LOADING TOOLS
“The R 9150B’s attachment is equipped with
pressure-less boom-down function to enable fast
cylinder retraction without the need for pump
energy. Intelligent energy management diverts the
pump flow during boom lowering, allowing other
cylinder motions to operate unimpeded,” explains
Kriel.
The R 9150B’s high-pressure hydraulic oil
filtration systems remove contaminations from the
fluid to offer a high rate of hydraulic system
efficiency. To maintain oil quality, all return
hydraulic oil flow goes through a 15/5 μm fine
filtration system, while the grease and fuel tanks
are sized to considerably extend the time between
service intervals.
The new B-series is serially equipped with GSM
data transmission functionalities to collect
operating parameters, error codes and machine
faults. The data is accessible through the Liebherr-
Mining Data platform (LMD) on which the user can
generate customised reports to track and analyse
machine data.
“The accurate information collected through the
Connectivity Kit is recorded in a worldwide
database and enters a systematic assessment and
resolution process to continuously improve
existing and new products and components,”
concludes Munch.
The background to the R 9150B is that after
more than 30 years of good and loyal service of
the R 984, Liebherr launched two new models in
this class in 2009 and 2011, respectively the R
9100 (100 t) and the R 9150 (130 t). Both models
were brand new developments receiving the
latest technologies to make them more
productive and fuel-efficient than the R 984 ever
was, and they became part of the Liebherr vertical
integration program featuring a Liebherr V12
diesel engine, swing pumps and cylinders. Today
more than 2.5 million operating hours have been
accumulated worldwide for both the R 9100 & R
9150.
With both the R 9100B/9150B diesel engine
also reaching first-class reliability rates, Liebherr
has extended the time to major overhaul of the R
9150B diesel engine from 15,000 to 18,000
hours. The R 9100B/R 9150B also come with the
exclusive EVO Bucket Solution with patented
Liebherr design to maximise the loading capacity
and ensure optimal penetration efficiency. Thanks
to the contoured sidewalls and the augmented
depth, the EVO Bucket backhoe bucket of the R
9150B has a capacity from 8.8 m³ in standard
backhoe configuration, to 9.6 m³ with the short
boom option (dedicated to mass excavation in
optimum maintained bench height conditions).
The new buckets also make the excavator the
perfect working partner in terms of shovel match
for the Liebherr T 236 truck and all other
articulated and rigid dump trucks in the 50 t to 100
t class. Superior bucket capacities combined with
46 International Mining | MARCH 2020
class leading cycle times lead to outstanding
productivity resulting in lowest CPT.
Available end-2020 for the R 9150B, a package
of assistance systems will support to increase
safety and productivity of the machines while
reducing operating costs by application of new
technologies, eg a “Truck Loading Assistant”. The
systems will be able to provide products and
reports that support and assist all personnel
involved with the machine. It will also provide self-
diagnostics tools, high value data and big data for
digitalisation and analysis purposes.
In larger machines, the R 9800 continues to
prove popular. BHP has added two Liebherr R
9800 excavators to its Mt Arthur Coal Mine fleet in
New South Wales, commissioned in November
2018 and February 2019. Mt Arthur Coal has been
a long-term valued customer for Liebherr-
Australia, and in particular the Liebherr Mt Thorley
Branch. These 800 t excavators are the first of
their class owned by BHP on site, adding to the
existing Liebherr fleet of two R 996B, one R 994B
and 44 T 282C off-highway trucks.
MineWare launches wheel loader
monitoring
MineWare, after 18 months of field trials
conducted across three Western Australia mine
sites, has launched a new OEM-independent
wheel loader monitoring system that, it says, lifts
productivity and reduces cost per tonne in real
time.
Argus Wheel Loader (WL) delivers real-time
feedback to the wheel loader operator via an
intuitive touchscreen to make material handling
and loading jobs safer, faster and more accurate,
according to MineWare. The tool builds on
MineWare’s Argus and Pegasys monitoring
systems for electric rope shovels, hydraulic
excavators and draglines.
MineWare Vice President of Marketing and
Sales, Roy Pater, said Argus WL was developed
based on a growing demand from MineWare’s
customers to improve efficiency, effectiveness and
payload accuracy across their large wheel loader
fleets.
“Argus WL does this by weighing each bucket in
real time, without the need to stop and calculate
payload before dumping the load,” he said. “This,
we understand from our customers, is an
unacceptable practice required from other similar
systems today, losing valuable production time to
repeat this with every bucket load.”
Pater said the multi-purpose nature of the
system was a key point of difference, with Argus
WL offering advanced functionality in truck
detection, structural monitoring, as well as
payload optimisation in real-time.
“The real-time nature of Argus WL really stands
our system apart as it gives operators direct
feedback for them to make smarter loading
decisions to optimise truck loading and payload
management,” he said.
“Argus WL guides operators to move the right
amount of material with every load, helping mines
to reduce payload variability, meet production
targets and predict the operations forecasts more
reliably, when analysing machine productivity by
shift and operator.”
Developed on an open IoT platform, the
interoperable system works on any OEM machine
and integrates with third-party production software,
according to the Komatsu-owned company.
Pater said Argus WL leverages MineWare’s 15
years of experience in ground engagement
equipment monitoring, productivity improvement
and payload optimisation to create a purpose-built
system made for mining.
“Argus WL takes productivity monitoring for
wheel loaders to a new level, by working smarter,
not harder, to get the job completed successfully,”
he said. IM
MineWare, after 18 months of field trials conducted across three Western Australia mine sites, has
launched a new OEM-independent wheel loader monitoring system