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Headframe

A headframe, also known as a gallows frame or headgear, is a structural framework, typically constructed from steel or timber, positioned at the top of an underground mine shaft to support the sheaves, pulleys, and hoisting ropes essential for elevating personnel, equipment, materials, and extracted ore.^[1]^[2] The design of a headframe enables efficient vertical transport within the mine, often incorporating winches, motors, and counterbalanced cages or skips that operate via steel cables over idler pulleys to balance loads and minimize energy use.^[2] Early configurations relied on heavy steam engines placed on stable ground for power, while modern variants may feature enclosed towers housing electric motors and additional safety mechanisms like dumping gear for unloading.^[2]^[1] These structures vary in height and form, from simple open frames to robust, multi-legged steel assemblies with diagonal bracing for stability.^[3] Headframes have been used in mining since at least the medieval period in Europe, but the 19th century brought advancements for deep-shaft techniques, with initial wooden constructions for cost-effectiveness giving way to steel for greater durability and height to accommodate deeper excavations.^[4]^[3] In Butte, Montana—a major copper mining center—the first wooden headframes appeared in the late 1800s, with the inaugural steel example, standing 97 feet tall, constructed in 1897 at the St. Lawrence mine by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company; a second, 70-foot steel frame followed the same year at the West Colusa mine.^[3] This shift to steel allowed for movable, reusable designs as mining operations expanded or relocated.^[5] Headframes remain enduring symbols of industrial mining heritage, particularly in historic districts where they represent economic booms, labor contributions, and technological innovation.^[5] In Butte, 13 steel headframes survive as of 2025, towering 100 to 200 feet and preserved as cultural landmarks, with many illuminated during holidays to commemorate the underground mining era; prominent examples include the 1899 Diamond mine headframe and the Orphan Girl frame, open to visitors at the World Museum of Mining.^[5]^[3]^[6]

Fundamentals

Definition and Purpose

A headframe is a tall structure, typically constructed from timber, steel, or concrete, positioned directly above an underground mine shaft to support the hoisting equipment essential for vertical material and personnel transport.^[7]^[8]^[9] The primary purpose of a headframe is to guide and support hoist ropes or cables, directing them over sheaves to raise and lower cages for personnel, skips for ore, or other conveyances moving materials in and out of the shaft.^[7]^[8]^[10] This function facilitates the efficient extraction and supply logistics in subterranean environments, where direct surface access is impossible. In the operational context of underground mining, the headframe enables vertical transport critical for accessing deep ore bodies, setting it apart from surface mining methods that emphasize horizontal excavation and overburden removal without such shaft-based systems.^[7]^[11]^[12] From an engineering standpoint, the headframe must be designed to withstand dynamic loads generated during hoisting cycles, including fluctuating tensile stresses from heavy payloads that can reach up to 30 tons or more per conveyance.^[13]^[14]^[15]

Historical Development

The historical development of headframes originated in the 19th century, when simple wooden gallows or tripod frames were employed for hoisting in shallow mine shafts, particularly in tin and copper operations in Cornwall, UK, and early coal mines in the United States. These rudimentary structures, often constructed from local timber, supported basic pulley systems for manual or animal-powered winding, enabling access to depths typically under 100 meters in regions with accessible surface ore deposits.^[16]^[3] By the late 1800s and early 1900s, the demands of deeper underground mining in gold and copper districts prompted a significant evolution toward multi-story steel headframes, capable of handling heavier loads and greater shaft depths exceeding 300 meters. This shift was driven by the need for enhanced stability and capacity in expansive operations, such as those in Butte, Montana, where the Anaconda Copper Mining Company erected the area's first steel headframe in 1897 at the St. Lawrence mine, marking a transition from wood to more robust metal frameworks.^[3] Key milestones in headframe design included the adoption of concrete constructions in the mid-20th century for improved durability against environmental stresses, with reinforced concrete headgears appearing in South African gold mines on the Free State Goldfields by the late 1940s. Post-World War II industrialization further standardized headframe designs in major hubs like South Africa's Witwatersrand region and Butte, Montana, where steel towers became emblematic of efficient large-scale extraction.^[17] Advancements in hoisting technology profoundly influenced headframe evolution, as the integration of steam-powered systems in the 1870s gave way to electric hoists by the early 1900s, requiring taller structures to accommodate larger drums and cables—some reaching heights of up to 60 meters to support operations at depths over 600 meters. In Butte, for instance, mines converted from steam to electric hoisting around 1915, exemplified by the Granite Mountain headframe, which featured the largest electric hoist in the United States at the time.^[18]^[19]^[5] The mid-20th century rise of open-pit mining techniques led to a decline in new headframe construction, as surface excavation methods proved more economical for large, low-grade deposits, particularly after the 1950s in areas like Butte where underground operations transitioned to pits. Nonetheless, headframes remained essential for persistent underground mining in deeper, high-value ore bodies worldwide.^[20]

