Shaft collaring through deep overburden —a novel approach

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 80, No. 897, 1987

MICHAEL R. NADON and JACK J. AYOTTE, J.S., Redpath Limited, North Bay, Ontario

Today's demand for better and more efficient methods inspires new approaches to construction and mine development. A project at Asarco's Aquarius Mine provided a challenge that resulted in the adaptation of a civil construction technique to a mining application. This paper describes the construction of an escapeway shaft to surface from the mine's 150 m level. The prime consideration was to provide the most cost-effective method of establishing a shaft collar in the 145 ft (44 m) of water-bearing overburden. This problem was resolved with the employment of the drilled-in-caisson method. The remainder of the 500ft (152 m) deep shaft was raisebored and portable hoisting equipment was used to install a permanent manway and shaft liner.

Mots Clés: Underground mining, Mine development, Shaft collaring, Escapeway, Overburden, Raiseboring.