VEREENIGING-BASED MSP
is jointly owned by international manufacturing and engineering
company DCD Group, and Robor – a manufacturer and supplier of welded steel tube and pipe, cold
formed steel profiles and associated value added products.
In October 2013, the company launched a first-of-its-kind onsite dynamic testing facility in the
southern Hemisphere.The revolutionary new dynamic testing facility consists of a vertical press that
is able to accurately simulate underground seismic activity by testing static loads of up to 100 tons
and dynamic loads of 40 tons at three-metres-per-second.
The press can test units up to 4.2m in length, and allows MSP to test the compliance of its support
units in accordance with the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA). MSP has invested approximately
R3.5-million in the dynamic testing facility, which has taken three years from concept to completion.
The vertical press consists of a top platen that can be adjusted for different sized samples.A bottom
base, housing the hydraulic cylinder, extends 3.5m underground and has a moveable middle
platen. Hydraulic oil is pressurised and stored inside two large hydraulic accumulators. This allows
for enough energy to be stored to produce the 6850lpm needed to achieve three-metres-per-
second movement of the middle platen. The oil is released into the largest cylinder in Africa, via
two 100mm logic valves. When the oil is released at such high speeds and pressure, it causes the
middle platen to jerk up at three-metres-per-second, which simulates various degrees of seismic
activity that may be encountered underground. Additionally, the middle platen of the press moves
up from the bottom at 30-mm-per-minute during the static load, testing up to 100 tons of force. A
load deformation graph is then plotted for analyses.
MSP selected Gauteng Metrology Services to design, manufacture and install the in-house
hydraulic press. “The company boasts in-depth skills and expertise with regards to this type of
equipment, and is also responsible for its calibration and certification,” MSP General Manager,
Conrad Engelbrecht says.
Looking ahead, he believes that the MSP in-house dynamic testing facility will add substantial value
to the company’s product and service offering. “This facility enables us to work closely with rock
engineers to determine exactly what they require for their specific project. It also places MSP in the
position as the only company in the local market that can fully substantiate its product quality in
terms of physical testing.”
“We want to develop new products with our partners in the industry,” he concludes.
Confidence
high
on 2013 advancements
Continued technological
innovation and advancement
has placed Mine Support
Products (MSP) as a frontrunner
in the provision of industry
leading health and safety
solutions for the international
underground mining sector.
The press can test units up to
42m in length.
