Overview
ISO 19426-4:2018 - Structures for mine shafts, Part 4: Conveyances specifies the loads, load combinations and design procedures for the steel and aluminium-alloy structural members of mine-shaft conveyances. It applies to vertical and decline shafts and covers conveyances used to transport personnel, materials, equipment and rock, including personnel/material cages, skips, kibbles, equipping and inspection cages, bridles, crossheads and counterweights. The standard adopts a limit states design philosophy and focuses on structural design; it does not cover ropes, sheaves, rope attachments, chairlifts, operational safety or conveyance layout.
Key Topics and Requirements
- Material guidance: Requirements for steel (including high-strength grades and cold-temperature considerations) and aluminium alloys for structural members.
- Nominal and general operating loads: Definitions of permanent, imposed and lateral loads relevant to shaft conveyances.
- Specific load types:
- Vertical and lateral loads from guide systems (fixed guide systems and rope-guided systems).
- Winder-system loads (acceleration/deceleration, trip-out, tail-rope and vertical friction loads).
- Personnel and seating loads, floor loads for material/equipment, underslung and trailing loads.
- Rock-winding loads for skips and kibbles (filling, emptying, impact and reference rock pressure).
- Emergency loads: rope emergency, drop-back, roof impact, emergency stopping and overspeed device loads.
- Design procedures: Methods to derive design loads, application of load combinations, design for emergency loads, fatigue considerations and special provisions for steel versus aluminium components.
- Construction and testing: Fabrication tolerances, confirmation of design through testing (including operating mechanism tests) and construction requirements.
Practical Applications and Users
ISO 19426-4:2018 is essential for professionals involved in the engineering and delivery of mine-shaft conveyances:
- Mining and shaft structural engineers designing cages, skips, kibble structures, crossheads and counterweights.
- Conveyance manufacturers and fabricators responsible for steel or aluminium structural components.
- Design verification and testing teams conducting structural testing and fatigue assessments.
- Standards and compliance officers ensuring designs meet internationally recognized load and design criteria.
- Project managers and contractors planning installation, construction quality and acceptance testing.
Using this standard ensures consistent, repeatable structural design practices for conveyances in vertical and decline shafts, helping reduce structural failure risk and informing safe, code-compliant fabrication.
Related Standards (if applicable)
- Other parts of the ISO 19426 series on mine-shaft structures.
- Standards covering ropes, sheaves and attachments (refer to appropriate rope and winding-equipment standards) and national/regional mining safety regulations for operational practices.