Design and Components

Structural Elements

The primary structural elements of a headframe consist of vertical legs or towers that form the main upright supports rising from the ground to elevate the overhead components above the mine shaft. Historical examples feature four legs, with two vertical adjacent to the shaft and two diagonal for bracing.^[3] These vertical elements are connected in configurations that provide lateral stability and distribute loads across the framework. At the apex, overhead sheave wheels, functioning as large pulleys, are mounted to guide the hoisting ropes, ensuring smooth vertical movement.^[3]^[21] Bracing, often in diagonal configurations, is integrated between the vertical legs to counteract operational loads and prevent structural deformation.^[3] The load-bearing design of a headframe must accommodate both the static weight of installed equipment, such as sheaves and beams, and dynamic forces arising from hoisting operations, where peak loads can be estimated using basic engineering principles like Newton's second law, F = m*a, to account for the acceleration of skips or cages during ascent and descent. This capacity ensures the structure withstands tensile stresses in the ropes and compressive forces in the legs without failure, often verified through finite element analysis of modal frequencies and harmonic responses to avoid resonance.^[22] Integration of these elements occurs seamlessly with the underlying hoist house, where the vertical legs extend downward to connect via foundational bolts or welded joints, allowing the transfer of vertical loads from the sheaves to the building's frame. Rope guides and deflection sheaves are positioned at the base to align the hoisting cables and redirect them into the shaft, minimizing contact with shaft walls and ensuring precise guidance throughout the structure's height.^[21] Headframe designs adhere to relevant engineering standards for load computation and safety factors.^[23]

Materials and Construction

Headframes are constructed using materials selected based on their ability to withstand substantial vertical and lateral loads from hoisting operations, while balancing other practical factors. Steel, often high-tensile and hot-dip galvanized, is the predominant material due to its superior strength-to-weight ratio, which allows for lighter structures capable of supporting heavy loads over greater heights compared to alternatives.^[24] Corrosion resistance is a key criterion, particularly in humid or acidic mine environments, where galvanized steel or protective cladding prevents degradation from exposure to groundwater and atmospheric conditions.^[24] Cost considerations favor steel for headframes under 160 feet (approximately 50 meters), as expenses rise exponentially with height, whereas concrete becomes more economical for taller structures despite higher initial outlays.^[25] Environmental factors, such as ease of demolition and scrap value, also influence selection, with steel offering recyclability at the end of service life, while wood is limited to temporary installations in shallow mines due to its lower durability in harsh conditions.^[24] The construction process begins with site preparation, including the pouring of concrete foundations around the shaft collar to anchor the structure and distribute loads from the headframe and associated equipment.^[24] Prefabrication of steel sections occurs off-site in shop environments, where components like sets and guides are fabricated for bolted or welded assembly, enabling modular transport and reducing on-site labor.^[24] Erection involves cranes or gin poles to lift and secure these prefabricated elements to the foundation, often integrating with the shaft lining for stability; concrete headframes, by contrast, use slip-forming techniques for continuous on-site pouring.^[24] For a typical setup including shaft collar, hoist, and 40-meter headframe, the process can span up to 6 months, depending on material choice and site conditions, with steel allowing for more interruptible assembly phases.^[24] Engineering considerations emphasize foundation design to handle dynamic loads, such as those from hoisting friction and ventilation forces, typically featuring reinforced concrete footings with embedded anchors for steel headframes to counteract soil pressures.^[24] Modular assembly is prioritized for deep shafts exceeding 500 meters, where prefabricated steel modules facilitate scalability and modifications without full reconstruction, ensuring the structure aligns with shaft depth requirements.^[24] Maintenance involves periodic inspections to detect fatigue, corrosion, or misalignment, with annual checks recommended to verify structural integrity under operational stresses.^[24] Coatings such as hot-dip galvanizing or additional cladding on steel extend service life by mitigating environmental wear, while concrete benefits from sealants to prevent cracking from thermal fluctuations.^[24] Steel requires more frequent interventions for corrosion control compared to the lower-maintenance concrete.^[24]

