platinum
25
06.13
Step 4:
Reeve tail rope through with
messenger cable
Step 5:
Attach tail rope to bottom of
conveyance
Step 6:
Install second conveyance
The Impala Platinum and RSV rope-up management team. Shaking hands are Frikkie Höll (on the left),
GM of No 16 Shaft, and Leon van der Westhuizen, RSV Project Manager, No 16 Shaft. Torra Engelbrecht
is on the far right.
Step 7:
Connect tail rope to second
conveyance
of Impala’s hoists use this technology.
Overhung motors are also more easily
maintained and repaired. Their selection
necessitated a change in the headframe
design during the slipform process and
RSV was able to implement this without
influencing the slipform progress.
The use of Koepe winders is part of
the reason for the height of the head-
frame, as the winders and the associated
hydraulics and electrical equipment are
stacked over three levels. Also driving
the height is the large man cage, which
can accommodate 300 people, and al-
lowance has been made for the cage to
be taken out vertically. Another aspect
that influenced the headframe height is
the tipping position of the skip and the
statutory requirements in terms of over-
wind conditions. In all, the headframe
has seven levels above bank – a convey-
or loading level, a tipping level, a service
sheave level, a deflection sheave level, a
transformer level and two Koepe levels
(upper and lower). The headframe has
a cantilever section at the top to house
the Koepe winders (upper Koepe level)
which has allowed a compact and eco-
nomic footprint for the headframe.
Engelbrecht notes that as a general rule
conventional winder buildings take up
considerably more terrace space than
would be the case for Koepe winders,
this being yet another point influencing
the solution adopted at No 16 Shaft.
Another innovation proposed by RSV
was to design the headframe in advance
of the contract for the winders being
awarded. RSV took the initiative in con-
sulting with prospective hoist suppliers
and proceeded to design and lay out the
hoist levels to accommodate all the like-
ly permutations of hoisting equipment.
This gave the client the complete flex-
ibility to select and purchase the hoists
at a much later date.
Moving on to the present and the rop-
