Last week, the 8th International Freiberg Symposium FreiBERGbau took place at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, dedicated to shaft construction and shaft operation. Becker Mining Systems was represented by Andreas Scheid (Head of Sales), Luca Fritz (ENDIS Lead Engineer) and Adam Friedel (Senior Product Manager).

Our presentation: Safety-critical rope attachments in shaft hoisting

In our presentation, Andreas Scheid put the spotlight on rope attachments. They connect the winding rope to the conveyance, transmit all forces and thereby define the load path of the entire shaft hoisting system. Even so, the winder or the rope usually gets most of the attention. The presentation showed how operational safety can be built in at this very interface: through a design matched to the overall system, defined and repeatable installation procedures, good inspectability and complete traceability of every component. It covered the designs for drum winders, friction winders and guide rope systems, verification through non-destructive testing and proof-load testing, and the whole lifecycle from shaft sinking through operation to refurbishment. A case study from a four-rope friction winder in South Africa illustrated what matters in practice, such as even tension balancing between the ropes and ease of maintenance.

Experience from the field

We were particularly pleased that Adam Friedel travelled to Freiberg specially from South Africa. In Africa, Becker brings together extensive application and project experience in hoisting. Adam was able to bring this practical experience into the technical discussions and enrich the exchange with attendees.

The programme and the exchange

Alongside our own presentation, the symposium offered a broad programme of talks. It ranged from “historical” topics to current projects and covered shaft design, construction and operation. Particularly valuable was that operators, contractors and manufacturers all contributed, so the same topics were viewed from different perspectives.

There was also plenty of opportunity for exchange beyond the lecture programme. At our booth, we spoke with many attendees about their questions and practical experience. A highlight was the traditional mining evening at the Reiche Zeche, where the impressive setting made it easy to maintain existing contacts and make new ones.

The symposium showed how important a close connection between academia, industry and operators is for the continued development of shaft engineering. We would like to thank TU Bergakademie Freiberg for the organisation and everyone who took part for the technical exchange. We look forward to continuing the conversation.

Would you like a copy of our presentation? Feel free to get in touch at info@becker-mining.com.