A 20t capacity overhead crane and hoist, sourced from R&M Materials Handling and supplied by Harriman Material Handling, has been installed 400ft underground at the US Gypsum Company Shoals Mine in Indiana.
The crane, built and fitted by CraneWerks, is being used for assembling and maintaining heavy equipment in the mine’s confined spaces.
The installation presented several logistical and engineering challenges due to the mine’s underground location.
The shaft used for transporting equipment below ground was significantly smaller than the size of much of the machinery needed underground.
To address this, the crane’s 35ft bridge beam was manufactured in two pieces, allowing it to be lowered through the shaft before being welded together at the bottom.
CraneWerks, as a master distributor for R&M components, provided the pre-engineered system which supported rapid production and shipping.
Frequent lifting of heavy machinery, often weighing around 10t, is required in the mine.
The overhead crane, which spans 35ft and moves along a 62ft runway, was mainly selected for the short lead time offered by R&M and CraneWerks’ distribution network.
A top running double girder design was chosen, as it provides optimal hook height, allowing the hoist and trolley to ride above the bridge girders and maximising the available lifting distance inside the constrained mine environment.
According to US Gypsum, daily operations involve raising mobile equipment components and large fabricated steel parts for larger machines.
US Gypsum said: “Being underground is its own challenge. Everything from pouring concrete to lifting the beams is difficult because you don’t have access to a lot of the equipment you would normally think of using. It’s constant problem solving.”
Around ten staff members were trained to operate the new crane, of whom four or five use it regularly.
US Gypsum added: “We needed a crane capable of moving large pieces around for assembly of equipment in the mine, and the results suggest we found a solution.
“We could have acquired a few telehandlers that had the necessary weight capacities, but the EOT (electric overhead traveling) crane was the preferred option.”
The newly installed crane is located at the mine’s south end, with plans to relocate the site’s maintenance facility to this area in the future.
In March, CraneWerks designed and built a 40ft vacuum lifter system for integration with an existing overhead crane at a semi-trailer manufacturing facility.
