NDT of wire ropes with E/M instruments an examination of operational conditions in Canada

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 85, No. 964, 1992

L.B. Geller and J.E Udd, Mining Research Laboratories, CANMET-EMR, Ottawa, Ontario

Responding to requests by the Canadian mining industry and the mine regulatory authorities, the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology (CANMET) undertook a major research project on evaluation of wire rope testing in 1986. The objectives were to document, analyze, and clarify — in basic operational terms — the reasons for ongoing mine shaft wire rope failures that occur despite mandatory non-destructive testing (NDT) with electromagnetic (EM) instruments on a routine basis. The project's investigative scope and depth was unprecedented. It could not have been successfully completed without the wholehearted cooperation of industry, research organizations, and mine-inspectorates at both national and international levels.The project's goals were attained. It was shown that, at present, the problem areas in Canada are of a human, rather than of a hardware-related nature. Consequently, the principal recommendations are concerned with a more widespread, more uniform and thorough operator training and certification process at industrial and regulatory levels. Secondary suggestions concern areas of hardware-related improvements. In this paper an up-to-date general overview is given of the major project results. An extensive reference list is also provided of papers that contain all relevant documentation in detail.

Mots Clés: Mine shafts, Wire rope testing, Safety.