Gold Fields Steel Headgear designed by Hatch receives accolades
 | Gold Fields Steel Headgear designed by Hatch receives accolades | 38 KB | Download |
 Preview | At 83metres high, the steel headgear is the tallest in the southern hemisphere | 2.77 MB | Download |
 Preview | The new A-Frame headgear has been installed over the existing ventilation shaft at South Deep, in the Witwatersrand Basin. | 2.7 MB | Download |
 Preview | The steel headgear weighs in at 2000tonnes | 3 MB | Download |
The Gold Fields’ South Deep Ventilation Shaft Deepening Project has received accolades from industry for the design and construction of the new A-Frame headgear, which has been installed over the existing ventilation shaft at South Deep, in the Witwatersrand Basin.
The Gold Fields project team engaged the services of consulting engineering and project implementation firm Hatch as the design engineer for the project. The overall project took first prize in the Mining and Industrial category at the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC) Steel Awards 2011.
The structure, which is currently the tallest steel headgear in the Southern Hemisphere and the second tallest steel headgear in the world, was built in order to augment the mine’s production capacity, which will eventually see the mine reach a full production run rate of around 700 000 ounces per annum by the end of 2015.
Hatch Africa’s role as design engineer for this project entailed an increase in the current headgear hoisting height and capacity, such that the full tonnage could be hoisted from the shaft.
Hatch project manager, William Kempson, who played a key role in the project, says that because the foundation design of the existing concrete headgear would not have coped with the increased load expectations for the new 7.1m BMR rock winder, the only viable option was to construct a new headgear from steel and erect it over the top of the existing headgear.
Steel Awards judge, Neil Penson, noted the structure as being especially impressive for two main reasons: “Steel was the only viable construction medium that would satisfy the complex, constraint-dominated client requirements; and secondly, exceptional technical and project management expertise was required to successfully execute the work, in accordance with these requirements.”
The entire structure, which weighs in at 2 000 tonnes and is currently the tallest steel mine-headgear in the southern hemisphere at 83 metres high, was designed and engineered by the Hatch project team in conjunction with the Gold Fields’ project management team.
“This project has been a journey for all of us that were involved. From the onset, the project team were faced with many challenges; however, the team managed to find innovative solutions for each. During the design stages of the project, it was realised that there were criteria specific to the design of this headgear. As a result, solutions were sought and found which served the load base requirement and were comparatively easier to install,” says Kempson.
In addition to the challenges faced in the design stages of the project, the team was also faced with strict deadlines as the installation of the new headgear could only take place during the mine’s shutdown period over Christmas and Easter; as erecting the headgear around a working shaft was not an option.
With the steel fabrication completed by Steel Services and Allied Industries and the erection managed by the Gold Fields’ project team led by Peter Collins, the fabrication and preparation was completed well in advance of the installation programme, which ultimately required significant planning and integration of the designers, the fabricators as well as the erection team. As a result of this effort and the professionalism demonstrated by all parties, the project team managed to erect the entire structure in just twenty-eight days.
The first phase of construction, which took place over the Christmas break in 2010, saw the structure being erected up to 45 Level mark. Despite being delayed by four days because of a broken crane cable, the team still managed to the meet the first phase deadline.
“This portion of the structure needed to be able to stand alone for the break between Christmas and Easter. In addition, the structure would also have to be adjusted for the remainder of the installation. This was achieved by installing hydraulic props which would allow the southern leg of the structure to be jacked into the appropriate position and would thus allow the upper sections of the headgear to the aligned and installed,” explains Kempson.
The second phase, which took place over the Easter break in 2011, saw the completion of the entire structure, including the placement of the sheave levels and crane gantry. As a result of the consistent quality control implemented by the project team, upon completion, all of the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) of the welds passed without modification. In addition, with all of the extensive controls in place, including surveys and workshop assembly of sub assemblies, the 5 000 torqued bolts for the headgear all matched up without requiring any additional remedial work on site.
Overall, the structure was described by the Steel Award judges as being a flagship project for the use of steel. In addition, the judges said that Gold Fields’ challenging requirements were fully-satisfied by the excellent use of steel and the related design, fabrication and erection activities. The outcome is a credit to all involved, from the customer to the workforce.
This sort of installation could not have been completed without the entire project team having contributed. In this regard, Hatch would like to thank the Gold Fields’ project team under the leadership of Peter Collins and the fabrication team under the direction of Steel Services’ Lawrence Bartlett.
Hatch is also currently involved in the design and engineering of headgears for Mopani Copper Mines in Zambia and for the Mosaic Headgear in Sasketchwan Canada.
Ends.
Notes to the Editor
There are numerous photographs specific to this press release. Please visit http://media.ngage.co.za and click on the Hatch link.
About Hatch
Hatch supplies process and business consulting, information technology, engineering, and project and construction management to the mining, metallurgical, energy and infrastructure industries.
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