Types

Steel Headframes

Steel headframes feature lattice or tubular steel frameworks that provide high strength while minimizing weight, typically reaching heights of 30 to 60 meters to accommodate sheave wheels and hoisting ropes over deep shafts. These structures often employ bolted connections, facilitating modular assembly and easy disassembly for relocation or maintenance in dynamic mining environments.^[26]^[27] The primary advantages of steel headframes stem from the material's high tensile strength, with yield strengths up to 500 MPa enabling support for heavy loads in shafts exceeding 2,000 meters deep, as seen in South African gold mines like South Deep, which operates at depths of nearly 3,000 meters. Flexible bracing in lattice designs enhances resistance to seismic activity and wind loads, making them suitable for geologically active regions. Additionally, steel's durability reduces long-term maintenance compared to traditional materials, despite higher initial costs, and allows for rapid erection to accelerate mine development.^[28]^[27]^[29] Steel headframes became dominant in industrial mining from the early 1900s, replacing wooden structures as shaft depths increased; in the US copper belts, such as Butte, Montana, the Anaconda Copper Mining Company erected the first steel headframe in 1897 at the St. Lawrence mine. In South Africa, their adoption accelerated around 1890 with the expansion of Witwatersrand deep-level gold mining, becoming standard by the late 1940s in gold and platinum operations, exemplified by the 87-meter structure at South Deep built between 1995 and 2004. Manufacturers like those producing Koepe-style hoisting systems offered modular steel kits, further promoting their widespread use in large-scale operations.^[3]^[17] A key drawback of steel headframes is corrosion in humid or wet environments common to underground mining, which can compromise structural integrity over time. This is mitigated through hot-dip galvanizing, providing a zinc coating for cathodic protection and abrasion resistance, or by applying protective paints, extending service life in corrosive conditions.^[29]^[30]

Concrete Headframes

Concrete headframes are structures primarily constructed from reinforced concrete, incorporating steel rebar to enhance tensile strength while leveraging concrete's inherent compressive capabilities. These headframes typically adopt solid or framed configurations, with heights ranging from 20 to 40 meters to accommodate sheaves and hoisting equipment over mine shafts. Construction often employs slip-form techniques, where forms are incrementally raised as concrete is poured continuously, enabling efficient erection of tall, monolithic structures; precast elements may supplement this for non-load-bearing components to accelerate assembly in challenging terrains.^[31]^[32] The primary advantages of concrete headframes stem from the material's high compressive strength, typically 20–40 MPa, which provides exceptional load-bearing capacity for static and dynamic forces in permanent mining installations. This strength, combined with concrete's non-combustible nature, offers superior fire resistance compared to alternative materials, making it ideal for high-risk environments like coal mines where ignition sources are prevalent. Additionally, concrete's durability ensures low maintenance requirements in corrosive or elevated-temperature settings, such as those involving sulfide ores or geothermal influences, reducing long-term operational costs.^[33]^[34] Adoption of concrete headframes gained prominence in the 1920s and 1930s, particularly for enduring installations over deep shafts, with early examples in Europe, such as reinforced designs by specialists like Charles Tournay, and in North America for iron and coal operations. By the mid-20th century, this approach became widespread in Australia and Europe for shafts reaching up to 1,000 meters, as seen in haulage facilities at sites like Broken Hill, where concrete proved viable for integrating surface processing plants. These structures marked a shift toward permanent, weather-resistant alternatives suited to large-scale, long-life mines.^[34]^[32] Despite these benefits, concrete headframes present challenges, including their substantial weight, which necessitates robust foundations to distribute loads and prevent settlement in variable ground conditions. Construction timelines often span 4–8 months due to sequential pouring, curing, and formwork cycles, potentially delaying mine development. These issues are commonly addressed through chemical additives in the concrete mix to accelerate curing, allowing earlier load application while maintaining structural integrity.^[31]^[34]

