A mining skip carries bulk material along guides in a vertical shaft. Explore its main components and calculate ideal travel times from shaft distance, constant speeds and endpoint dwell.
Ideal Shaft-Travel Time Calculator
Enter shaft travel, idealized up/down speeds and fixed endpoint dwell. The calculator reports an ideal constant-speed round trip only; it does not rate, schedule or operate a mine hoist.
Equation Used
- Up and down travel distances are equal to the entered shaft travel.
- Each leg is represented by one entered constant speed.
- Endpoint dwell is entered as one total round-trip allowance.
- No payload, rope, skip, counterweight, motor, brake, guide or structural load is computed.
Travel time is distance divided by speed. The round-trip result adds upward travel, downward travel and the entered total dwell; it does not determine payload capacity or production.
Guided skip and bottom-dump topology
A mining skip is a shaft conveyance used for bulk material. Historical and research sources describe skip bodies, bails, ropes and shaft guides, including bottom-dump arrangements and the dynamic interaction between skip and guide alignment.
The animation shows a guided skip moving between endpoint stations and a qualitative dump door. It does not simulate a hoist controller, rope dynamics or dumping interlocks.
A constant-speed time identity
Use the calculator to compare ideal travel times at different distances and speeds. Real hoist design and operation require qualified engineering, applicable law, rated equipment and site procedures.
Idealized leg times
Adding the entered total dwell gives the displayed ideal round trip. Ideal cycles per hour is simply 3600 divided by that time and is not production capacity.
Ideal travel example
At 600 m and 10 m/s in each direction, each constant-speed leg is 60 s. Adding 20 s total dwell gives an ideal 140 s round trip, or 25.7 ideal cycles per hour before every omitted real-world factor.
What determines real hoist performance
NIOSH research identifies skip-guide dynamics, acceleration, load, rope tension and guide alignment as critical measured variables. MSHA material also addresses braking, overspeed, overtravel, position indication, signaling and rated capacity. These factors require a complete hoist analysis beyond the constant-speed travel calculation.
Skip travel questions
Is ideal cycles per hour production?
No.
Does the worksheet size a motor, rope or brake?
No.
Does the animation show a safe dump sequence?
No. It is a qualitative component map.
Mine-hoist references
- NIOSH, Development of Vertical Shaft Skip and Guide Design: skip bodies, bails, bottom-dump practice and skip-guide dynamics.
- NIOSH, Hoist and elevator systems research summary: position, speed, acceleration, load, rope tension and guide alignment monitoring.
- MSHA, Mine Hoist Control Systems: programmed speed profile, overspeed, stopping and control-system safety.
- Federal Mine Safety and Health Act, hoisting provisions: rated capacity, position indication, signaling and safeguards.
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