ISO 19426-7:2021

ISO 19426-7:2021 - Structures for mine shafts: Rope guides

Overview

ISO 19426-7:2021 specifies the design loads and design procedures for rope guides and rubbing ropes used to guide conveyances and prevent collisions in vertical mine shafts for permanent operations. The standard applies to personnel hoisting, material hoisting, and rock hoisting installations and can also be applied during shaft sinking when kibbles run on stage ropes. There are no fundamental limits on conveyance size, hoisting speed, shaft layout or depth. The document focuses on sound engineering design of rope-guided hoisting solutions and does not cover operational safety.

Key technical topics and requirements

• Design loads and disturbing actions: treatment of Coriolis forces, aerodynamic loads (steady-state and buffeting), rope torque (head and tail ropes), eccentric loading, winder emergency braking, thermal effects and wind loads on conveyances.
• Restoring forces and stiffness: rope guide tension, stiffness of rope guides and head/tail ropes, and their impact on conveyance trajectory.
• Conveyance behaviour and simulation: methods for predicting dynamic displacement envelopes and combining actions for design.
• Design procedures: risk assessment, general and simple design procedures, and a comprehensive procedure for complex cases.
• Minimum clearances and rubbing ropes: guidance on design clearances, dynamic envelopes, reduced clearances and use of rubbing ropes.
• Construction, installation and commissioning tolerances: shaft cylinder diameters, associated structure tolerances, tension tolerances and commissioning checks.
• Inspection and maintenance: deterioration mechanisms (wear, corrosion, broken wires), inspection intervals, non-destructive testing, maintenance actions and discard criteria.
• Informative annexes: load combinations, aerodynamic coefficients, rope torque factors, stiffness and approximate calculation methods for conveyance displacement.

Practical applications and who uses this standard

ISO 19426-7 is intended for professionals responsible for the structural and mechanical design of mine shafts using rope guided hoisting:

• Mine shaft designers and structural engineers
• Hoisting system and mechanical engineers
• Mining consultants and project engineers evaluating feasibility
• Asset owners and operators planning new shafts or upgrading existing installations
• Maintenance planners and inspection teams assessing rope guide condition

The standard helps teams evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of rope guides vs rigid guides, select appropriate rope guide systems, size components, set clearances, and plan inspection/maintenance regimes.

Related standards

• Part of the ISO 19426 series on Structures for mine shafts. Users should consider other parts of the series and applicable national regulations for complementary requirements and for operational safety, which is outside the scope of this document.

Keywords: ISO 19426-7, rope guides, mine shafts, rope guided hoisting, design loads, rubbing ropes, shaft design, hoisting systems, inspection and maintenance.