Wooden Headframes

Wooden headframes represent the earliest and simplest form of these structures in mining operations, primarily employed for shallow vertical shafts in small-scale or exploratory endeavors. These headframes typically adopted basic configurations such as the tripod, consisting of three timber legs converging at the top to support a sheave wheel; the gallows frame, featuring two vertical posts connected by a horizontal crossbeam; or the derrick, a slanted or A-frame assembly for added stability over irregular terrain. Constructed from locally sourced or readily available hardwoods like pine for its lightweight properties or oak for greater strength, the beams were often lashed together with rope for rapid erection or bolted for enhanced durability, with overall heights generally limited to under 20 meters to suit shafts shallower than 300 meters.^[35] The advantages of wooden headframes lay in their economical and expedient nature, making them ideal for 19th-century mining in remote areas where steel or concrete was impractical. Assembly could be completed in days to weeks using on-site timber, minimizing transportation costs and enabling quick deployment during gold rushes or initial prospecting phases. For instance, in California's 1849 Gold Rush, miners at sites like the Kelly Mine in the Atolia Mining District relied on these structures for hoisting ore from hard-rock shafts, while similar designs facilitated early operations in Australia's Victorian goldfields starting in the 1850s. The Sons of Gwalia mine in Western Australia (1897), for instance, imported Oregon pine timbers for their cost-effectiveness. In coal fields, such as those in North Dakota's lignite districts from the 1870s onward, wooden headframes supported basic hoisting needs for local fuel extraction.^[35]^[36] Despite their practicality, wooden headframes had notable limitations that curtailed their long-term viability, particularly their low load-bearing capacity of under 10 tons, which restricted them to small skips or buckets typical of early operations. Vulnerability to environmental factors, including rot from moisture exposure and high fire risk in dry mining regions, further compromised their reliability, though treatment with creosote preservatives extended their service life to approximately 10–20 years by protecting against decay and insects. By the mid-20th century, around the 1950s, these structures were largely phased out in favor of more robust materials like steel for deeper and industrial-scale mining, as seen in the transition during Johannesburg's gold mining evolution from the 1880s onward.^[17]^[37]^[17]

Operation and Safety

Hoisting Mechanisms

The core hoisting mechanism in a headframe involves overhead sheaves mounted at the top of the structure, which rotate on bearings to redirect the hoist ropes from the winding drum—typically located in an adjacent engine house—down into the mine shaft.^[38] These sheaves, often large grooved wheels with diameters 30 to 50 times the rope diameter for minimal wear, guide multiple ropes supporting conveyances like skips or cages.^[39] Friction hoists, including Koepe designs invented in 1877, enable continuous operation by driving ropes via frictional contact with a rotating drum rather than winding them onto it, allowing balanced movement without rope layering issues.^[40] In operation, skips or cages attach to the hoist ropes using detachable safety hooks or latches at the conveyance's bail, facilitating quick loading and unloading cycles.^[41] Speed control is managed by variable-frequency electric motors or DC drives in the hoist house, achieving velocities up to 15 m/s for efficient ore transport in deep shafts, with acceleration and deceleration profiles optimized to minimize dynamic loads.^[42] Load calculations rely on basic energy principles, where the work required equals force times distance (W = F \times d), accounting for the weight of ore-filled skips (often 20-50 tonnes) and friction losses to determine power needs.^[43] Integration with the headframe ensures precise rope alignment through fixed rope guides along the shaft walls and diverter sheaves that redirect ropes away from the shaft collar, preventing lateral oscillations that could damage equipment or conveyances.^[39] Dual-skip configurations, common in friction hoists, use counterbalancing where one loaded skip ascends as an empty counterpart descends, halving the net power demand by offsetting gravitational forces.^[43] The headframe's structural elements provide the necessary support for these dynamic loads during hoisting.^[41] Efficiency improvements stem from modern electric drives, which largely replaced steam engines by the early 20th century, offering precise speed regulation and higher reliability for 24/7 operations in deep mines exceeding 1,000 meters.^[19] Koepe systems further enhance this by enabling cycle times as low as 1-2 minutes per round trip, boosting throughput in high-volume production.^[44]

