I. Core Concepts and Functions

(1) Basic Definitions and Core Functions

This shaft bottom car shed is a critical hub of the underground mine transportation system—it connects the shaft with the main underground transport drifts, effectively serving as a central gathering point for development roadways. Throughout the entire mining production process, the shaft bottom car shed handles the transportation of ore, waste rock, equipment, materials, and personnel, making it a vital link that ensures the mine's efficient operations.

From the perspective of improving the integration between hoisting and transportation, the shaft bottom yard achieves a seamless transfer between the shaft hoisting system and the horizontal transport system. Ore extracted from deep underground is lifted through the shaft to the bottom yard, where it is then transferred to the main transport drifts before being conveyed to the surface for further processing. Another critical function of the shaft bottom yard is its role as a vehicle dispatch hub, seamlessly integrating empty/loaded car storage tracks, shunting lines, and various chambers—such as the car-turning chamber and the waiting chamber—for cabs and personnel. For instance, in the car-turning chamber, fully loaded ore cars are tipped over, allowing the ore to be discharged precisely into designated areas; meanwhile, the waiting chamber provides a safe and comfortable space for people awaiting their ascent or descent. By carefully planning the layout and operational flow of these facilities, the shaft bottom yard ensures efficient and orderly vehicle scheduling.

In addition, the shaft bottom yard is also equipped with facilities such as a pump room, substation, and water reservoir, providing robust safety support for underground operations. The pump room is responsible for draining accumulated water underground, preventing water-related hazards from threatening mine production. Meanwhile, the substation ensures a stable power supply throughout the entire mine, guaranteeing the smooth operation of all equipment. The water reservoir, on the other hand, serves to store and settle any water flowing into the mine, ensuring that the water quality meets stringent discharge standards. Together, these auxiliary systems function like the "logistics force" behind mine operations, offering critical backing to the frontline tasks of extraction and transportation.

(II) Classification System and Core Parameters

Depending on the mine car operation system, the shaft bottom yard can be primarily divided into four major categories, each with its own unique features and applicable scenarios.

The terminal-type shaft bottom car shed has a relatively simple structure: vehicles enter and exit from a single side of the shaft, while both empty and loaded car storage tracks, as well as shunting areas, are located entirely on one side of the shaft. This layout resembles a dead-end alley—vehicles can only access or leave from one side—resulting in limited throughput capacity. However, its advantages include a straightforward design and lower construction costs, making it ideal for small mines or auxiliary shafts. For instance, in smaller mines with annual production levels below 100,000 tons, a terminal-type shaft bottom car shed can effectively meet their transportation needs.

The return-type shaft bottom yard features tracks laid on both sides of the shaft or unloading equipment: heavy cars enter from one side, while empty cars exit from the other. The empty cars then either travel along a separately laid parallel track or reverse direction back onto the original line—creating a continuous, loop-like "racetrack" that enables highly efficient vehicle turnover. This design significantly boosts the production capacity of the shaft bottom yard, minimizing the time vehicles spend idling and accelerating their overall turnover process. Moreover, it offers additional advantages, such as reduced engineering complexity, fewer sharp curves and intersections, and a simpler track layout—all of which help streamline operations and lay the groundwork for automating transportation systems. This configuration is generally well-suited for mines with annual production capacities ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 tons. For mines of this scale, where transportation demands are moderate, the return-type shaft bottom yard strikes an ideal balance: it ensures efficient material handling while keeping construction costs effectively under control.

The structural feature of a circular shaft bottom yard is that heavy-loaded cars enter from one side, while empty cars exit from the other. The empty cars exiting the shaft or unloading equipment travel via storage tracks and bypasses—without changing direction—before returning to form a complete loop. It resembles a large-scale traffic roundabout, where vehicles move in a single direction, making scheduling convenient and enabling high throughput capacity. This layout is particularly suitable for large mines with an annual production capacity of 300,000 tons or more, as these mines generate substantial transportation volumes. The circular shaft bottom yard can effectively meet their demanding transport needs, ensuring the timely transfer of both ores and materials.

The hybrid shaft bottom yard combines the advantages of multiple configurations. To reduce shaft construction efforts and simplify management, and provided that production capacity allows, a single hybrid shaft can replace two separate shafts—using skip hoisting ore while cage hoisting waste rock, and simultaneously transporting personnel, materials, and equipment. In this setup, the track layout remains identical to the requirements when using dual shafts, allowing for flexible combinations of different yard configurations based on actual conditions, thereby achieving optimal transportation efficiency. This approach is well-suited for mines of all sizes, particularly those with complex geological conditions and diverse production needs. The hybrid shaft bottom yard can be tailored to meet specific site requirements, ultimately boosting the overall productivity of the mine.

