Post on 26-Dec-2015
Research UpdateResearch Update
Automated Bolting Automated Bolting and Meshing Projectand Meshing Project
Project Outline
• This project aims to help contribute to ACARP and the Australian’s underground coal industry’s CM2010 initiative in achieving production rates from a continuous miner of at least 10 metres per operating hour and 20 hours per day utilisation by 2010.
• We aim to do this by developing a system integrated into a continuous miner platform that will fully automate the process of self loading and installing:
1. rib and roof SDB bolts, and associated plates, washers etc.,2. steel roof and rib mesh or other alternative roof confinement material,3. materials handling systems needed to efficiently supply consumables at
the expected rates of use.
Summary of the Project
2007 / 08
Direct Industry Funded Pilot Study
Today
2008 2009 2010
ACARP Funded Project C17018
Project Outcomes
• an overall decrease in roof and rib support installation cycle times that will directly increase roadway development production rates;
• the reduced exposure of personnel to unsupported roof, dust, noise, water, moving equipment and outburst conditions.
– For LTI frequency of hand/finger injuries by employer activity, roof/rib bolting had the highest incidence at 26% followed by materials handling at 16%. For injuries causing death, there have been 107 fatalities for NSW coal mine in the past 25 years with 61% occurring at the development face and 57% related to rock falls;
• reduced manual handling injuries by improving the logistics and storage method for the loading and transportation of roof support consumables to and then within the development area and finally onto a continuous miner.
• the removal of remedial and repetitive manual tasks that allows for better utilisation of mine operators elsewhere in the production process.
The expected major benefits of this project will be:
Project Outcomes
• Preliminary study (Aug 07 – March 08) to identify technical risk, likely hood of success and to formulate preliminary concepts for industry consideration.
To date:
Colliery Company Location EntryMiners
ObservedStrata
Condition
Dendrobium BHP Billiton Mt Kembla, NSW highwall ABM20 moderate
West Cliff BHP Billiton Appin, NSW trolley car 12CM30moderatewith gas
Appin West BHP Billiton Douglas Park, NSW shaft & cage 12CM12moderate with very high gas
Beltana XStrata Hunter Valley, NSW highwall 12CM12 very good
Austar Yancoal Cessnock, NSW trolley carABM20ABM25
very poor
Angus Place Centennial Lithgow, NSW trolley car 12CM30 poor
Springvale Centennial Lithgow, NSW drift 12CM30 poor
Crinum BMA Emerald, QL highwallABM2512CM12
very good
GrasstreeAnglo Coal
CapcoalMiddlemount, QL shaft & cage 12CM32 good to very good
North Goonyella Peabody Nth Goonyella, QL driftABM25ABM20
good
Northern Underground XStrata Newlands, QL highwall 12CM12 very good
Major Observations
• Although roadway development when simply broken down is “cut, bolt,
convey”, there is an amazing amount of variance in the process that makes it
difficult to automate.
• Geotechnical conditions
• Bolt pattern density
• Seam height
• Machinery preferences
• Cutting cycles
• Logistics
“variation is Automation’s worst enemy”
• Work force culture
• Management
standards
Physical Variance
Intangible Variance
Lean Automation
• In general terms, Lean Automation is an alternative to rigid and inflexible dedicated automation machinery with light weight multipurpose reconfigurable flexible robotics.
• This flexibility allows them to be used for multipurpose operations (like bolt, plate, washer and mesh handling) by using multitasking end effectors.
Managing Variance in Automation
• Lean Automation provides the needed flexibility at minimal capital costs, while maintaining the typical automation benefits of increased control and efficiency.
• Also allows for easy reconfiguration for various CM machine layouts and different mine roadway dimensions.
• Difficult to make a ‘one-fits-all’ automation device that will load bolts, plates, washers and mesh.
Reprogrammable manipulators Intelligent sensing
Industrial Manipulators
Two cooperating robots with additional linear motion
Mesh dispensing unit
Multifunctional end effector
Bolt, nut and plate presenter
Future Automation Tools
DASSAULT SYSTEMS
Logic control integration
3D CAD integration
V5.Computer Aided Three Dimensional Interactive Application (CATIA)
Abaqus suite of FEA and CFD
Digital manufacturing and robot interfacing
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
Where to from here
Year one• Determine how the SDB will be combined onto a continuous miner.• Building a prototype materials supply delivery system for bolts, plates, washers etc. in
the laboratory and demonstrating the automatic loading of SDB into mock up drilling rigs.
Year two• Building a prototype materials supply delivery system for mesh and demonstrating the
automatic placement of the mesh into a fixing position.• Interact the bolt and mesh cycles together for fully automatic cycle.• Design and simulate various configurations to suit the variation outlined earlier.• Determine and design a material supply chain to the machine at the expected tonnage
rates.