China-made mining roadheader to be exported to Africa for the first time

(Photo/Screenshot from the website of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council)

A made-in-China roadheader with an excavation diameter of 5.63 meters recently came off the production line in Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province. This equipment will be used in the construction of a mining roadway project in Zambia, marking the first time that a Chinese mining roadheader will be exported to Africa, according to a statement seen on the website of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council on Tuesday.

The roadheader, measuring 130 meters in length and weighing 800 tons, is designed with 50-meter radius of the horizontal curve, capable of handling slopes of up to ±15 degrees. The roadheader was jointly developed by China Railway Construction and China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group.

The Chambishi Southeast ore in Zambia represents Africa's first digital mine project. The project involves a tunnel length of 9.7 kilometers and presents numerous construction challenges, including hard rock, fault fracture zones, small radius turns, off-center excavations, and elevated ground temperatures.

To overcome these construction challenges, the research team, through technological innovation, developed a targeted small-radius turning design, equipping the roadheader with an immediate support system and an advanced geological forecasting system, which enhanced the tunnel boring machine's adaptability to adverse geological conditions.

In addition, they implemented customized configurations, including a cooling system and an online tool monitoring system, to enhance operator comfort and provide strong support for the construction of the project.

The Zambian project has a total investment of $830 million, with 3.3 million tons of ore to be mined and processed annually, yielding 60,000 tons of copper concentrate. The construction of the tunnel project will help improve transportation efficiency at the copper mine, according to the statement.