QLD Mining & Energy Bulletin

QLD Mining and Energy Bulletin Spring 2011

QLD Mining and Energy Bulletin

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MINING VEHICLES FOR THE By powering the dolly rather than trailers, a far more ergonomic, fl exible and versatile outcome for increasing haul capacity is achieved for mining transportation vehicles, writes Joel McEnery. T he Australian mining industry is presently experiencing an increase in the incidence of satellite mines across the country. Consequently, materials processing is occurring at greater distances from the 'coalface', increasing the distance that vehicles are required to travel to the processing plant. Thus a necessity for vehicles that are capable of hauling large amounts of resource over long distances has emerged. In the mining transport industry, it has been noted that few alternatives to standard rear-dump mining trucks exist. Resultantly, the industry has been limited to using vehicles with wide bodies and short-distance haulage capabilities for the long-distance haul task. Extending the operation of short- haul units to long-haul tasks results in an exponential increase in maintenance and infrastructure costs. Mining industry trailers have become more sophisticated as longer hauling distances have made the transport task more critical, especially getting the payload versus tare weight formulae right. Regulation-sized trailers have given way to oversized trailers whose limiting factor has become prime mover engine power. In response to the growing need for long-distance, high-capacity haul units, manufacturers have ventured to improve capacities of their semi-trailer combinations, for example, by adding an additional power unit. There is a number of these Powered Trailer Combinations (PTCs) operating around the country at present, signifi cantly reducing mining transport costs. Research and development Until recently there was not yet a vehicle that could adequately service the increasing incidence of satellite mines across Australia and the long distance haulage they demand. In 2000, a vehicle was developed with an east-west engine mounted at the front of a trailer and transmission mounted underneath the trailer chassis. This confi guration was used successfully as a pit haul unit, and modifi cations were later made to make the unit 'high speed' for long-haul applications. In 2007, improvements were made to the vehicle aimed at bettering the pit haul and long-distance haul capability. It was decided that mounting the engine on top of the fi rst dolly in the road train combination, and the transmission underneath, would prove advantageous in achieving the desired improvements, also improving the ergonomics of the powered unit. In 2009, a further development was introduced with a different engine and the addition of a lazy axle to improve the payload capacity of the units. Dolly in the details This new design of dolly is powered so that road trains are able to haul large amounts of material over long distances from the 'coalface' to the product endpoint. In essence, the dolly serves as a second prime mover in a road train, providing extra haul support, revolutionising bulk haulage on mine sites. The design has four key advantages over other alternatives: 1. High payload 2. Narrow and ergonomic build 3. Fast average hauling speed; and, 4. Long distance haulage capability The unit can be operated within a two or three trailer combination, hauling up to 315 tonnes at speeds of up to 64kph. It is designed for use on gradients up to 10 per cent and is also designed for long distance haul roads. The operation is automated. The driver simply enables the unit when starting their shift and is not required to disable it until the end of the shift or for routine maintenance. The unit operates in the same manner either loaded or unloaded, providing required assistance. The tandem drive tri-axle dolly is powered by a Cummins QSX15 QLD Mining and Energy Bulletin Spring 2011 [45] TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS

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