II. Typical Shaft Bottom Car Shed Layouts

(1) Terminal-type shaft bottom yard: An Economical Choice for Small Mines

1. Structural Features

The structural layout of a dead-end shaft yard clearly exhibits a distinct one-sided operational characteristic, resembling a simply designed "single-platform station." On one side of the shaft, empty and loaded car storage tracks, along with a shunting yard, are arranged—much like a single-sided platform at a railway station. All vehicle movements, whether entering or exiting, take place exclusively on this one side. Mine cars must be hauled in and out individually by a single locomotive, and there’s no circular track system involved. This means the vehicles follow a relatively straightforward route, akin to traveling along a road with no branching paths. Such a design requires only basic shunting infrastructure, with no complex intersections or junctions. This streamlined layout significantly reduces the amount of development work needed and helps keep construction costs down. However, its throughput capacity is notably limited—capable of handling just one train of mine cars at a time, much like a small-capacity container that can’t accommodate large volumes of cargo. As a result, its annual throughput typically remains capped at or below 100,000 tons per year, making it ill-suited for meeting the demands of large-scale transportation operations.

2. Applicable Scenarios

The terminal-type shaft bottom yard has found its niche in small mines or auxiliary shafts, much like a compact tool playing a vital role in small-scale operations. In smaller mines, where production scales are modest and transportation volumes are relatively low, the terminal-style shaft bottom yard effectively meets the needs for ore transport as well as the movement of personnel and materials. For instance, some small-scale metal mines—producing less than 100,000 tons annually—rely on this type of yard because it strikes an ideal balance between cost-effectiveness and practicality. Meanwhile, in auxiliary shafts, which primarily handle tasks such as waste rock hoisting, personnel and material transport, the transportation demands are also relatively minimal. Here, the simple structure and lower construction costs of the terminal-style shaft bottom yard make it the perfect choice. Moreover, these yards can even serve as temporary or auxiliary facilities during the early stages of mine development—or when localized transfer requirements arise—much like spare parts that step in to provide critical support when it matters most.

(II) Return-type Shaft Bottom Car Depot: The Efficient Choice for Medium-Sized Mines

1. Structural Features

The dual-track design on both sides of the return-type mine car yard is one of its standout features, resembling an efficient "two-way transportation hub." On either side of the shaft or unloading equipment, there are dedicated tracks for loaded and empty cars—much like two-way lanes on a highway, allowing vehicles to simultaneously enter with loaded cars and exit as empty ones. Meanwhile, empty cars return via parallel tracks or by reversing direction on the original track. This ingenious design significantly boosts the turnover efficiency of mine cars within the yard, enabling vehicles to swiftly complete their transport tasks. On the straight sections, trains can maintain high speeds with enhanced safety—just as on a modern highway, where vehicles not only sustain faster velocities but also enjoy greater security. Additionally, by minimizing curves and intersections compared to circular layouts, construction costs are reduced by approximately 20% to 30%. This cost-saving advantage makes the return-type mine car yard economically more competitive—akin to a product that offers excellent value for money—and thus increasingly popular among operators.

2. Applicable Scenarios

The return-type shaft bottom yard is an ideal choice for mines with an annual output of 100,000 to 300,000 tons—it’s like the right key that unlocks efficient transportation in medium-sized mines. These types of mines have a moderate throughput: not as low as small mines, yet not as overwhelming as large ones. The return-type shaft bottom yard strikes a perfect balance between transportation efficiency and construction costs, enabling miners to optimize both capacity and budget. For instance, in several medium-scale metal mining projects, this type of yard effectively meets the demands for transporting ores and materials, significantly boosting production efficiency. Meanwhile, its streamlined track layout provides robust hardware support for automated locomotive operations and intelligent dispatch systems—essentially creating a stable platform that empowers cutting-edge technologies to perform at their best. As mine automation technology continues to advance, the advantages of the return-type shaft bottom yard will become even more pronounced.

(III) Circular-type Shaft Bottom Car Shed: Ensuring Production Capacity in Large-Scale Mines

1. Structural Features

The circular circulation system of the ring-type shaft bottom yard resembles a vast yet orderly "underground traffic roundabout." Heavy-loaded cars enter the unloading area from one side—just like vehicles approaching the entrance to a roundabout—while empty cars follow a closed loop formed by the storage track and bypass, eliminating the need for U-turns. This seamless flow mirrors how vehicles smoothly navigate the roundabout, enabling highly efficient vehicle circulation. The design allows the system to handle multiple mine car trains simultaneously, easily accommodating high-intensity transportation demands exceeding 300,000 tons per year—much like a large-scale logistics hub capable of swiftly processing massive volumes of cargo. Notably, the main shaft (using skip hoists) and the auxiliary shaft (cage-based transport) operate on entirely separate routes, ensuring that the transportation of ore, waste rock, and personnel remains completely independent and uninterrupted. It’s as if vehicles in different lanes move independently without interfering with one another, thereby guaranteeing both safety and operational efficiency. With its clearly defined functional zones, the ring-type shaft bottom yard plays a vital role in large-scale mines, serving as a critical component in safeguarding the overall production capacity of these massive underground operations.

