Which Underground Mining Support Products Are The Best?

Various underground mining roof support products are available on the market. If you are mining underground, you cannot afford not to install some kind of support as it will mitigate the incidence of rock falls underground, which can be deadly.

Let’s take a brief look at some of the most commonly used underground mining roof support products on the market to try and determine which is best.

Wood Support

Wood support systems have been used in underground mining for centuries. Timber can be cut and installed in various ways, depending on the situation. Wood is flexible enough to yield as the ground moves but is not as strong as other materials.

However, wood is highly combustible, which is not ideal for underground mining.

Steel Support

Steel support systems are varied. Generally, they are extremely strong and dependable. However, steel support systems can get pretty expensive.

The cheapest and simplest steel support system is an ordinary H section steel girder cut to the appropriate size and wedged into the gap.

Other types of steel supports involve hydraulics and work as a jack to prop the roof up. While these are strong, they are prone to giving way under enough pressure.

Roof Bolting And Netting 

Roof bolting is an effective and cost-effective way of reducing the risk of the roof collapsing. Bolting secures the strata in such a way that it actually supports itself. However, the layer of strata secured with bolting is relatively thin, so its effectiveness is limited.

Boling is often paired with shotcrete and/or wire netting, which is effective at preventing further fracturing of the rock and smaller pieces from falling through.

Cementitious Support

Cementitious support structures are highly effective because they can be as strong as the rock itself. However, it can be difficult to transport large and heavy concrete pillars and slabs underground.

Tufbag’s cementitious underground support bags are much easier to install. They are made of woven polypropylene and then filled under pressure with cementitious grout. Getting them into position is simple, and once they have hardened, they create incredibly strong and long-lasting support.

If you want the best underground mining roof support products, then Tufbag has got you covered. Contact us today to find out more!