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Procedia Manufacturing 8 (2017) 738 – 745

14th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, GCSM 3-5 October 2016, Stellenbosch,
South Africa

Design of a hoisting system for a small scale mine

Tawanda Mushiria,*, Milton Jirivengwab and Charles Mbohwac
a
D.Eng Candidate, University of Johannesburg, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Auckland Park Campus, Auckland Park
2006, P.O Box 524, Johannesburg, South Africa
b
Student, University of Zimbabwe, Department of Mechanical Engineering, P.O Box MP167, Mt Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe.
c
Professor, University of Johannesburg, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Auckland Park Campus, Auckland Park 2006, P.O
Box 524, Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

The hoisting system is essential for the transportation of equipment, personnel, mined ore and thus for the productivity of the mine.
It consists of various components in which there are winders, ropes and electric motors. The safety and reliability of the hoist
depends on its design, therefore proper and accurate design of a hoist is essential. In this research, the design of the components
making up the hoist was done through literature survey. Different types and configurations of hoisting systems were considered
and compared regarding their suitability to small scale mines. This research aims to provide a solution for small scale miners using
ill-designed and unsafe systems for hoisting and hauling purposes in their mines. A cost effective hoisting system is a great call for
small scale miners who cannot afford to import a proper hoisting system.

©©2017
2016TheTheAuthors. Published
Authors. by Elsevier
Published B.V.B.V.
by Elsevier This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the 14th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing.
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the 14th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing
Keywords: Hoist, small scale mine, design, cost, rope, winder, electric motor

1. Introduction

With mining increasingly becoming a main contributor to economy, it has become necessary to improve mining so
as to harvest greater benefits. In many small scale mines, productivity hence economic growth is being hampered by

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +263773245571. E-mail address: [email protected]

2351-9789 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the 14th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing
doi:10.1016/j.promfg.2017.02.095
 Tawanda Mushiri et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 8 (2017) 738 – 745 739

the primitive means of hauling material into and out of the shaft, yet these small scale mines contribute a large
percentage of the country’s annual bullion output [1]. This lack of proper hoisting equipment is placing a lot of
limitations on small scale mines and in large affecting economic growth of the country [2]. Most small scale miners
do not have sufficient capital to import mine hoists for the hoisting of ore, waste rock and personnel in the shaft [10].
These miners therefore end up using unsafe and uneconomical methods of hauling the ore and waste rock. Most miners
employ the hand operated winch system shown in figure 1 for the hoisting of ore and waste rock [3]. Personnel climb
down the shaft using step holes which are dug along the sides of the shaft. These methods are not safe and result in
injuries or even deaths. The design and development of a locally manufactured and cheap hoisting system will help
the miners in increasing their productivity and safety [9]. Occupational health and safety is the key in design for such
a system [11].

Fig. 1. Hand operated winch system

1.1 Problems of the existing hoisting method

The hauling/hoisting method of using a hand operated winch system is proving to be very slow and this is reducing
the productivity of the mine. The mine has the capacity to increase production but currently the production rate is
limited to 355 tonnes of ore per month (0.5 tonnes/hour) due to the hand winch system which cannot exceed that
hauling rate. The way personnel descends into the shaft using step holes or ladders is very unsafe as it leads to injuries
or deaths due to people falling. So far 2 deaths and 3 injuries have been recorded on the mine because of this bad
operation [12].

1.2 Objectives

x To design an effective hoist

x To increase productivity in small scale mines
x To improve on the safety of small scale mines

2. Literature Review

Review of related literature helps one to get more insight into theory and formulas that are going to be used to carry
out the project especially in the design and analysis. It helps to solve one’s problem through comparing how other
researchers have formulated their solutions in the field of interest. This will assist in gaining methodological insight
to the project.

2.1 Types of Hoisting Systems

The three principal types of hoists used in mining applications are friction hoists, drum hoists and Blair multi-rope
hoists. Mechanically these types of hoisting systems are quite different but the electrical systems are similar with
different motor sizes determined by the load size to be carried.
740 Tawanda Mushiri et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 8 (2017) 738 – 745

2.2 Drum Hoists

The hoist rope is stored on the drum in drum hoists. It can be a single drum hoist or a double drum hoist. They are
suitable for both inclined and vertical shafts. Drum hoists employ a drum so that the cable winds around it as the
load/conveyance is lifted to the surface. The number of layers is usually less than four. In general, rope maintenance
is less frequent in drum hoists than friction type hoists. Also drum hoists do not require space below the conveyance
for tail ropes. They are usually located at some distance from the shaft and require a head frame and sheaves to centre
the hoisting ropes in the shaft compartment [2].

