealed yield strength exceeding the yield criterion. High wear rates observed on the wheels were a result of low yield strength relative to the load per axle. The typical wear mechanism found was due to a combination of rolling contact fatigue and abrasive brake wear. Despite compliance of the wheels with existing requirements regarding material and mechanical properties (hardness, ultimate tensile strength), it is recommended that the yield strength must also be taken into consideration as a critical parameter.IntroductionRailway wheels are used to support the wagon mass and guide the wagon along the tracks (Park, 1974). The wheels and rails must be able to tolerate the applied tangential forces in order to effect wagon dynamic performance and reduce material deformation (Ghidini et al., 1994; RSE_TE_SPC_0045, 2011; AAR M107/M 208 Specification, 2011. Over the past ten years, the South African coal wagon maintenance depot has experienced excessive hollow wheel wear rates on the heavy haul line wheels. The maximum load of Jumbo wagons on the coal line is 104 t, or 26 t per axle. Although the maintenance intervention cycle for wheelsets was two years, between February 2011 and August 2012 some wheels experienced excessive hollow wear. Hollow wear is regarded as wear exceeding 2 mm on the central portion of the wheel tread (RSE_TE_SPC_0045, 2011). This happened despite the fact that these wheels were manufactured and certified according to the requirements of AAR M107/208 standard for carbon steel wheels (AAR M107/M 208 Specification,. 2011) and the local wheel RS/ME/SP 021 standard specification (RS / ME / SP / 021 REV 5 (2013). The AAR standard only specifies a minimum hardness as a required mechanical property and the local standard specifies hardness and minimum tensile strength only. In general, an increase in hardness will improve the rolling/sliding wear resistance of steel. This relationship of hardness and wear resistance was found to be true only in a situation where solid and similar alloys are in contact (Singh, Khatirkar and Sapate, 2015). The sliding wear resistance of a material is usually estimated using Archard’s equation (Liu and Li, 2001)."

Jan 1, 2016

By W. Wittke

SUMMARY: Geotechnical problems often lead to an increase of construction time and costs for large highway and railway projects. Some reasons, which have led to failures and thus to a delay of construction works as well as to increasing costs, are demonstrated by means of case histories, in which the author was involved as expert or planner. Proposals are made how to identify the reasons and to avoid repetitions. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Bei Großprojekten der Verkehrsinfrastruktur stehen häufig geotechnische Aufgabenstellungen im Vordergrund. Wegen geotechnischer Probleme kam und kommt es häufig zu Termin- und Kostenüberschreitungen. Anhand einiger Beispiele, bei denen der Autor als Gutachter und Planer beteiligt war, wird gezeigt, welche Ursachen zu Schadensfällen und damit auch zu Termin- und Kostenüberschreitungen geführt haben. Es werden Hinweise und Anregungen gegeben, wie die Ursachen erkannt und Wiederholungen von Schadensfällen vermieden werden können. RÉSUMÉ: À grands projets de l'infrastructure de la circulation, souvent des tâches géotechniques sont au premier plan. Par suite de problèmes géotechniques, souvent des dates et frais ont été dépassés. Au moyen de quelques exemples, à lesquels l'auteur participait comme expert et planificateur, les causes sont mises en vue qui menaient à des cas de dommage et par cela aussi à des dépassements de dates et frais. Des indications et suggestions sont données pour s'apercevoir des causes et éviter des répétitions de cas de dommages.

Jan 1, 2003

By J. Thompson

Paper written on project work carried out in partial fulfilment of B. Eng (Mining Engineering) degree A study into the stability of strike gullies at TauTona mine was to be carried out. In reaching the conclusions to follow, a three-stage process was followed. ?A literature study as well as discussions with management and workers alike to gain their inputs and perceptions. ?An ESH Department survey into the history of transgression from proper mine standard in TauTona strike gullies. Unfortunately records were found to be scarce and obscure and the importance of better inter-departmental recordings cannot be stressed enough. ?An underground survey of 11 pre-selected gullies distributed in both the UCL and LCL reef horizons. This stage is to carry the greatest weight in the points to be brought forward in this report. The process highlighted and ranked the following areas as the most critical role players in the deterioration of strike gullies: ?Poor blasting practice ?Sub-standard siding depth and lead-lags ?Split sets ?Off line gully development ?Adverse geological features. The following has been suggested to the mine to help reduce strike gully instability. ?Where possible, maintain lead-lags below 7 m?else increase the siding depth to suit. ?Decrease the gully width standard to 1.2 m (especially in ?high risk areas?). ?Discourage drillers from drilling side holes in gully face blast pattern. This will allow for time in which tendon support can be kept up to date. ?Ensure split sets are installed 1 m behind the gully face so as to prevent opening up of fractures. ?Utilize the centre split set in the 1:2:1 pattern to maintain the proper gully line. ?When adverse conditions prevail, it is necessary to apply a special support plan not only to the panel face, but also (just as importantly) to the gully as well. Shotcreting of the gully hanging is a suitable long-term consideration for providing the additional a real coverage needed. List of Abbreviations [CL Carbon Leader M/O Mine Overseer UCL Upper Carbon Leader FOG Fall of Ground LCL Lower Carbon Leader H/W Hanging Wall ERR Energy Release Rate F/W Foot Wall WDL Western Deep Levels ESH Environmental Safety and Health ]

