Ross Shaft steel replacement on schedule

Replacement of the steel in the Ross Shaft began on Aug. 4. The work is on schedule, Project Engineer Syd DeVries reports, although he emphasizes that the five-year project has just begun.

The steel ?sets? that stabilize the shaft are box-like frames (see the photo at right). The old sets, which were constructed from H beams, were installed every 6 feet in the 5,000-foot shaft. The new sets, made of ?hollow structural steel,? will be 18 feet apart.

The steel replacement is a carefully planned process that includes stripping out the old steel. Next, crews lower the new steel beams, then level and align them and bolt them into place. Last, they install new shaft guides.

By late last week, the first six old steel sets, near the top of the shaft, had been removed. By this morning, the fourth new steel set had been installed.

The Ross Shaft was commissioned in 1934, which means much of the old H-beam steel is nearly 80 years old. ?This will be a huge improvement over the existing steel,? DeVries said. In fact, the Ross Shaft, which had been operating at reduced loads, will be up to ?full operating capacity,? he said.

The steel is being replaced by a crew of 22 that includes DeVries, Project Manager Will McElroy and Technical Support Lead George Vandine. Personnel working two 12-hour shifts a day, six days a week, include two ?top landers,? who work at the top of the shaft, and four crews of four infrastructure technicians each who work in the shaft itself.