The construction and reinforcement of tunnels in mining consist of several activities including the unrolling and placing of a metallic mesh inside the tunnel using big-sized machinery. However, in mine-preparation projects by “Block or Panel Caving” with tunnels smaller than 4m x 4m standard machinery does not have enough space to operate.
Can you think of a solution to effectively unroll and place on the wall the mesh inside the tunnel? Can you adapt the machinery or do it in a different way?
The Innovation Challenge for Tunnel Construction and Reinforcement
Mas Errázuriz is a leading company specialized in the execution of mining, energy, and medium-big size infrastructure works. It delivers a quality service with high safety standards and a strong commitment towards its employees.
The construction and reinforcement of tunnels in mining is a process with 3 activities including boring and protecting the tunnel with a layer of shotcrete, unrolling a metallic mesh and placing it on top of the shotcrete and securing the metallic mesh with helical steel bolts.
However in mine-preparation projects by “Block or Panel Caving” with tunnels smaller than 4m x 4m, standard machinery cannot be used since it does not have enough space to operate.
What the client is looking for
The goal of this challenge is to find solutions to unroll the mesh and place it on the wall in tunnels smaller than 4m x 4m, before securing it with helical steel bolts. This activity must be carried out without workers since they cannot leave the area already secured.
The new solution does not have to use the existing machinery used in bigger tunnels. The idea is to find solutions either by adapting the machinery or by using a different method.
Evaluation criteria
- The maximum investment cost for every machine must be 20,000 USD
- The maximum productivity is required.
- The simpler and more adaptable the new solution, the better.
Timeline
This is a 2-round challenge:
- Round 1: 6 weeks + 2 weeks for evaluation.
- Round 2: 4 weeks + 2 weeks for evaluation.
Awards
The best solutions of Round 1 will share 4,000 USD.
The winner will receive 10,000 USD.
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