Electronic Aid--New device to help detect loose rocks in underground work areas

摘要

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) researchers have developed a sensor, known as the electronic sounding device (ESD), that can determine whether loose rocks are present in the roof of an excavation before miners enter a newly blasted underground work area. Currently, the process of ensuring that work areas are safe includes tapping the roof of the excavation with a pry bar. The miner then listens to the sound of the tap and, if the rock sounds loose, the miner will attempt to pry it from the roof, and uses the same pry bar for sounding the hanging wall. This is known as 'barring down'.