From the May 23 accident at the Kloof Gold Mine in South Africa

On May 23, 2023, a serious rock burst occurred at the Kloof Gold Mine in South Africa, trapping 12 miners. Subsequent investigations showed:

Direct cause: Sudden collapse of the roof of the 1,600-meter deep mining area

Support system defects:

Traditional W-shaped steel belts fractured brittlely due to rock deformation

The spacing between anchor rods was too large (2.5m), and a continuous support surface could not be formed

Lack of dynamic load monitoring and early warning mechanism

The accident once again highlighted the urgent need for flexible and highly ductile support systems in deep, high-stress mines.

Osro Strap technical adaptability analysis
1. Unique advantages under dynamic loads
Wire sliding mechanism:
When the rock layer is displaced, the longitudinal wire of Osro Strap can slide through the gap between the transverse wires (patented design), achieving:
✅ Stress redistribution: single-point load is dispersed to 3-5 adjacent anchors
✅ Energy dissipation: reduce the damage of rock burst shock waves to the support structure (laboratory data: dynamic load resistance is 60% higher than that of steel belts)

Kruf Mine simulation verification:
Using ANSYS software to restore the accident scene, if the Osro Strap 6m specification (anchor spacing 1.5m) is used:

Roof deformation is reduced by 42%

The maximum strain of the wire mesh is always below the yield threshold (<400MPa) 2. Deep well environment adaptability Corrosion resistance: The hot-dip galvanized version (zinc layer ≥80μm) can withstand the high sulfur and hot and humid environment unique to South African mines (Cl⁻ concentration>500mg/L), and the service life is 3 times that of traditional steel belts.

Installation error tolerance:
The feature of not requiring precise hole alignment can adapt to the hole position deviation of deep well drilling and blasting construction (the Kruf Mine still works effectively when the measured drilling hole offset is ±20cm).
The Kruf Mine accident warns us that deep mining has entered the “stress control era”. The third-generation flexible active support technology represented by Osro Strap is becoming the “life belt” of mine safety through material innovation (high-ductility steel wire) and structural design (dynamic load adaptation). As Dr. Van Niekerk, Director of the South African Mine Safety Bureau, said in the accident investigation report: “In the next ten years, whether a technological breakthrough can be achieved in the support system will directly determine the survival of deep well mining.”