Surveying at Oyu Tolgoi Copper/Gold Mine - Chris Hutchison - AIMS

TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS (cont)
• As the mine is relatively new, we enquired by email if any of the piano
wires used to sink the shaft still existed and we were told that three of
the original six remained.
The team resolved to go back to the “tried and true” old fashioned
method of plumbing the shaft using those wires. They were thoroughly
checked to ensure they were not fouled on any part of the shaft
concrete and all the steady brackets were fully opened to ensure the
wires followed gravity without a bend.
Prior to commencement, 100 pound weights were attached to each
wire and each weight was damped in a 44 gallon drum filled with oil.
The ventilation was shut down for 12 hours before measurement so
that the wires could steady.