New automated resin injection system should improve safety for operators in weak ground conditions
The ground control specialists at Jennmar have made a major breakthrough. For the last two years, they have been working on a system that will allow an operator to pump resin into thehole from his cabin before he spins the bolt, eliminating the use of traditional resin cartridges. The benefits for the system would be twofold: the bolting machine operator remains in a safe position when the machine is likely in the riskiest location and the automation function will only further enhance productivity.
Similar to others in the mining industry, Jennmar saw activity decrease substantially in the first half of last year. They opted to use that time to advance some of the projects they had on the drawing board and to reinforce sound ground control principles to an industry fraught with turnover. “We have been working with both the mines and the regulatory agencies as far as roof control training programs,” said Dr. John Stankus, president, Keystone Mining Service, the engineering affiliate of Jennmar. “On top of that, our ground control engineering group has been incredibly busy since the election. Idled mines are reopening and that requires rehab activity with steel supports.” Jennmar makes various steel supports at its Virginia facility, and one of the more popular products is its impact-resistant steel sets for supporting roof fall cavities.
As far as new products and equipment, Jennmar has developed a self-drilling, injectable hollow-bar bolt for yielding ground. The hollow-bar system was designed to work with an automated pumpable resin system (J-Lok P). This ground control technique combines drilling and grouting as a single operation, ensuring that resin is placed over the full length of the borehole. It is ideal for ground conditions where boreholes collapse.
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