The Upper Level Company

The Use of the Roof

GTA - Your competent partner

GTA made the upper level working

By cooperation with the mining industry GTA have acquired vast expe-

rience in underground mining conditions. This enabled GTA to develop

technical solutions making it possible to effectively work to both levels

simultaneously in the narrow space underground.

In mining, we have confined our aim of optimizing work processes and

reducing accidents. For some years, adaptations of our machine systems

have also been used for tunneling applications where they gain more and

more acceptance. Additional systems for transport and handling on both

working levels complete our product range.

Permanent innovation and cooperation with our customers is a continu-

ous process in our company. Our experience is creatively put into practice

by our competent teams.

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Machine systems to ease hard work

GTA – the history of the way to the top

Historic methods of setting roof support have been a hard and dangerous

job for the miners throughout the world. As there were no suitable ma-

chines to ease the work, the miners started to build their own jigs, ho-

wever drifting speed remained low.

In 1979 Helmut Heisterkamp founded his company GTA based on the

idea of improving the working conditions. GTA discovered the upper wor-

king level and integrated it into the heading process. Ever before this

upper level remained unused.

It took more than 30 years to develop the upper level machine systems

of GTA to perfection.

Mining in greater depth encounters increasing rock pressure, hence roof

Support requires special measurements, such as:

• Installation of yielding steel arches with weights up to 44 kg/m

• Application of concrete to close the gap between the steel arches and

the rock/coal strata

• Installation of roof bolts.

Installing of steel arch with a total weight of 150 kg in the unsecured

areas is hard and dangerous work, which accident statistics show all over

the world.

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The GTA Solution

The recognition that, because of the rough working conditions, the drifting

speed reached its limits, led to the development of specialized machine sys-

tems by GTA. The newly designed machines of GTA enabled safe and eco-

nomical installation of heavy support units. In order to avoid a dangerous

concentration of machines at the face area, the new machine systems were

suspended in the roof area by means of a monorail system. This is how the

machines gained their manouvrability.

A new generation of mining machines was born.

GTA -Safety first

By continuous development these machines were brought to perfection,

resulting in:

• Ease of work

• Increased drifting speed and

• Most important, reduction of accidents.

Don’t worry, support carrying the rock, certainly carries upper-level-

machines.

GTA a new generation of mining machines

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Basics of GTA Upper Level Technology:

The principle of GTA Upper Level System using the example of a Road-

way Support machine:

1 By means of the Support Setting Device the pre-assembled support

segments are moved to their position and get pushed under the roof

2 The Lifting Guide allows an exact positioning.

3 The bracers are used to stabilize the system while the work at the

face is carried out

4 Base frame of the whole system

5 Rails

6 Pump station for energy supply of the hydraulic system

7 Push-pull drive system; alternatively friction wheel drives are available

8 Control platform for machine operator

9 Lifting boom for the working platform

10 Working platform with extendable foot-railings at the sides

11 Rockfall protection

How it works

GTA machine systems at the upper level are using the monorail technique.

Monorail systems were developed in Germany some decades ago. GTA

make use of the standardized rails for all upper-level-machines.

Depending on the local requirements the machine systems are operating

at single or double rail racks. In mines without a monorail infrastructure

GTA can supply the rail system as well.

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GTA for installing steel arches

Support Setting Devices

Support Setting Devices have been developed by GTA for the mechanized

setting of steel arch support. They are used in roadway drifting by drill

and blast techniques as well as in combination with roadheaders. The

Support Setting Devices are suspended at monorail racks and are mova-

ble. The monorail racks are hanging at the support arches which have

already been installed. The machines enable pre-assembling of the roof

elements in the rear area of the gallery, the transport to the face and the

exact positioning at the place of installation. To grant safe working on

the upper level of headings, while the side elements are connected, the

roadheader should be equipped with a working platform.

Roadway Support Machines

Roadway Support machines are complete systems for the mechanization

of steel arch setting in roadway drifting. In general they consist of two

main features, the working platform and the support setting device. At-

tached to monorail systems they can move forward and reverse in order

to pick up the arches and position them exactly where they are needed.