2. Applicable Scenarios

In the main yard of large-scale mines, a circular shaft bottom yard functions like a robust fortress, supporting the mine's continuous production process. For instance, coal and metal mines with annual output levels reaching millions of tons feature massive production scales and enormous transportation demands. The circular shaft bottom yard is perfectly equipped to meet these high-intensity transport needs, ensuring the timely transfer of ores and materials—and thereby maintaining smooth, uninterrupted mining operations. Moreover, the circular shaft bottom yard is complemented by large-scale equipment such as car dumpers and skip-loading chambers, enabling an integrated "unloading - storage - transportation" system. This setup resembles a highly efficient production line, where each stage works seamlessly together to boost overall operational efficiency. Thanks to this integrated design, the circular shaft bottom yard has become an indispensable component in large-scale mining operations.

(IV) Hybrid Shaft Bottom Car Shed: A Flexible and Adaptable Innovative Solution

1. Structural Features

The integration of shaft functions in a hybrid shaft bottom yard is its unique feature, as it replaces the traditional dual-shaft setup with a "hybrid shaft," effectively merging two distinct operations into one to achieve optimal resource allocation. While skip hoists handle ore transportation, cage systems efficiently manage waste rock, personnel, and materials—all within a clear division of labor that significantly boosts overall transport efficiency. Additionally, the track layout design offers remarkable flexibility: for instance, combining a "loop-and-return" configuration allows the main shaft area to maintain high ore-transport efficiency—much like how highways ensure swift long-distance travel—while the auxiliary shaft region employs a return-style system to streamline shunting operations, akin to the agile traffic management seen on urban roads. This innovative combination fully leverages the strengths of each yard design type. By reducing the number of shafts and cavern construction volumes, the project has also boosted management efficiency by more than 30%. Such cost savings and enhanced productivity not only make the hybrid shaft bottom yard highly competitive economically but also position it as a superior choice from a managerial standpoint.

2. Applicable Scenarios

The hybrid shaft bottom yard is ideal for upgrading medium-capacity mines—think of it as refurbishing aging machinery to breathe new life into them. By optimizing existing shaft infrastructure through route modifications, this approach enhances efficiency without requiring large-scale construction projects, ultimately boosting the mine's production capacity. Meanwhile, for comprehensive mines with diverse transportation needs, the hybrid shaft bottom yard acts as a versatile assistant, seamlessly balancing both primary ore transport and auxiliary logistics. For instance, in some mines where efficient ore hauling must coexist with the simultaneous movement of bulky materials and equipment, the hybrid yard design ensures smooth coordination across multiple tasks by carefully planning routes and equipping the system appropriately, thereby elevating the mine’s overall operational productivity.

III. Core Logic and Engineering Considerations for Parking Facility Type Selection

(1) Key Influencing Factors

1. Capacity Matching

Mines with varying production capacities have vastly different transportation needs, making it essential to select a shaft bottom yard configuration that matches their specific requirements. For small mines, which typically produce fewer tons annually and handle relatively low transport volumes, the simple structure and limited throughput capacity of a dead-end shaft bottom yard are well-suited to meet their needs while also keeping construction costs down. Medium-sized mines, with annual output ranging from 10 to 300,000 tons, require moderate transport volumes; thus, the dual-track design and efficient turnaround capabilities of a return-type shaft bottom yard not only ensure optimal transportation efficiency but also help effectively manage construction expenses. Meanwhile, large-scale mines—producing over 300,000 tons annually—face extremely high transport demands. In such cases, the circular loop system and substantial throughput capacity of a ring-type shaft bottom yard perfectly accommodate their intensive transportation needs, enabling seamless, continuous mining operations.

