IM 2020 July/August 20 | Page 70

MINING TYRES There are 53 different test surfaces, ranging from asphalt and concrete to bricks, blocks, dirt, mud and more. The new vehicle dynamics area is optimised for tyre testing in extreme wet conditions and is a precision-engineered paved surface with a 1- degree slope to enable constant water flow across the surface. All water is recycled and reused. In addition to significant improvements in the testing and analysis of large off-the-road tyres, Goodyear recently added a 250 ton, EH4000 Hitachi haul truck to its fleet. Goodyear also operates testing and proving grounds in many global locations, including Americana, Brazil; Akron, Ohio; Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg; Mireval, France; Wittlich, Germany; and Ivalo, Finland. BKT continues key raw material investments Within its main production site in Bhuj, India, global tyre company Balkrishna Industries (BKT) has set up the production of carbon black from a new $23 million plant, which enables the company to manage in-house and at a highquality level the entire tyre manufacturing supply chain. The goal is to reach a production capacity of 140,000 t this year. The plant allows for a major variety of high-quality carbon black to be used in specific formulations during the compounding stage for further customisation. As far as large mining tyres are concerned, large quantities of a specific carbon black variety and formula are needed to improve performance. Some 50% of the material being produced in the new plant will be used in BKT’s tyre manufacturing process, whereas the remaining 50% will be sold on the market. Flue gas from the carbon black plant also provides fuel for the adjacent tyre plant. Looking at tyres themselves, BKT still plans to make a 57 in tyre for mining and said in 2019 this would happen in 2020 at a new greenfield factory in Waluj near Aurangabad but that was before COVID-19. This will add to the existing largest tyre, the Earthmax SR 46 in 33.00R51 size. In a conference call on June 22, Rajiv Poddar, Balkrishna Industries Joint MD & Executive Director stated: “We will be getting into the extra, ultra-large giant OTR tyres. So we have capacity up to 51 in currently on these giant OTRs, we will be going up to 57 and 63 in range.” RUD-ERLAU's TPC value proposition In mining operations, no matter how well made and maintained they may be, wheel loader tyres can deteriorate rapidly, as they work around the clock, but especially on highly-abrasive materials such as quartz, complex sandstone, tuff overburden and, even tougher on tyres, foundry slag with its combination of highly-abrasive limestone ash, steel shards and intense heat. In MAXAM Mining Group MAXAM Tire earlier this year announced the creation of the MAXAM Mining Group (MMG); a dedicated global team specifically focused on the open pit mining segment. MMG has built a team of members across multiple continents responsible for serving regional market demands. MAXAM Tire says each member of the team is an industry leading expert dedicated to providing the best customer experience along with superior business solutions. IM spoke with the VP of MMG, Matt Johnson, to get some insights into the company’s success to date and its plans for the future. The company is part of China’s Sailun Group, one of the leading tyre manufacturers in the world that has total ownership of its factories and has invested heavily in technology and R&D. The focus has been largely on large mining tyres with 80% of production being radial tyres, mainly the 49, 51, 57 and 63 in sizes, including the most recent launch, the 50/80R57 (used widely in the Cat 793 and other trucks of this class). The company is also investing in new rubber compounds offering increased wear and cut resistance. MMG is currently in the process of updating the compound in its flagship M series which includes the MS401, MS402 and MS403 types which are available up to the top 63 in size. MS401 has a deep-grooved tread design which MMG says provides excellent traction in rigid dump truck applications and is used for applications requiring maximum road grip and high site TKPH. MS403 is a versatile tread design allowing flexibility in applications from smooth haul roads to rough and rocky terrain while providing maximum productivity. In the MS402 tyre, for use in higher speed applications on wellmaintained haul roads, the company has introduced a new tread design for its 27.00R49 tyre size. In 63 in tyres, six new 53/80R63 tyres are running at SSR Mining’s Marigold mine in Nevada. Western US gold mines are known for long hauls and severity of wear on tyres so this is an ideal proving ground for MAXAM. MAXAM says it has already successfully introduced its radial tyres into key mining markets such as Australia, North America, Russia, and Indonesia/PNG. But what does MAXAM offer versus the 'big three' to mining customers when there currently isn’t really a tyre shortage in mining? Most MAXAM OTR tyre MS403 big mines use a mix of E4 on a Cat 785 Michelin and Bridgestone tyres. MAXAM has established itself as a viable alternative supplier as it has managed to build up good market recognition due to product performance, especially in the 57 in and 51 in sizes. Johnson stated: “Unlike some of our competitors, we guarantee our products and performance by getting behind every single one of our tyres. We work with the mines directly with multiple field reps, engineers and dealer personnel to support our mining tyres to guarantee their performance. While onsite we gather all the tyre data we can and share it internally for analysis and strategise potential performance improvements. We have a comprehensive dealer network, a strategy that the other major tyre suppliers have deprioritised. We have also built strong relationship with top level tyre management companies all over the world. We additionally have a good relationship with equipment OEM companies like Caterpillar, with Cat using our tyres on some of their wheel loaders and considering the use of our 27.00R49 tyre on the 777F rigid truck. But the core of our success is the reality for mine sites of our tyres competing with Tier One players on performance – we have seen 9,200 to 9,500 hours versus their 10,000 plus hours, but our tyres offer better value at a lower price, providing the mine site with significant cost per hour savings.” these instances, RUD-ERLAU says a first line defence for loader tyres is given by its Tire Protection Chains (TPCs). "Another big plus of owning RUD-RUD-ERLAU TPCs is seen in the guaranteed productivity through assured plant availability and a significantly reduced cost per delivered tonne. RUD-ERLAU has more than 75 years’ experience developing a range of sophisticated tyre protection chains (TPC) which can prolong tyre life by as much as ten years. ERALU Tire Protection Chains create a barrier between the tyres and the ground, absorbing the attrition from even the most aggressive substances." Available in ring sizes from 11 mm to 23 mm to match most tyre sizes, the case-hardened, forged 68 International Mining | JULY/AUGUST 2020