A test laboratory for high-rise lifts to be built in a Finnish limestone mine

The test shaft is being excavated for testing lifts intended for medium and high-rise buildings. The side dimensions of the shaft are 10 x 10 meters, and it extends from the ground level to a depth of over 100 meters. The total duration of the project is from July 2014 to October 2015, during which time an approximate total of 34,000 meters will be drilled. The contractor for the project is Lemminkäinen Infra Oy.

At the outset of the work, a pilot hole of approximately two meters in diameter was excavated in an upward direction using the Alimak method. In this method, the raise climber runs along a toothed rail installed in the wall of the shaft. The lift features a covered working platform, and the drilling is carried out with a manually operated machine.