Breakdown of hoisting machine in mining shaft hoist installed in southern section of R-II shaft of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. O/ZG Rudna

This article applies to a one-of-its-kind case of the cracking of the main shaft of a hoisting machine that occurred in the southern section of the R-II shaft of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. Oddział ZG “Rudna” in 2011. The mining shaft hoists installed in the R-II shaft are not only the basic extraction equipment in the Rudna mine but also throughout KGHM. The unscheduled standstill cases of these hoists generate huge losses for the mine. These reasons resulted in the necessity for the ad hoc repair of the damaged shaft and operational use of the hoist until a new shaft is completed and delivered. The article describes the works related to the preparation and execution of the repair of the shaft as well as the tests that were performed. The last stage was the preparation of the operational conditions of the shaft of the machine with the repaired shaft with limited kinematic parameters and under strict supervision until the execution of the new shaft.