Photos: Rio Tinto deploys tunnel machine at Northparkes mine
First photos of 64m-long machine in action.
on Feb 25 2013 7:10AM
The new tunnel boring machine was officially put into action on Friday last week. An underground ceremony attended by top Rio Tinto innovation and technology executives was held to mark the occasion. The machine was actually delivered in October 2012 and took four months to assemble.
From the front - Northparkes mine team with the tunnel boring machine.
The machine is controlled by an on-board team of 12 personnel and is supported by "three underground haul trucks" and "an above-ground crew of around 15 additional people".
It is expected to tunnel as much as 10-to-12 metres a day, and about 1400 metres over the life of the trial, at a depth of about 600 metres below the surface.
Delivery to Rio Tinto - the system is also known as the 'Mobile Tunnel Miner 6'. Though the machine is 64m long, it has a turning radius less than half that courtesy of several swivel joints.
The new tunnel boring machine was officially put into action on Friday last week. An underground ceremony attended by top Rio Tinto innovation and technology executives was held to mark the occasion. The machine was actually delivered in October 2012 and took four months to assemble.