Investigating Breakdowns in Underground Drill Rigs: A Case of Underground Mining Alliance (UMA) Ghana.

Abstract

The mining industry plays a crucial role in Ghana's economy, contributing significantly to its GDP and providing employment opportunities for thousands of people. Mining operations in Ghana encompass various activities, including exploration, extraction, and processing of minerals. In the mining industry, two types of mining methods are often used, the surface mining technique and the underground mining techniques. This thesis will focus on the underground mining technique and the machines used in the process of drilling. The drilling rig is one of the key machines during mining production and a possible bottleneck and is, therefore, important to investigate. Mining companies in Ghana are faced with several unplanned downtimes due to the breakdown of these drill rigs. This study investigates the most critical subsystem of the drill rig, determine the root causes of these sub systems and finally the reliability rate of these drilling machines.