The men at the platform enjoy safe and easy work. GTA machines fulfill

all requirements of a mining-proof and robust machine. Of course, GTA

machines are fully flameproof and ATEX certified.

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GTA for drilling and bolting

Monorail Drills

Monorail Drills have been developed by GTA for the drilling of blast- and

boltholes as well as for the setting of roof bolts. They are suspended at

monorail racks and can be moved in either direction. Depending on the

type of work they are hanging on single or double rail strand.

Monorail Drills at the upper level are the better alternative to floor opera-

ting drills because they allow synchronisation of different operations. This

gives a high degree of flexibility in connection with potential to improve

the performance. Furthermore accidents at the floor are reduced due to

equalization of machine concentration in the face area.

GTA – faster – safer – easier

Drilling Feeds

The concentration of other manufacturers of Drilling Technique on stan-

dardised feeds based on light alloy opens markets for GTA:

• Feeds, made of steel for underground coal mining

• Feeds for special requirements, which cannot be fulfilled with

standard feeds.

A special own development of GTA is the TSA-Feed, a double feed for

mechanised drilling and setting of roof bolts with integrated grout.

GTA Transport Systems

Monorails

Transport in confined areas is a special task in coal mining. GTA and In-

trak have developed systems for both longhaul transport and short di-

stance transport in the face area.

For longhaul transport GTA offers a diesel monorail unit with superior

climbing performance. The modular design allows adaptation to indivi-

dual transport tasks. The number of lifting beams is variable as well as the

number of drive units.

Fully flameproof diesel engine, watercooled intake and exhaust system

flame, arrestors, fast shut-off valves, exhaust heat exchanger and Methan

monitoring device as well as fully flameproof electrics make the machine

the ideal transport system from station to face.

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A floor bound alternative

In cases, where transport of heavy loads cannot be managed by monorail

systems, GTA offer a new system of trap rail haulage. This system is able

to negotiate safely in steep inclines/declines.

Special transport solutions

To ease the hard work of transport in the face area GTA have developed

different types of shunting trolleys with hydraulic or pneumatic drive on

standard racks or with rack and pinion for inclined operation. Transport

beams of different capacities make the auxiliary equipment for monorail

transport complete.

GTA How to get things moved

GTA After Sales Support

Service and Quality

Time is money in mining. So it is important to give customers fast and

professional assistance. Anywhere in the world and all around the clock.

In order to maintain this standard, GTA apply continuous improvements

to their systems. GTA engineers are educated and trained to the state of

the art. GTA provide their professionals with modern tools and computer

software for design, manufacture, and service.

GTA keep a large stock of spare parts to grant the availability of GTA

machine systems, wherever they operate.

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…. not only in mining

GTA, the Upper Level Company

The core of the GTA range of products are the machine systems, descri-

bed in this leaflet. The success of these systems in coal mining led to the

extension of the business into other markets and further products, espe-

cially for Tunneling.

On the upper level,

machines with weights of up to 80 tons, which derived from the well-pro-

ven mining systems are now being used in tunneling for different tasks.

on the floor

special vehicles for tunneling, developed according to the latest standards

with platforms of extreme high capacity and range. For shotcreting in

large tunnels the Normspray is the optimal solution.

and in between

Tunnel Enlargement Machines for the enlargement and refurbishment of

existing tunnels. Enlargement and refurbishment work can be performed

whilst the railway traffic continues without disturbance.

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Phone: +49 (0) 28 52 / 710-0Fax: +49 (0) 28 52 / 710-33e-mail: info@gta.eu www.gta.eu

GTA Maschinensysteme GmbHLoikumer Rott 2346499 HamminkelnGermany

Our company is based in the town of

Hamminkeln in the Lower Rhine region

(North Rhine-Westphalia). Our employees

enjoy living in a rural environment close

to nature, offering a high quality of life.

At the same time, the Ruhr metropolitan area

and the Netherlands can quickly be reached

by the A3 motorway. Our national and inter-

national customers can easily reach us from

the airports in Düsseldorf, Dortmund,

Münster, Cologne and Amsterdam or via

the well developed motorway network.

GTA – continuous growth in a good environment

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