CSIR Testing Laboratories
The CSIR manages three laboratories related to safety in mines and industry from its Cottesloe site in Johannesburg, addressing the fields of Mechanical Testing, Wire Rope Testing and performance testing of Self Contained Self Rescuers. These laboratories provide a unique and critical service to not only the mining industry in South Africa, but also numerous companies from the petrochemical and oil & gas industry, metals processing, the pulp and paper industry, the food and beverage sector, the aerospace sector and the automotive industry.
History
More than a century ago, on 25 April 1904, a winding rope at Robinson Deep mine failed due to mechanical fatigue, an accident that killed more than forty men. This event led to the introduction of government regulations prescribing the regular and controlled testing of steel wire ropes used as hoisting ropes in the mines. The testing was initially controlled by the Department of Mines, but was taken over by the National Mechanical Engineering Research Institute at the CSIR in 1964. The wire rope testing facility formed the basis of the testing facility at Cottesloe, where the skills and competencies required for wire rope testing was extended and complimented over time by additional skills in the domain of mechanical testing, thus creating the current group of Testing Laboratories housed at the Cottesloe site. ( See Archives )
Cottesloe Services
Wire Rope Testing Laboratory
- Tensile testing of steel wire rope up to 160 mm diameter.
- Tensile testing of conveyer belts and belt splices up to 1.5 m width
Mechanical Testing Laboratory
- Tensile tests up to 15 MN
- Compression tests up to 10 MN
- Torque tests up to 30 kN.m
- Three-point bend tests up to 1,500kN
- Proof load testing in tension and compression
- Load comparison testing of load cells and hydraulic jacks
Self Contained Self Rescuer Testing Laboratory
- Statutory testing of in-service SCSR units
- Batch testing of new units
- Approval testing of newly developed products
Follow the links below for more information on any of the laboratories.
Wire Rope Testing
Mechanical Testing
Self Contained Self Recuers