Mine safety breakthroughf
The world’s first radar system that enables miners to anticipate rock failures in open cut mines before they happen is proving a tremendous success on world markets.
Slope Stability Radar (SSR) was invented in Queensland by engineers and scientists from the University of Queensland, who formed GroundProbe Pty Ltd to realise the commercial benefits of the technology and the service that goes with it.
The system monitors, and graphically displays, sub-millimetre movements in massive rock walls and it has anticipated more than 40 rock failures in open-cut mines in the past year.
“There have been no accidents related to failures at any of the mines where our system has been installed,” said General Manager, Dr David Noon (pictured above).
“The falls that have been anticipated using the system ranged from
one tonne of material to five million tonnes.”
The company’s success has been so big that it’s had to move premises
three times in the last 16 months as staff numbers have risen from three people
with one SSR to 50 people and 16 SSR units.
“We’ve been hiring new staff since day one and we’re looking
for more people right now,” Dr Noon said.
“The world’s leading mining companies are among our clients and
we’re leasing systems to mines in Indonesia, Zambia, South Africa and
the United States as well
as Australia.
“We’ve now got employees based in Western Australia and South Africa. Next year we’ll be setting up offices in South America and the United States.”
GroundProbe leases the equipment, rather than sells it. The company is then able to provide the client with a complete service and modifications and improvements can be introduced as soon as they are ready.
“The system is constantly being improved, so it’s important that we introduce those improvements as soon as we’re satisfied they work properly.”
Dr Noon said other rock failure detection systems were not as effective as GroundProbe’s.
“Our device is basically a safety device but it can do other things,” he said. “For instance, with the precise and continuous display of movement the system produces, miners can more effectively plan their operations and they can, as a result, increase productivity. There are other possible uses, too – in quarries, at dams, and in civil engineering.”
“But we haven’t had the time to pursue other possible applications because demand from the mining industry has been so great.”
In January, 1997, they obtained a grant from the Australian Coal Association
to finance their research and in December, 1999, they demonstrated the system
for the first time.
“It was a great success,” Dr Noon said.
