The simultaneous cut and bolt machine is currently being manufactured for a Queensland customer in VAB, Austria, with an expected delivery around September 2006.

The ABM25S design is a result of a combination of technology developments in electrohydraulic control systems and extensive analysis of safety, ergonomics and engineering data from Voest Alpine’s extensive fleet of bolter miners worldwide. Also feeding into the design was a requirement from minesites, and years of research, to better manage operational development performance via a simple, reliable and objective process control monitoring system.

The ABM25S has also integrated the customer’s own high standards in safety, development materials management systems, and their combined advancements in drill rig technology and associated monitoring systems with suppliers Hydramatic, Pempek and Bosch Rexroth, said VAMT engineer Barry Wright.

“The customer has been relentless and recognised as an industry leader in their drive to improve development performance, safety and reliability,” Wright said.

In terms of safety and ergonomic capabilities, the ABM25S has focused much attention to detail around the operator’s office area (that is, the roof and rib bolting platform area) via a complete redesign of the operator’s platform area. With significantly increased operator space and the integrated rib protection and canopy, the ABM25S will have few problems complying with the latest MDG35 requirements for operator protection, Wright said.

The integrated mesh carrier, in conjunction with the ability to raise and lower the operator platforms, means operators are required to perform much less manual handling and are well within their ergonomic comfort zone when handling the normal face consumables.

Combined with the latest drill rig push button control system and the 250mm operator screens, there are minimal requirements for the operators to leave the platforms. The push button control drill rigs are much more ergonomically friendly and provide consistent bolt set times as well as monitoring of bolt torques, roof strength, bed separation etc. The aim is to minimise the risk of unexpected gate road ground control issues with the current high capacity retreating longwalls.

From an engineering perspective, a substantial engineering analysis was undertaken on the Voest Alpine miners worldwide, reviewing parts usage and equipment/component downtime. Wright said VA’s philosophy is to reduce the total cost of ownership for the entire product life cycle.

Some of the results of this analysis for the ABM25S include:

24V flameproof solenoid control (replacing 12V intrinsically safe) providing a control system less sensitive to contamination, cheaper than IS control and additional integrated spool monitoring – coupled with an increase in oil filtration – will result in a reduction in high frequency small duration (nuisance) downtime;

Significantly improved hose and cable management via manifolds and exterior routing and easier access for maintenance purposes;

Reduced hydraulic capacity requirements from new drill rig motor technology will facilitate 6 drill rig simultaneous operation whilst retaining the latest technology in single in-line load sensing hydraulic pumps to produce oil flow only as required and minimise inefficient heat generation; and

In comparison to the original ABM20 machines, the coal clearance capacity matches that of the high capacity pillar extraction miners by doubling the power to the spinners and conveyor and also by substantially increasing the bunkering capacity of the shovel.

“VA has recognised that the ABM20 machines have not been easy to maneouvre in narrower roadways. The customer requirement was for a 4.8m cutting width. A major advantage of the ABM25S is that it has been redesigned to be more nimble during flitting operations and capable of turning tighter radius breakaways with ease in the narrower roadway width,” Wright said.

The ABM25S will have the latest state of the art development performance process control measurement system. The driving force behind performance measurement is communicating roadway development performance expectations to the operational crews and empowering the development crews to measure any process changes they believe will improve uptime development rates (ie metres/uptime hour) as well as optimising pillar cycle development time.

The ABM25S also has a simplified production report that can be used by development crews to measure their performance relative to mine expectations (taking into consideration parameters such as support density and position within the pillar). The performance monitoring has been built up from the existing ABM25 data logging system but will also have a bolting report that will easily identify the critical path in each production cycle due to the ABM’s cyclic operation of simultaneous cut and bolt.

The performance measurement system will have the normal option of live communication to any surface computer but will also have the facility to store and remove production, bolting reports etc from the machine itself if the surface communication system is lost for any reason.

The other components of the Sandvik Mining and Construction’s complete development system solution include the ASC18 shuttle car, the Sandvik MGT DTG (drillable, tensionable, groutable) bolt, the continuous haulage system and the Eimco range of rubber tyred vehicles.

Current gate road development performance is normally dependent on a number of factors including bolting times, support densities, shuttle car wheeling times and capacities etc. The use of continuous haulage should remove the constraint of shuttle car wheeling time from development performance. The use of the self drilling bolt in conjunction with the continuous haulage system would then be capable of reducing bolting cycle times and lift the overall development performance.

“The new generation ABM25S now has all the features to gain the greatest leverage of any new/emerging technologies,” Wright said.

“Combined with the continuous haulage system and the self drilling bolt, the development system has taken major steps forward toward a fully automated development unit. These gains in terms of productivity, and more importantly safety, are now much closer to being realised, which is the underlying philosophy of Sandvik Mining and Construction.”