MINE DESIGN TECHNOLOGIES
Geotechnical Monitoring Instrumentation
A specialized range of in-hole instrumentation to measure rock movement on surface and underground; fully compatible with all data telemetry protocols. Based in Kingston, Canada, Mine Design Technologies (MDT) is an instrumentation company specializing in geotechnical applications. Their patented SMART products were created by engineers for engineers and designed to survive the rigours of geotechnical and mining environments while maintaining a low cost and ease of installation.
MDT Product Summary
Monitor Rock Movement in Real-Time
As the world’s leading supplier of geotechnical instruments for underground mines, MDT’s extensometers, contractometers and smart cable bolts are known the world over for ensuring geotechnical data is being captured effectively in real-time.
Each field-proven, MDT instrument is custom manufactured to the design you require. They arrive on site ready to install – no assembly required – and, for years have been used by operations around the world to optimize their ground support, creating cost-effective excavations at greater depth while ensuring the safety of equipment and personnel.
Our biggest selling item, the SMART MPBX, is in-use around the world for monitoring ground movement and stability of: underground excavations, open-pit walls, surface crown pillars, tunnels & dams and backfill of underground mines. And, when combined with the MineTrax sensor network, also available from RAMJACK, your geotechnical department need not leave the comfort of the office to monitor ground movement and workplace safety continuously – even from the face or inaccessible areas of the mine.
At RAMJACK, we are proud to be part of the Mine Design Technologies team and look forward to assisting you with all your geotechnical instrumentation requirements. For more information about the different products and services available through our technology partnership with Mine Design Technologies, please visit the MDT website or contact us at RAMJACK directly.
An Instrument for Every Application
MDT SMART MPBX Data Sheet
Lightweight and flexible, our SMART MPBX (Multi-Point Borehole eXtensometer) has six anchor points and an integrated electronic readout head. The small instrument diameter means that the head can be recessed in a 50 mm (2 inch) borehole – no need for oversize holes or reamed collars. It also allows multiple MPBX’s to be installed in the same long borehole. Each instrument is custom manufactured to the length you require, and allowing you to place the anchor locations where you need. They arrive on site ready to install. Just place in a borehole and grout. No assembly required. Our biggest selling item, the SMART MPBX is in use around the world.
MDT SMART Cable Data Sheet
By combining the support capabilities of a standard 7-strand cable bolt with a miniature 6-wire extensometer, the SMART (Stretch Measurement to Assess Reinforcement Tension) Cable was born.
The stretch in the cable is determined via the integrated six-point extensometer, allowing the strain between the anchor points to be calculated. Because we know the properties of the cable-rock-grout interface, the loading profile along the cable can be inferred.
These field-proven instruments allow our clients to optimize their ground support, creating cost-effective excavations at greater depth while ensuring the safety of equipment and personnel. They have also been used in civil tie-backs for design validation.
Built on our industry standard SMART Cable technology, the SMART Cable- SP has a completely redesigned head to allow it to be spun into the borehole, rather than grouted using standard practices. More mines are using Maclean bolters to install cable bolts that are spun into 2-part resin tubes, mixing the resin as it is spinning and pushed further into the borehole. Now operators can use SMART Cable-SP instruments without any changes to their existing process, and have a simple solution to measure displacement, strain and load in a single pass.
New for 2014 is the SMART GMM100 Ground Movement Monitor! The GMM100 is rapidly deployed with no grouting required, to provide instant and cost effective monitoring of primary support regions. The GMM100 have been designed and built to be cost effective and simple to use, operating by simply threading onto a rock bolt, inserting the rock bolt and device into a standard sized borehole (35mm or more), expanding the rock bolt toe anchor and attaching the instrument using the supplied wrench, and securing the collar plate. Alternately a re-usable wedge anchor supplied by MDT may be used.
MDT SMART Contractometer Data Sheet
Based on MDT’s proven and popular MPBX, the SMART Contractometer uses a collapsible structure to allow the measurement of convergence. Like our MPBX, the Contractometer is a flexible six-point fully recessable unit with our patented electronic readout head. The sensor and head are small enough to be recessed into a 50 mm (2 in) diameter borehole for easy installation.
In situations like backfill and shotcrete pillar monitoring, special 102 mm (4 inch) diameter shear washers are available to ensure that full transfer of convergence to the Contractometer is assured. The leadwires are enclosed in a polypropylene cover, which can be immersed in backfill or shotcreted over for protection.
Contact our engineering staff for customized design or installation services.
MDT SMART Sloughmeter Data Sheet
Sloughmeters are used in places where some caving or “sloughing” is expected. Things like monitoring the cave around a stope, or the collapse around an orepass. Our sloughmeters use solid anchors which bond with the grout in the borehole. Any ground failure will take the anchor with it, severing the circuit.
Complete with 10 anchor locations, our Sloughmeters are custom-manufactured to any length and configuration required by our customers.
Our Sloughmeter Readers are low cost, and recently re-designed to eliminate the false positives associated with wet holes.
At RAMJACK Technology Solutions, we offer solutions from Mine Design Technologies to clients in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.