Safety Features and Regulations

Headframes incorporate several engineered safety features to mitigate risks associated with hoisting operations in mine shafts, including overload sensors that detect excessive loads on the hoist system and automatically halt operations to prevent structural overload.^[45] Emergency brakes, such as hydraulic clamps that grip the hoisting ropes during overspeed or power failure conditions, provide rapid deceleration to avoid collisions with the headframe or shaft bottom.^[46] Anti-fall devices, including safety catches on personnel cages that deploy automatically if the rope slackens or breaks, engage guides along the shaft walls to arrest descent and protect occupants.^[47] Additionally, redundancy in bracing and structural members ensures collapse prevention under dynamic loads, with designs incorporating duplicate supports to maintain integrity during partial failures.^[48] Design standards for headframes emphasize robust load factors and environmental resistances to safeguard against operational hazards. Hoisting ropes must maintain a safety factor on breaking strength relative to maximum suspended loads as per regulatory standards, such as California's Title 8 requirements, which vary by shaft depth from 8:1 for shafts ≤500 feet to a minimum of 5:1 for depths exceeding 2000 feet.^[49] Headframes are engineered for wind resistance based on site-specific conditions, with ISO 19426-2 requiring consideration of gust speeds that could impose lateral forces, often designed to withstand regional extremes without compromising stability.^[50] Seismic reinforcements, such as base isolators or enhanced damping in bracing, are mandated per ISO 19426-2 to absorb ground accelerations, preventing resonance and structural damage during earthquakes in vulnerable mining regions.^[51] Regulatory frameworks enforce these safety features through oversight by authoritative bodies. In the United States, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) under 30 CFR Part 57 requires headframes and associated hoisting systems to comply with standards for brakes, catches, and inspections, including daily visual checks and monthly non-destructive testing of ropes to detect wear or defects.^[52] Annual comprehensive inspections by certified engineers verify structural integrity, load capacities, and emergency systems. In the European Union, Directive 92/104/EEC mandates risk assessments for shaft operations, worker training on emergency procedures, and regular certification of headframes to prevent falls and hoisting failures. These regulations also stipulate specialized training for personnel accessing shafts via headframes, covering evacuation protocols and equipment handling. The implementation of such safety features and regulations has played a critical role in reducing fatalities from shaft falls and hoisting incidents. Post-1900 mining laws, including early ventilation and hoisting mandates, combined with modern standards from the 1977 Federal Mine Safety and Health Act, have contributed to an overall decline in U.S. mining deaths from over 3,000 annually in the early 1900s to fewer than 30 in recent years (as of 2023), with hoisting-related accidents dropping significantly due to enforced brakes and catches.^[53] In Western mines, these measures have curtailed shaft fall risks by addressing common failure modes like rope breakage and uncontrolled descents.^[54]

Cultural and Symbolic Role

Symbolism in Mining

In mining communities, headframes serve as enduring symbols of industrial prowess, embodying the engineering feats that enabled deep-earth extraction and fueled economic expansion. In Butte, Montana, these structures represent the vital contribution of copper mining to America's second industrial revolution, powering electrification and technological advancement across the nation.^[5] They also evoke the profound labor hardships endured by miners, often referred to as "gallows" or "gallus" frames due to their role in lowering workers into perilous underground shafts, where countless lives were lost in the pursuit of ore.^[5] As icons of community identity, headframes punctuate urban skylines, fostering a sense of shared heritage and resilience among residents, much like the preserved structures in Butte that stand as testaments to immigrant labor and collective sacrifice.^[55] Headframes hold significant cultural roles, appearing in folklore, art, and social movements that reflect mining's complex legacy. In South Africa, these towering headgears emerged as apartheid-era landmarks, symbolizing both the nation's mining-driven wealth and the exploitative racial inequalities that underpinned it, where Black laborers faced servitude and hazardous conditions to extract gold and other resources.^[56] Artists like Jeanette Unite have captured this duality in works such as her "Headgear" series, using recycled mine dust to highlight industrial beauty amid decay, while her "Earthscars" critiques the human and social toll of extraction.^[56] In post-mining towns, headframes have transitioned into emblems of economic decline, standing as relics in depopulated landscapes like Welkom, where they evoke nostalgia for lost prosperity and the challenges of deindustrialization.^[56] Beyond local contexts, headframes function as broader icons of resource extraction's environmental impact, framing the visible scars left by mining on ecosystems and landscapes. In South African contexts, they underscore the pollution and land degradation from gold mining, serving as poignant reminders of how industrial ambition has altered natural terrains, often irreparably.^[56] Preservation efforts for these structures increasingly link to heritage tourism, transforming sites of exploitation into educational hubs that highlight sustainable legacies while addressing historical ecological costs.^[17] In modern interpretations, headframes appear in media and memorials as symbols of human ingenuity confronting nature's depths, bridging surface life with subterranean realms. Films like Steve McQueen's Western Deep portray South African mines as claustrophobic underworlds, conveying the psychological and physical struggles of laborers during apartheid.^[57] Memorials, such as the Porcupine Miners Memorial in Timmins, Ontario, incorporate headframes to honor deceased workers, positioning them as axis mundi-like figures that connect earthly toil with themes of endurance and sacrifice.^[58] These representations emphasize the structures' role in narratives of innovation against geological challenges, perpetuating their cultural resonance in contemporary discourse.^[56]

