Drill Hole Safety Plug

Safety Plug Information

1. Safety Plugs are held in the hole with a friction bond between the bale (leaves) of the plug and the wall of the hole. The more holding area in contact with the wall of the hole the more holding strength. Thus the leaves are solid sides and not serrated.

2. The hardness of the material used to make the bales (leaves) is critical to the holding strength of the plug. The greater the metals hardness the more load required to shear off the surface of the bales, thus the more holding power. The bale and wedge of Dallys Industrials Services Ltd.‘s Safety Plug is made of a specific aluminium alloy that has been selected for it’s physical properties and purchased from a reliable supplier that provides a certificate of analysis with each lot. This alloy is suitable for applications within a mining environment, in that it has a hardness of 60-64 Rockwell, and its resistance to the acidic water, usually found in a mine. (Note: using pure zinc as others do is a cheaper metal, has very little hardness and is eaten away with the acidic water found in mines.)

3. Additional testing done at the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology, located at Fecuinis Mine, Falconbridge Mining Complex, Onaping, Ontario, Canada showed slippage at 4.5 tons and a breaking strength of 12.5 tons (threaded rod snapped).

4. The combination of an engineered design and use of a suitable material have produced a product compatible with mining and exploration requirements.
 

Installation Procedure for Safety Plug
September 2004

Installing at Hole Collar:
1. Clean collar of hole.
2. Tighten Safety Plug until is snug in hole, won’t freely slide in hole.
3. Push Safety Plug into hole with ratchet and extension bar.
4. Tighten Safety Plug nut to recommended torque

Installing in Drill Hole:
5. Clean collar of hole.
6. Remove regular tensioning nut and replace with Slotted Nut.
7. Tighten Safety Plug until it is snug in hole, won’t freely slide in hole.
8. Push Socket/Rod Adapter over Slotted Nut.
9. Screw drill rod to Adapter.
10. Push Safety Plug and Adapter down hole with drill rods to the desired depth.
11. Tighten Safety Plug nut to recommended torque with drill rod.
12. Pull drill rods and Adapter off the Slotted Nut and remove from hole.
 

Torque:
Pull testing completed by Inco Limited- Mines Research Department used the following recommended torques.
- A, W/L size torque to 100 ft./lbs.
- B, W/L size torque to 250 ft./lbs.
Measured test results,
A W/L size started to slip at 4.5 tons (9,000 lbs.)
B W/L size started to slip at 4.5 tons (9,000 lbs.)

Dale Clarke C.E.T.
Dallys Industrial Supply
Ontario, Canada