Angus Place modifies Spyder longwall face drill

Angus Place, 15kms north west of Lithgow, now consolidates broken or unstable strata on the longwall face by drilling into it and injecting the holes (and surrounding strata) with polyurethane (PUR).

Previously, holes were drilled using MBS or LFD drill rigs. This did not allow the drill chuck to be retracted past the AFC spill plate. The position of the drill chuck on these drill rigs resulted in the drilling offsider standing on the AFC while changing the drill steels.

Angus Place technical services manager, Peter Corbett, explains the modification process: “We were looking for a safer option, so we trialled the unmodified version of the Spyder and saw how it could be changed to improve its usability and safety.

“The first modification was to the positioning of the drill rig’s mounting point relative to the drill chuck. We were able to shift the rig’s mounting point on the feed frame back, to position the drill chuck on the walkway side of the AFC, which allowed the drill steels to be changed from behind the AFC spill tray.

“So now, the drilling offsider stands in a much safer position within the longwall’s walkway.”

Corbett says to reduce the rig’s weight during the transport process, the motor was made removable and the rig now also includes two carry handles at each end to better distribute the load for carrying.

“Weight was a significant issue for mobilising and demobilising the rig from storage to the longwall face and we had to reduce the likelihood of manual handling injuries.

“We designed a purpose built trolley to make transporting the Spyder along the face easier and to reduce the manual handling element associated with drilling. We are currently looking to further reduce the weight of the trolley by making it into modular units.

“To make moving the drill rig even easier along the face and between the holes, we also improved the baseplate’s articulation.”
According to Corbett, the Spyder’s retractable collaring jaws were made more robust and a telescopic support was mounted at the front of the rig.

“These were seen as necessary to improve the drilling process and to assist with insertion of the injection tubes. We now have a rig that is fit for purpose and allows operation from a safe position behind the AFC spill plate.”