Notable Examples and Preservation

One prominent example is the Orphan Girl Headframe in Butte, Montana, United States, a steel structure erected in the 1920s that now anchors the World Museum of Mining, where it facilitates underground tours and exhibits on early 20th-century hardrock mining techniques.^[59] Another significant site is the East Rand Headgear at the East Rand Proprietary Mines in Boksburg, South Africa, a notable example of mid-20th-century deep-level gold extraction infrastructure.^[60] In the United Kingdom, the wooden headframe originally erected in the 1960s at Cligga Head Mine and recently relocated in 2023 from the Wheal Concord site to King Edward Mine in Cornwall stands as a rare surviving relic of Cornish tin mining, for restoration to prevent collapse and maintain its role in demonstrating traditional shaft-hoisting systems.^[61]^[16] Preserving these headframes confronts major challenges, including structural decay from prolonged exposure to weathering and material fatigue, which has placed structures like the Wheal Concord headframe at imminent risk of failure without intervention.^[62] Urban encroachment further complicates efforts, as expanding development in post-industrial areas encroaches on sites, restricting access for maintenance and increasing vulnerability to demolition pressures from land reuse demands.^[63] To address these issues, preservation methods emphasize stabilization through targeted funding, such as grants from the U.S. Historic Preservation Fund, which allocates resources for repairing and documenting engineering landmarks like mining headframes via programs including the Historic American Engineering Record.^[64] Adaptive reuse strategies also play a key role, repurposing headframes as elevated viewpoints for public appreciation; in Butte, for instance, several headframes have been illuminated and integrated into scenic overlooks to enhance urban heritage trails without altering their original forms.^[55] On a global scale, initiatives like the Structurae database compile comprehensive inventories of headframes, enabling systematic documentation, risk assessment, and international collaboration to safeguard these industrial artifacts.^[65] Such preservation yields economic advantages through heritage tourism, as evidenced in Butte where over 3.6 million annual passersby contribute to the local economy, with many drawn to mining sites that generate revenue via guided experiences and cultural events.^[66] A notable case study is the rehabilitation of mining infrastructure in Germany's Ruhr region, including steel headframes from the interwar period, where community-led efforts coordinated with public funding restored elements of the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex at a cost exceeding €45 million (equivalent to approximately 90 million Deutsche Marks in early 2000s valuations), transforming decayed structures into educational and touristic assets while involving local stakeholders in decision-making.^[67]

