Winding tower

A winding tower also known as a headframe [Howard L. Hartman and Seeley W. Mudd, [http://books.google.com/books?id=DsSmPKEOWDcC SME mining engineering handbook: Vol.2] , Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, 1992, page 1572.] , poppet head or pit head is a construction from steel and concrete, built over a vertical mine shaft. Winding towers are used for the quick transportation of material and miners from the pit head to the core of the mine and back again. The main use of the winding tower was to winch a large 'cage' lift to allow miners to get into the mine directly rather than the workers walking large distances to reach the seams. Winding towers were established during the industrial era, originally from wood and later as steel structures.

Strictly speaking a winding tower can only be called so if the hoisting engine is accommodated within the tower; otherwise the structure is a winding scaffold. The winding towers hoisting engine should be on the same level as in the turbine house. From there the cage cables run over the quadrants in the stand into the pit inside.

As iconic symbols

The distinctive design of winding towers has come to represent certain regions and countries whose landscape were changed by these structures during industrial eras. The Ruhr district of Germany and the South Wales Valleys in Britain are both famous examples of regions which are now associated with the winding tower. This was due to the large number of towers erected during the discovery of rich coal deposits during the industrial era. These towers have now been dismantled as the coal mining industry of Western Europe faded in the later 20th century, though both regions have turned a disused mine with winding tower into national museums; the German Mining Museum in Bochum and Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon.

Several sporting teams from the former coal mining regions have winding towers represented in their club badges; Llanharan RFC and Cilfynydd RFC are both examples of this.

Winding tower types

*English support
*Malakow towers
*Tomson supports
*Prop stands
*Hammer head tower
*Salient winding tower

References