2.3 Single drum hoists

They comprise a single driving winding drum, a sheave mounted in headgear, a wire cable, and a conveyance. The
cable passes from the drum over the sheave, forming a horizontal or inclined catenary, to the conveyance constrained
to move in a vertical shaft, and forms the vertical rope hanging below the head sheave [4]. This is the simplest design
compared to either double drum or friction type hoists. In this system usually a single rope is used to hoist a single
conveyance (cage or skip) with no counterweight. Due to the unbalanced load, single drum hoists are in general slower.
They are usually employed in shallow shafts and where the duties require low power. They are preferred for shallow
shafts with depths of less than 250 metres. Normally one conveyance is used, allowing for a smaller, more optimal
shaft diameter. Common applications are equipment and personnel transport. Single drum Blair Multi-Rope (BMR)
hoists can be used, where two ropes are used with a single conveyance [2].

2.4 Double drum hoists

These systems are formed essentially by two mechanically coupled single-drum systems. It is driven by two electric
motors which makes the twin drums of double drum hoists be rotated independently of one another. This system
operate at higher depths. Double drum hoists can be used for all shaft depths ranging from about 100 meters to ultra-
deep down to 3000 meters. Due to their independent rotation double drum hoists are well suited for multiple level
mines where rope stretch can become a problem [4]. To reduce the required motor torque in double drum systems, the
unbalanced force is reduced by carrying two cages in balance [2].

2.5 Friction hoists

Friedrich Koepe is credited with the invention of friction hoist drums in the late 19th century. It has two
conveyances, each supported by the head rope passing over the friction wheel driven by an electric motor. The tail
rope attached to the conveyances improves the balance of the system [3]. Friction hoists can be mounted on the ground
or they can be mounted on a tower. These systems can have a single cage/skip and a balancing weight or two cages
thus they are balanced. Due to the balanced systems, friction hoists require less horsepower to operate. The ropes used
with friction hoists suffer from fatigue and the safety factors applying in friction hoist ropes are higher [1].

3. Materials and methods

The mine is a well-established small scale Zimbabwean gold mine. The mine was established in 2010 and has been
operational since then. It employs over thirty workers. The mine has a current production capacity of approximately
5 kilograms of gold per month. Its shaft is 86 metres deep. Like most small scale mines, the mine does not have the
proper equipment for transporting personnel and ore in the shaft.

3.1 Chosen solution: single drum hoist

The selection of the best concept is much oriented on the mine size and the objectives of the project. The single
drum concept is the simplest design. These systems are generally suitable for lower-powered duties in shallow shafts.
They are preferred for shallow shafts with depths of less than 250 metres. A double drum hoist is more expensive than
 Tawanda Mushiri et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 8 (2017) 738 – 745 741

the single drum hoist. Double drum hoists are suitable for ultra-deep shafts up to 3000 meters. Due to their independent
rotation double drum hoists are well suited for multiple level mines.

Fig. 2. Possible solution: single drum hoist

The mine is not a multi-level mine and its depth is only 86 meters. Friction hoists are suitable for high-efficiency
and high-capacity production winding and has a limited rope fatigue life due to friction, this will make the system
expensive due to maintenance. The decision matrix was employed in the selection of the most suitable concept after
coming up with three possible solutions.

4. Results and discussions

The different concepts were individually analysed for selection of an optimum concept. The selection was made
through critical consideration of each important factor and its relevance compared to other considered factors. After
the analysis, the single drum concept, was chosen as shown in figure 3. This section deals with the in-depth design
process of the components that make up the hoist system. All the necessary calculations for the dimensions and
specifications of the components were carried out.