References

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i. The steel or timber frame at the top of a shaft, which carries the sheave or pulley for the hoisting rope and serves various other purposes.
[2]
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A headframe is actually a frame structure placed on top, at the head, of a mining shaft. The structure is necessary to build an elevator into the mine.Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
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The first headframes in Butte were built of wood. Anaconda Copper Mining Company (ACM) built Butte's first steel headframe in 1897 at its St. Lawrence mine.Missing: notable examples
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A building or structure is associated with the shaft. If there is a hoist, there will be a headframe. Hoists are always used to haul ore up the shaft and out of ...
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Headframe - The structure surmounting the shaft which supports the ... Workings - The entire system of openings in a mine for the purpose of exploitation.
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CLAIM: a parcel of land legally held for mining purposes ... HEADFRAME: the steel or timber frame at the top ... Generally interchangeable with vein; a well-defined ...
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The Head frame supports the head sheave or head (Koepe) wheel over a shaft. The head frame for a drum hoist holds a head sheave which supports the hoist rope.
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This chapter outlines the basic steps involved in mining, processing, and reclamation that might be suitable for uranium ore deposits in the Commonwealth of ...<|control11|><|separator|>
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Headframe strength. (c) of sufficient strength to safely withstand all loads to which it is likely to be subjected, and. Headframe height. (d) of sufficient ...
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First, underground mining began giving way to open-pit mining in the mid- 1950s. Then, a series of fires in the heart of Butte's business district during the ...
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When subjected to alternating loads of similar frequencies, a large headframe is prone to the resonance phenomenon. Second, the steady-state vibration response ...
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Mine headframe catch gear. Our catch gear is the go-to solution to catch and ... Made to withstand a load equal to the rope's breaking strength, we ...
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None
Below is a merged summary of headframe information from the "Hard Rock Miner's Handbook (Edition 5.3)" based on the provided segments. Since the information varies across segments and some segments lack specific details, I’ve consolidated the data into a comprehensive response, using tables where appropriate to maximize density and clarity. Where information is missing or contradictory, I’ve noted it or prioritized the most detailed and consistent data available.
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[PDF] Hard Rock Miners Handbook Rules of Thumb - 911 Metallurgist
Headframe. The cost of a steel headframe increases exponentially with its height while the cost of a concrete headframe is nearly a direct function of its ...
[23]
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The vertical shaft sinking headframe series is primarily constructed from steel pipes and structural steel, using welded or bolted connections.<|control11|><|separator|>
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Substantiation of Optimal Design Parameters for New System Angle ...
Aug 6, 2025 · One of the important structural elements of the steel headframe is a rig, installed above mouth of the vertical shaft and designed for ...
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South Deep Gold Mine, Gauteng Province, South Africa
Feb 3, 2020 · South Deep gold mine has a current depth of 2,995m below the surface. Image courtesy of Gold Fields. South Africa's South Deep Gold Mine is the ...
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Mining men in western Quebec and northern Ontario have shown a great deal of interest in the design and construction of the headframe at the East Sullivan mine ...
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In larger workings, a wooden or metal headframe might be erected over or adjacent to the shaft, to support the lifting mechanism. Deep mines later installed ...
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Without creosote treatment and preservation, the exterior service life of untreated wood is only about five years. Creosote protects wood from infestation and ...
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5.1.2c: Hoists, Hydraulic Transport, and Belt Conveyors | MNG 230
The headframe supports the sheave wheel over which the wire rope is connected to the skip. As the drums in the surface hoist house wind the rope onto the drum, ...Missing: cables | Show results with:cables
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[PDF] UNDERGROUND MINING - Teufelberger
rope guides show uneven wear or the skip/cage guide shoes ... For high speed winding, the head sheaves should be 100 – 120 times the diameter of the rope.Missing: overhead | Show results with:overhead
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Mine Hoist Technology Answers the Bell - E & MJ
In recent years, skip capacity for new or refurbished shaft systems has routinely exceeded previous capacity by 25% to 50%, with hoist speeds up to 50% faster ...
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factors to balance when designing most productive hoist systems
When the skip is empty in a skip/skip arrangement the whole arrangement is balanced, and requires almost no power to move it. When it is loaded, the only ...Missing: dual | Show results with:dual
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Innovative mine hoists from FLS
Koepe (or friction) hoists rely on the friction generated between the hoisting rope and a rotating drum to move the conveyances, with balance/tail ropes ...