Jan 1, 2002

By T. Tholana, P. N. Neingo

"Mining companies globally are currently facing severe economic and financial challenges. In addition to global challenges, the South African mining industry has to face other operational challenges that are unique to the country and which threaten the survival and competitiveness of the industry. Profit margins are being squeezed by rising costs and decreasing commodity prices, while labour productivity is greatly affected by intermittent labour unrest. This paper analyses how the South African gold mining industry has performed pre-, during, and post the global financial crisis of 2008. The competitiveness of the industry in terms of labour productivity and industry cost curve position is analysed for the period 2006–2013 to assess the impacts of both the global financial crisis and labour unrest. An analysis of the South African gold mining industry is presented at company as well as mine level. Productivity measure in this paper is limited to labour productivity, in line with limited reporting on productivity. All the data analysed was obtained from the public domain. IntroductionSouth Africa dominated the world as the number one gold producer until 2009 when China took that position, and today South Africa ranks fifth after China, Australia, Russia, and the USA. According to Statistics South Africa (2009), South Africa still had about 30 years of production in the gold sector, a forecast that fluctuates based on the day’s modifying factors. Although South Africa has a comparative advantage in terms of minerals endowment, there are challenges faced by the mining industry that hinder translation of the comparative advantage into a competitive advantage. The industry continually seeks to address these challenges to remain competitive in global markets while addressing national and community needs.Neingo and Cawood (2014) argued that stakeholders in mining are continually concerned with mine management’s ability to translate use inputs effectively into quality outputs. They further suggested close monitoring of effective utilization of people, materials, and money to obtain maximum production of commodities under given conditions. Productivity is measured in various ways, including unit cost, output per employee, and output per unit capital equipment"

Jan 1, 2016

By R. Thomason

Thank you Dr Barcza, President of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, for inviting me to share our experiences in Australia as regards the competency movement and my Association?s experience in assisting engineers become managers. This is my second visit to South Africa, and I am struck by the similarities between our countries. This extends to the professional issues associated with engineering and competencies in particular. I propose to outline two exciting stories today. ? Development of competency standards for professional engineers in Australia. ? Development of a management programme which has assisted professional engineers regain positions of leadership in Australian industry and government. First of all I would like to outline the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia(APESMA).

Jan 1, 1997

By R. E. Wilmot

This paper is based on the experiences, over many years, of numerous authors in the South African mining industry and of the hot dip galvanizing process and its application as a corrosion protection system. The paper sets out the extensive development, financial resources and stringent operating requirements of the South African mining industry. After many years of research and operational experiences, hot dip galvanizing and, when necessary, duplex systems, have been found to meet the demanding requirements of this particular industry. The paper sets out the requirements from the standpoint of corrosion criteria and is followed with a case where the corrosion protection properties of hot dip galvanizing are demonstrated. This case history traces the early investigation of the expected corrosive conditions in a new mining operation and concludes with two follow-up visits to the mine in order to examine actual performance of the corrosion protection system after ten years in service.

Jan 1, 2007

By J. J. Dekker

Controlling noise has proven difficult in mining, and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) remains common. In 2008, a South African Mine Health and Safety Council study focused on small- to medium-sized mines in relation to the milestones set by the industry to prevent NIHL. An evaluation of the compliance of ten diamond, sand, aggregate and Ready mix concrete mines and production sites with standards, legislation and best practice guidelines relating to NIHL prevention was conducted, using a noise compliance audit tool. The findings indicated that all mines surveyed had poor compliance with the international standards, compliance with International Standards Organization standards being the poorest. There was a clear distinction between the small and the medium-sized mines in their compliance with local standards and legislation (ranging from 14 per cent to 66 per cent). The areas of best compliance were audiology and medical examinations. The lower-than-expected compliance was largely attributable to shortcomings in hearing conservation programmes for occupational noise. Initiation of remedial practices in the small- to medium-scale mining sector to facilitate improvements in NIHL prevention and compliance with standards and legislation is recommended. Keywords Hearing conservation, small-to-medium mines.

Jan 1, 2011

By G. L. Smith

This paper consolidates the key elements of seven contributions, on strategic long-term planning, to two of the three international conferences on Strategic versus Tactical approaches in Mining held over the period 2005?2008. The holistic concept of strategic long-term planning as developed and implemented at Anglo Platinum is described. Consideration is given to the planning cycle, principles supporting the construction of the long-term plan, and aspects of unique best practice as developed in Anglo Platinum. Further description of Anglo Platinum?s approach to corporate governance, including the processes, methodology, systems, unique tools and techniques that are applied to value and select capital investment options is also given.

Jan 1, 2009

By T. E. Wakefield

Over several decades in Southern Africa the advance rates when sinking vertical shafts have declined significantly. The upside has been a substantial improvement in shaft bottom conditions and a commensurately improved safety performance, with an increasing number of shafts being sunk without fatalities and disabling injuries. This paper briefly reviews historical sinking rates and matches changed sinking productivity to the introduction of new sinking methods that have been adopted to eliminate/mitigate safety risks. Meeting the challenge of returning to historical advance rates whilst progressing in the quest for zero harm by utilizing three dimensional animated computer modelling is described. Making use of commercial modelling software makes it easier to evaluate different methods, sequencing, in shaft barrel ergonomics, and stage and shaft bottom layouts before procuring project plant and equipment. Benefits accrue not only in better communicating methods and configurations for detailed planning and design, but also during crew training. The traditional engineering ?as-built? drawing practice has been extended to the concept of an ?as executed? sinking model which seeks to capture operational experience and learning for future best practice. The paper concludes with some of the organizational culture challenges being overcome as this non traditional approach to shaft sinking optimization is being introduced.

Jan 1, 2009