Modern Mining March 2025

MODERN MINING 20 YEAR CELEBRATION

Bell Equipment’s versatile Bell Tracked Carrier is designed for short-haul applications in soft underfoot conditions and remote, hard-to-reach areas, making it ideal for Mukona Group’s application.

Mukona Group customises Bell Tracked Carrier for geotechnical testing

T he Bell Tracked Carrier is proving its versatility for the Mukona Group, an accredited Level 1 South African owned engineering company based in Midrand, Gauteng that recently opened a branch in Meerensee, Richards Bay. The Group’s geotechnical and geo-environmental division, Mukona In-Situ Testing, has customised a Bell TC7A Tracked Carrier to accommodate their Cone Penetration Testing (CPTu) equipment to enable them test on remote mine sites. Established in 2017, the Mukona Group has two additional divisions allowing them to provide a complementary and holistic offering to clients. Mukona Consulting Engineers offers civil, structural and geotechnical consulting services to consulting engineers, contractors, private companies and clients within the public sector. Mukona Geotechnics provides specialised geotechnical construction services including site investigations, piling and lateral support to industrial customers, state owned companies (SOC) including the mining sector. Mukona In-Situ Testing, established in partnership with UK-based In Situ Site Investigation, specialises in Cone Penetration Testing (CPTu) techniques, electronic Vane Shear Testing (eVST), Seismic testing, Marchetti Dillatometer, MOSTAP Sampling, Installation of Vibrating Wire Piezometers, Inclinometers, and Pressuremeter testing to determine and characterise the in-situ properties of the soil. CPTu is used most frequently on mines to check is the in-situ properties for stability analysis and design of geotechnical structures. The company’s experienced team has worked onshore, near-shore, and offshore on various projects in Southern and East Africa, Middle East, and Europe. Clients are drawn from the construction industry and include mines, road authorities, port authorities, and local governments.

As part of its comprehensive geotechnical services, Mukona In-Situ Testing has various rigs, which varies from small, medium and heavy rigs capable of pushing up to 22 tons and carries out Cone Penetration Testing, Seismic Marchetti Dilatometer Testing (SDMT), Meanard Pressuremeter Testing, and MOSTAP Soil Sampling. Solly Phalanndwa, a Professional Engineer and Managing Director of the Mukona Group, says: “We are committed to providing our clients with accurate and reliable data by combining the use of high quality, cutting-edge technologies and equipment with highly skilled and trained field staff. Quick response times and quality reporting ensures we meet our clients’ unique project requirements.” Solly explains that Mukona In-Situ Testing has a 6x6 truck fitted with CPT equipment but finds its accessibility is limited. “We bought the Bell Tracked Carrier because of its easy access on mines. It appealed to us that the Tracked Carrier can navigate through swampy areas, go up almost every slope, and traverse deep sands.” This is largely due to the Tracked Carrier’s unique balanced six-roller undercarriage with compound walking beams that provide an evenly spread footprint with optimal ground pressure contact and less track-point loading. To make the Bell TC7A fit for purpose, Mukona customised it themselves by removing the bin and fitting their own CPT equipment. In addition, a 7-ton plate was fitted to increase the machine’s weight for optimal pushing capacity during testing. Outriggers were installed to the front and back of the machine to lift and level the machine for testing, centralising the weight. Solly said the machine arrived on a mine site in Zimbabwe on 8 December and will work there until May 2025. n

20  MODERN MINING  www.modernminingmagazine.co.za | MARCH 2025