2. Upgrade equipment

The type of hoisting equipment plays a crucial role in guiding the selection of shaft bottom yard configurations. Cage shafts are primarily used for lifting personnel, materials, and waste rock, typically handling relatively small transport volumes while demanding high flexibility. The straightforward structure of a dead-end shaft bottom yard, combined with its single-sided loading and unloading approach, effectively meets the transportation needs of cage shafts in small-scale mines or auxiliary shafts. Meanwhile, the double-track design and efficient turnaround capability of a looped shaft bottom yard make it well-suited for cage shaft applications in scenarios involving slightly higher transport volumes. On the other hand, skip shafts are mainly designed for ore hoisting, catering to large-scale transportation requirements with a need for high efficiency and continuous operation. The circular-loop system employed in ring-type shaft bottom yards enables rapid ore unloading and transportation, significantly boosting overall efficiency. Additionally, hybrid shaft bottom yards, which integrate both skip and cage hoisting functions, can also satisfy the transportation demands of skip shafts through their carefully planned track layouts.

3. Geological Conditions

Geological conditions are a critical factor that cannot be overlooked in the design of shaft bottom yards. In fractured rock formations, where rock stability is poor and tunnel maintenance proves challenging, it is advisable to opt for a return-type shaft bottom yard with a simple layout and minimal intersections. This type of yard design helps reduce both the amount of excavation required and the difficulty of maintenance, thereby lowering construction and operational costs. For instance, in complex geological settings such as certain metal mines, a return-type shaft bottom yard can better accommodate variations in rock strata, ensuring safe and reliable transportation. Meanwhile, in stable rock formations—where the rock has strong load-bearing capacity and tunnel maintenance is relatively straightforward—a loop-type shaft bottom yard can be employed. With its circular track layout and ample storage track length, this design effectively meets the high-intensity transportation demands of large-scale mines operating under stable geological conditions.

4. Automated Planning

With the advancement of intelligent mining, automated planning has become a critical factor in selecting the appropriate layout for underground mine car terminals. Mines planning to introduce smart dispatch systems must opt for terminal designs that offer excellent line compatibility. The circular layout of loop-type car terminals, with their continuous ring-shaped tracks and clearly defined functional zones, facilitates real-time monitoring and efficient scheduling of vehicles by intelligent dispatch systems, ultimately enabling automated and highly productive transportation. Meanwhile, the dual-track design and relatively straightforward track structure of return-type car terminals also provide an ideal foundation for implementing advanced smart dispatch solutions. By leveraging automated planning, underground car terminals can significantly enhance transportation efficiency, reduce labor costs, and bolster the overall competitiveness of mining operations.

(II) Key Points of Engineering Design

1. Parking lane length

Properly designing the length of the car storage tracks is crucial for ensuring the efficient operation of the mine bottom yard. The heavy-duty track should be designed to be 1.5 to 2 times the length of a train, providing ample space for parked heavy vehicles and preventing them from queuing up in the mine bottom yard—thereby boosting transportation efficiency. Meanwhile, the empty-car track should be designed to be at least 1.5 times the length of a train, guaranteeing smooth turnover of empty cars and promptly supplying the underground transport system with available vehicles. For instance, in a large-scale mine with an annual output of 500,000 tons, where each train measures 100 meters in length, the design specifications call for the heavy-duty track to span between 150 and 200 meters, while the empty-car track must be no shorter than 150 meters. Such carefully planned track lengths will effectively meet the mine’s transportation needs and ensure the seamless operation of the mine bottom yard.

2. Cavern Layout

The rationality of the chamber layout directly affects the operational efficiency and safety of the shaft bottom yard. Auxiliary chambers such as pump rooms and substations should be located close to the auxiliary shaft, as this shaft primarily handles the lifting of personnel, materials, and waste rock. Placing these facilities near the auxiliary shaft not only shortens pipeline distances and reduces energy losses but also enhances equipment performance. Moreover, in emergency situations, it enables a swift response, ensuring safe and uninterrupted mining operations. For instance, in one mine, positioning the pump room and substation within 50 meters of the auxiliary shaft—and implementing an optimized pipeline layout—allowed for rapid drainage and stable power supply, significantly improving the mine's ability to respond effectively to emergencies.

3. Safety Redundancy

Safety redundancy is a critical factor that must be considered in the design of mine shaft yard layouts. Implementing dual shunting tracks or providing alternative detours ensures continuous transportation even if one track fails. For instance, in the design of a metal mine’s shaft yard, two shunting tracks were installed. If one track malfunctions, vehicles can seamlessly switch to the other track for shunting operations, preventing a complete disruption of mine-wide transportation caused by track failures. Additionally, the inclusion of backup detours further enhances transport reliability—allowing operations to continue smoothly during maintenance on the primary lines or in the event of unexpected emergencies, thereby safeguarding uninterrupted production at the mine.

Conclusion

The design and selection of the shaft bottom yard fundamentally involve a dynamic balance among production capacity requirements, engineering costs, and technical feasibility.