UNDERGROUND LOAD & HAUL
Sandvik's Chinese mid-tier JV - LGMRT
Lingong Mining Machinery and Rock Technology Co Ltd (LGMRT) in a JV formed between Lingong
Group and Sandvik in 2016 to supply the mid-tier market. Its range include underground diesel LHDs
like the UL70, a 3.5m 3 diesel model developed by LGMRT, with a rated load of 7 t. The prototype
machine on which the model is based is Sandvik's EJC145. There is also the 6 t UL60, 5 t UL50 and 4
t UL40. For electric LHDs there is the UL70E is developed from the Sandvik LH306E, whose
predecessor was the well-known EJC145E; and the UL50E. There are two truck units, the 12 t UG120
and the 20 t UG200 based on the Sandvik EJC20.
The products have been selling well in China. At the -458 m working level in a copper mine in
Jiangxi, four units of the UL70 LHD as of August 2019 had been operating for 450 days without
breakdown. There are also four UL40 units working in Jiangxi copper operations. Elsewhere, the
LGMRT 3 m 3 electric LHD, the UL70E is working at a mine in Hami, Xinjiang, starting first at the -600
m level but then deeper underground at the -1,125 m level. At Laiwu iron ore mine in Shandong in
February 2019, one UL70E unit
was delivered, which is mainly
used on the -114 m working
level to load 20 t trucks of the
same horsepower.
Sales overseas include
LGMRT’s UL60 which started
operation in a Zambia copper
mine in March 2019. LGMRT
reports good feedback from
the client because of its large
breakout force and low fuel
consumption.
LGMRT UL60 in Zambia
weight ratio of all low profile 8 t loaders,
“excellent ground clearance of 300 mm and with
operational capability at 28% grade it makes
tramming in harsh underground mining far easier,
maximising traction and ensuring high
performance. The ergonomically designed, airconditioned
operator’s compartment has
unsurpassed visibility while providing maximum
operator comfort and minimising fatigue.”
Maintenance is also made easier with added
perks like electric brake wear sensors and easy
access to well laid out components. The payload
weighing system gives visibility into productivity
and allows for improved performance
management. The SLP-8 is also available in an LF-
8 configuration with higher profile cabin and with
Stage V engine package. The GHH low profile
family also has the SLP-14H, a 14 t, 1.8 m high,
265 kW low profile loader and the best power to
weight ratio in its class says GHH. It is available in
Tier 4 Final and at the end of 2020 in EU Stage V.
In an attempt to further grow the load and haul
offering and provide for a total solution offering
GHH is also developing a new 7 t loader, the LF-7,
which will prove to be competitive in its class with
164 kW and the capability to operate at 25%
slope. The loader will also be a perfect three pass
loading tool with the MK-A20 truck.
GHH told IM it has also been focusing on
battery technology development and has a
number of platform battery designs in progress for
future planned implementation into their modular
product offering. This technology development is
further expanding into other alternative
propulsion offerings. One of the most recent in
progress developments in battery equipment is
the LF-19EB, a 19 t tethered electric, battery loader
designed and developed for specific customer
needs. “The 250 m cabled LF19EB loader will not
only reduce emissions, for compliance to
European regulations, but provide for improved
health and safety for operators and workers. It will
significantly minimise cable handling when
moving up to 2 km on battery power between
working areas, by adding
a battery back-up for
‘inter-stope’ tramming,
and to operate far from
the shaft entrance.”
The loader’s system
uses its own existing
electric infrastructure,
during loading and
downhill tramming, to
recharge the battery,
thanks to the regenerative
brake system, which
converts kinetic energy
into electric potential
energy which can then
be re-used when
accelerating. This loader
will ultimately provide
for all the benefits of a
tethered electric loader
with almost none of the
drawbacks, and will definitely support mining
customers in their drive towards electric and
hybrid solutions and a reduction of their total
environmental footprint. Higher worker
satisfaction will also be realised through reduced
noise, vibration and heat. The LF19EB will also
improve the productivity and reduce operational
running costs.
GHH has also recently added GHH inSiTE, an
“add-on” data analytics product offering, for
further value-add to customers. Using artificial
intelligence to learn and optimise data analytics
making sure that customers use correct data, at
the correct time, to give them insights to make
informed decisions.
Rham's hydrostatic advantage
Olifantsfontein, South Africa-based Rham
Equipment is a true innovator in the underground
load and haul space, having a lithium battery LHD
program in final testing. The latest version is a
battery variant of its popular low profile 20 HD
MK10 7 t class machine, known as the 20 HEB,
which is part way through a one year trial with a
chromite mining operation in the country. Testing
of the machine has shown that its hydrostratic
drive system, which is of a unique in-house
design, gives 40% regenerative capacity to the
wheel motors to the point where it has been
possible to use a smaller size of LiFePO 4 battery
pack. The trial customer (as well as others in the
platinum and chrome mining industry) are keen to
take the machine into regular production as well
as acquire more machines, but Rham MD Kevin
Reynders told IM that it does not want to rush the
development and will continue testing to the end
2020 to be able to assess a full 3,500 to 4,000
cycle life of the battery.
From a charging point of view, the Rham battery
Peruvian specialist in narrow vein mining solutions, Overprime
Manufacturing, recently released its new XLD30D underground truck. It
has a 2.6 m 3 truck body with a 6 t capacity. It is equipped with a Deutz
BF4L914 engine offering 72.4 kW at 2,300 rpm as well as Donaldson
filters both primary and secondary and a Rexroth hydrostatic
transmission. The machine is 5.74 m long but only 1.38 m wide and 2.1 m
high, having an operating weight of 7.14 t and a total loaded weight of
13.25 t. It has an outer turning radius of 4.5 mm. Overprime told IM that
the machine is working at a narrow vein mine located at 4,500 m but the
mini dumper has had no problems to the extent that they are looking at
ordering another one
14 International Mining | JUNE 2020