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ABB mine hoist safety products
We offer a comprehensive portfolio of hoist safety products to enable you to run safe, reliable and productive operations.Missing: catches | Show results with:catches
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EMERGENCY BRAKING SYSTEMS FOR MINE HOISTS
This paper will discuss the United States mine hoist inventory, accident statistics, revised hoisting regulations, and emergency braking systems.
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APPLICATION OF DYNAMIC BRAKING TO MINE HOISTING ...
Safety catches can prevent this type of accident from occurring when the brakes or wire ropes holding the cage fail. Safety catches, however, are not normally ...
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Stability Stress Analysis and Safety Study of mine headframe shaft
Jan 24, 2025 · Taking the structure of the auxiliary shaft hoist mast in Nantun Mine as an example, its parameters and loads ... withstand the working ...
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7135. (19-21). Hoisting Ropes--Safety Factor and Inspections.
(c) The safety factor of a new rope shall be calculated by dividing the breaking strength of the rope as rated by the manufacturer by the sum of the maximum ...
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ISO 19426-2:2018 - Structures for mine shafts — Part 2: Headframe ...
2–5 day deliveryThis document specifies the design loads and the design procedures for the structural design of headframe structures of mine shafts and their components.
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Seismic rocking effects on a mine tower under induced and natural ...
Apr 2, 2021 · The objective of this paper is to present the results of a seismic response numerical analysis of a mine tower (also called in the literature a headframe or a ...Missing: reinforcements | Show results with:reinforcements
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30 CFR Part 57 -- Safety and Health Standards—Underground ...
This part 57 sets forth mandatory safety and health standards for each underground metal or nonmetal mine, including related surface operations.57.4400 – 57.4463 · Diesel Particulate Matter... · Radiation—Underground Only
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History | Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
The first federal mine safety statute was in 1891. The Bureau of Mines was created in 1910. MSHA was created in 1977. The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety ...
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History of Mine Safety and Health Legislation
Mining fatalities dropped sharply under the Mine Act from 272 in 1977 to 86 in 2000. The Mine Act also transferred responsibility for carrying out its mandates ...Missing: post- | Show results with:post-
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A Project to Light UP Uptown Butte's Historic Headframes
The project aims to light eight historic headframes in Butte, which are symbols of the city's mining heritage, to make them visible and honor their importance.
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Mines, headgear and the mind - Brand South Africa
Feb 18, 2010 · Yet each of these is an ambiguous symbol, suggesting both a proud heritage of engineering feats and economic growth, and a shameful history ...
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Steve McQueen's 'Western Deep' is a counter memory for Black ...
Feb 3, 2020 · Steve McQueen's 'Western Deep' is a counter memory for Black miners during South African Apartheid. by Contributors. February 3, 2020; Featured ...
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Drone View of Miners Memorial with Number 11 Headframe
Oct 8, 2024 · This is the Porcupine Miners Memorial, commemorating the people who have lost their lives to mining in all the mines of Timmins and area, not just the McIntyre.Historical Mining Headframes in Silver Centre and Montreal RiverThe Porcupine Miners Memorial with the McIntyre Heaframe in the ...More results from www.facebook.com
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Orphan Girl Mine - 1875-1956, 3200 Feet Deep | Story of Butte
The Orphan Girl was purchased by the Anaconda Company by the end of the 1920s, and was operated by the company until the 1950s.
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Witwatersrand Mining Heritage
Well when I was working at ERPM in 1981 I photographed the ERPM South East Vertical Headgear at the time of an unpresented snow fall incident in Boksburg.Missing: UNESCO | Show results with:UNESCO
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History of Cornish Tin Mining at King Edward Mine
King Edward Mine in 1897 was developed as a fully operational training mine by the Camborne School of Mines who used it for teaching for over 100 years.Missing: wooden gallows
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https://storyofbutte.org/items/show/36
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[PDF] Rethinking Industrial Heritage: A Discussion of the Preservation of ...
mine headframes, and other mining infrastructure and industrial buildings. However, the high level of remediation required by CERCLA cleans the surrounding ...
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Historic Preservation Fund Grant Programs - National Park Service
Aug 29, 2024 · The Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) was first funded in 1977 to assist governments and organizations to record, document, repair, and protect properties.Competitive Grants · Formula Grants · Disaster Recovery Grants
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Headframes: List - Structurae
List of all headframes in the database from around the world with status, year of completion and location including country.
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Visit Butte Montana's post - Facebook
there's something here for ...
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[PDF] Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen
Dec 16, 2001 · So far, rehabilitation costs have amounted to approx. 90 million DM. The steel frame facades of all buildings were badly dilapidated. They ...