HAUL ROADS
such as potholes, rutting, corrugation, loose material, stoniness – fixed
material, and the ‘extent’ of each to find a roughness defect score.
Concluding, Thompson believes that the ‘holy grail’ of haul road
monitoring remains real‐time rolling resistance assessments. But for now
mines can manage and optimise maintenance interventions to minimise
overall cost of operation, or use it as the basis for a cost‐benefit analysis for
road improvements.
20th International Seminar on Paste and
Thickened Tailings was a Great Success!
Road friction data in haul road management
Haul truck efficiency, fuel consumption, and speed are key drivers to the
pro ductivity and safety of any mining operation. Minnesota-based Vericom,
a supplier of performance computers and friction meters to the mining
industry adds: “Many mining operations are tasked with finding the delicate
balance between dust suppression and mine road safety. Dust suppression
often results in conditions that are too slippery and can cause damage to
equipment and safety issues.” The Vericom VC4000 MSI is used to correlate
The 20th International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings
(Paste 2017) took place from 15-18 June, 2017, in Beijing, China.
Attended by more than 500 delegates from 14 countries, Paste 2017
was a truly international leading forum successfully organized by
University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) on behalf of its
founder, the Australian Centre for Geomechanics (ACG).
PASTE 2017 SEMINAR
Forty-five high-quality papers were published in the Proceedings. 37
excellent speeches including 4 invited lectures and 33 keynote
speeches were presented during the Paste 2017 Seminar.
Prof. Aixiang Wu
In Australia, several mines use the Vericom VC4000 MSI as a tool to
analyse road friction an ensure peak road safety within the mine operation
road friction to the proper application of dust suppression products. It is “a
portable, user friendly haul road friction and haul road geometry
measurement instrument. The first step involves the development of proper
benchmarks. With the Vericom VC4000 MSI, taking for example a standard
passenger mining vehicle, then larger mine haul equipment, and a water
truck; an operational friction matrix can be created for any mine regardless
of surface. Once the benchmark is developed, the specific watering methods
and haul road safe/danger/fail criteria can be created for the specific mine
operation. This haul road friction and watering criteria can be used to
develop a deceleration/friction map for the defined haul roads. This is then
used for analysis and comparison with standard watering and dust
suppression rates. The objective is to identify haul roads of specific concern
and define a standardised process for water flow rates and water truck
speeds. Ultimately this is used for each watering event to ensure proper
dust management while maximising productivity. This is also useful for rain
events to determine when the mine operation can be safely reopened.” The
benchmark data can also be used to define a haul road deceleration/friction
measurement method that can be used for an ongoing risk management
model for the mine haul road network; and as direction and guidance for
haul road design, watering, and maintenance practices at future sites.
The company says that in Australia, several mines use the Vericom
VC4000 MSI as a tool to analyse road friction an ensure peak road safety
within the mine operation. “These mines have optimised watering and dust
control procedures as a result of the Vericom analysis and have improved
operational efficiency and productivity with frequent friction testing. In
addition, the mines have reduced their dust suppression costs with the
testing and knowledge gained from the Vericom VC4000 MSI.”IM
Prof. Andy Fourie
Delegates shared advances in technology which is related to rheology,
thickening, transport, tailings disposal and mine fill, and were able to
discuss field applications and obtain feedback from practitioners
working at mine sites worldwide.
Discussion
Q & A
CNPC Sci-Tech Exchange Center in Beijing provided an excellent
venue for many sponsors and exhibitors to display their wares.
Feedback from delegates has been excellent, with many expressing
thanks for a well-organized seminar.
SHORT COURSE & TECHNICAL VISIT
Delegates were also offered one day of short courses, and technical
visit to JCHX Paste Backfilling Lab.
Short Course
Visit to JCHX Paste Backfilling Lab
Thank you to all delegates for participating.
You were integral in making this year’s seminar a success !
AUGUST 2017 | International Mining 75