MINING TRUCKS
Continuous improvement at Komatsu
With the 980E program, major autonomous truck orders from Suncor and Adani, and trolley projects advancing at Husab and Sentinel, Komatsu has a lot going on. But on its truck performance levels in the current market, Tom Stedman, Product Marketing Manager, Electric Drive Trucks, Komatsu America, told IM:“ Komatsu considers the Total Cost of Operation for our mining trucks to be second only to safety as our customers most important metric. Years of experience has proven that our electric drive system design is inherently more cost effective than similar sized mechanical drive trucks. This has recently been reinforced with the introduction of electric drive technology by OEMs previously committed to mechanical drive trucks. In addition to the overall low operating cost that our trucks deliver, Komatsu diligently works towards maximising the value our customers receive from our mining trucks. Through our Continuous Improvement( CI), activities, we work to drive efficiency in all areas related to loading and hauling. Maximising shovel / truck pass matching ensures the truck is carrying a consistent payload, operating the truck at its maximum gross vehicle weight. Powertrain tuning has reduced parasitic horsepower loses, reducing fuel consumption with no measurable effect on overall performance. Telemetric advancements through our subsidiary Modular Mining Systems provide real time data on vehicle operation and instant feedback to operators as to the level of efficiency they are working at. Additional enhancements like the Komatsu DTSA lightweight body further increase the trucks available payload while provided reliable service. For those customers whose operations are well suited for it, our Autonomous Haulage technology offers a sea change in mining. Operating our mining trucks autonomously offers a whole host of advantages, as the vehicle is consistently driven to its design parameters; reducing fuel, tyre and maintenance costs.”
Hitachi makes sound reduction progress
Hitachi’ s autonomy project at Meandu coal mine in South Queensland, Australia goes from strength to strength, with all targets so far met. The project is now entering its next phase, which includes the integration of the autonomous trucks with the standard fleet.
In terms of deliveries, there are now four EH5000ACIII trucks running at Rio Tinto’ s West Angelas iron ore operation, which are part of a joint ICT program looking at data analytics and the progression towards predictive maintenance systems. The project is a unified Hitachi One approach, which combines multiple divisions.
There are now 10 EH3500ACII trucks working at Kondyor Platinum in Far East Russia while the former Talvivaara fleet, now part of new mine owner Terrafame is running again, with more EH3500ACII trucks having been purchased. At Eldorado’ s Tuprag gold mine in Turkey, it is anticipated that the EH4000ACIII fleet will be operating under trolley assist soon, the latest of the Hitachi trolley projects along with Kansanshi, Lumwana, Grootegeluk and others.
In Australia, major deliveries include 10 EH5000ACIII trucks at Whitehaven Coal’ s Maules Creek mine. These have been the subject of ongoing sound attenuation work. Hitachi has managed on the EH5000ACIII to reduce A- weighted sound( human hearing) to 114 dBA requested by the customer, with only 1.3 t of additional equipment added, barely affecting the payload. This is a big improvement on an earlier project at Mount Owen, where reducing noise to 116 dBA on EH4500 trucks involved 13 t of additional equipment.
Hitachi Construction Machinery( Malaysia) Sarawak recently made its first deliveries in Malaysia in the form of three units of the new Hitachi EH1100-5 mining truck to Global Minerals( Sarawak) Sdn Bhd for its coal operations. The truck has a nominal payload of 63.5 t and target gross machine operating weight of 109 t.
The EH1100-5 uses advanced technology like a refined active traction control system for greater control of wheel spin in wet and muddy conditions; optimum shift range transmission to automatically alter the transmission range according to payload results provided by an onboard payload weighing system. It is also equipped with a data logging unit to
One of the new EH3500ACII trucks at
Terrafame, the new owner of the Sotkamo nickel project
allow remote monitoring of the truck via satellite, Wifi and Wenco.
Terex Trucks forges ahead
Following the acquisition of Terex Trucks by Volvo Construction Equipment in June 2014, Babcock was appointed as the official distributor of the range of powerful rigid and articulated haulers in southern Africa in October 2015. The inclusion of the Terex Trucks range into Babcock’ s product portfolio“ has placed the company in a strong position to lead in the distribution of rigid and articulated haulers in the southern African market. Terex Trucks are suitable for heavy construction, quarry and open cast mining applications and are well known for their robust, durable designs, competitive pricing, and ability to operate efficiently under extreme working conditions, taking its customers steeper and deeper.”
Babcock’ s brand-new, completely purposebuilt branch in Middelburg was specifically designed to facilitate the Terex Trucks range into Babcock’ s operations, with extra-large 9 m wide work bays to accommodate the 91 t class TR100 trucks, the largest of the Terex rigid dump truck range. The new branch will serve as the distribution centre for Terex Trucks in southern Africa and will be supported by the Terex Trucks local sales and aftermarket resource in South Africa.
Operating in a highly competitive market, Erik Lundberg, the Regional Business Manager for Terex Trucks in southern Africa, says that one of the main advantages of Terex Trucks over other products in the same category is the aftersales support that is available for the trucks through Babcock, with its Middelburg branch ensuring immediate access to parts, availability of qualified service technicians and appropriate maintenance facilities.
The new branch already has an opening stock order of six Terex Trucks TR100 rigid dump trucks, three TR60 rigid dump trucks and four TA300 articulated dump trucks. Lundberg explains that of the Terex Trucks products,“ the TR100 rigid dump truck is traditionally the preferred option for hard rock applications in areas such as Rustenburg and the Northern Cape, while the TR60 has traditionally seen more use in the coal mining regions of Mpumalanga.” Terex Trucks states:“ The 38 litre Cummins diesel motor which powers the TR100 is one of the best, most reliable engines available on the market while the hardy, uncomplicated truck design makes repairs and maintenance in extreme or remote locations, a relatively easy endeavour.”
Terex Trucks says that the drivetrain of both the TR100 and TR60 provide excellent tractive effort and class leading rimpull on steep inclines, ensuring best power delivery and competitive
44 International Mining | MAY 2016