Fig. 3. Single drum hoist

ଷହହ
The mine produces ore of mass 355 tonnes per month on average. This corresponds to a production rate of ൌ
ଷ଴ൈଶସ
ͲǤͶͻ͵ tonnes/hour. The conveyance is to be designed to carry personnel, materials and the mined ore to and from the
742 Tawanda Mushiri et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 8 (2017) 738 – 745

surface to underground. Thus the conveyance is designed to carry a payload (mined ore) of 0.493ൎ0.5 tonnes which
is the hourly production rate of the mine [5]. The conveyance is also designed to carry three people. For carrying both
ore and personnel at the same time, the conveyance is designed with two compartments.

Fig. 4. Conveyance

Table 1. Conveyance specifications

Conveyance specifications
Material Aluminium alloy (duralumin)
Mass 351 kg
Carrying Capacity Materials 500 kg
Carrying Capacity 3 persons
Length 1.5 m
Width 1.3 m
Height 2.3 m
Wall Thickness 0.007 m (7 mm)

According to mine design guidelines [6] accelerations and decelerations in the range 0.5 to 0.75 m/s2 are acceptable
for shafts up to 500 meters. An acceleration and deceleration rate of 0.5 m/s2 is selected for the hoist. The speed-time
graph of the hoist for the velocity (1.25 m/s) and acceleration (0.5 m/s 2) is plotted. The fig below shows the speed-
time graph of the hoisting system

Hoist Speed-Time Graph

2
speed (m/s)

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75
time (seconds)

Fig. 5. Hoist speed-time graph

Table 2. Winding Rope Specifications

Winding rope specifications

Material Galvanised Medium Carbon Steel (Plow Steel)
 Tawanda Mushiri et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 8 (2017) 738 – 745 743

Total Length 106.4 m

Mass per unit length 5.5 kg/m
Diameter 27 mm
Rope type 6×7
Rope velocity 1.25 m/s

Fig.6. Winder Drum

4.1 Drum Mass Calculations

Having calculated the drum dimensions, the mass of the drum can now be evaluated. The density of the drum
material (cast iron) is 7250 kg/m3 [7]. The drum front section view is shown in figure 7.

Fig. 7. Winder drum front view

Fig. 8. Head-sheave
744 Tawanda Mushiri et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 8 (2017) 738 – 745

Thus the volume of the head-sheave

ߨ ൈ ݀݅ܽ݉݁‫ ݎ݁ݐ‬ଶ ߨ ൈ ʹଶ
ൌ ൈ ‫ ݄ݐ݀݅ݓ‬ൌ ൈ ͲǤͲ͹͵ ൌ ͲǤʹ͵݉ଷ
Ͷ Ͷ
The material of the head sheave is cast iron. Mass of the head-sheave is

ൌ ͲǤʹ͵ ൈ ͹ʹͷͲ ൌ ͳ͸͸ͺ݇݃

4.2 Electric motor sizing

The electric motor should have sufficient power to accelerate and carry the load. Two parts are considered
separately

i. The torque required during accelerating the system

ii. The torque required during uniform velocity
For the deceleration, the braking system is responsible.
Table 3. Electric motor properties

Motor properties
Rated Power 15 kW
Speed 360 rpm
Rated voltage 380 V

4.3 Material selection

Table 4. Types of materials
Component Material Density (kg/m3) Strength MPa (compressive/tensile)
Conveyance Aluminium alloy (duralumin) 2700 150 (tensile)
Winding Rope Medium carbon steel 7850 290 (tensile)
Winder drum and Head-Sheave Grey cast iron 7250 550 (compressive)

Brake pads Sintered metal 2.4 (compressive)

5. Conclusion and recommendations

The implementation of a hoisting system has a direct impact on the profitability of the mine due to increased
production rate and safety, thus costs incurred due to injuries are reduced. The objectives of the project were achieved
as there is a capacity to increase production rate by 3.5 tonnes per hour. The design parameters and materials were
carefully selected to reduce costs and to prolong the useful life of components.

5.1 Recommendations
To make the hoisting system mobile is suggested by the researchers. Usually small scale miners have many shafts
scattered in a small area. A system which can be used at one shaft and can be moved and assembled at another shaft
can be very useful to small scale miners.

References
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APPENDICES
Appendix 1, 2 Diameter of wire. Adapted from, Sheave Diameters for Wire Ropes. Adapted from [8],

Appendix 3 Values of Factor of Safety. Adapted from [8]