MINING TYRES
OTR outside the box
Mining tyres continue to become less of a commodity and more of a productivity driver – all with the backdrop of increasing customer sustainability while the tyre business faces up to its own ESG challenges . Paul Moore reports
Given previous serious shortages , plus the domination of the 57 in and 63 in radial market by only a few major suppliers , the over-riding question in mining tyres is always the stability of large tyre supply and demand . IM spoke to Mike Gardner . Vice President of Marketing , Global Mining Business at one of the two global mining tyre leaders , Michelin , who stated : “ Barring any prolonged recession in the global economy , we expect to see a relatively strong and growing mining market . This is primarily due to the macro trends we see throughout the world , such as the energy transition with electrification and the infrastructure that will be needed to support the population growth and boost economies . There will continue to be strong demand for precious metals to fuel the energy transition , and for minerals and metals to support the infrastructure investment . This commodity demand will generate strong demand for mining tyres .” Gardner did mention that within the last two years , supply has been somewhat challenged due to the number of logistics and maritime issues faced but added that as of today , supply is stable .
Gardner added that Michelin sees three priorities for its mining customers : “ They want to be safe , productive , and more sustainable . As the senior executives within the mining industry look to the future , there is one priority that clearly stands out – and that is sustainability , including ESG . Michelin ’ s innovation roadmaps are focused on just this . We are looking to support our customers in achieving their goals through products and services that improve safety , maximise productivity ( speed , load , and life ), and contribute to their sustainability ambitions ( CO 2 emission reductions and / or end of life solutions ).”
Michelin ’ s latest line-up
The latest MICHELIN tyre offers currently in the market , namely the MICHELIN XDR3 + tyre , the MICHELIN XDR3 + Extra Load tyre , the MICHELIN XDR4 Extra Load tyre , the MICHELIN XDR4 SPEED MC tyre and the MICHELIN XDR4 SPEED + MD tyre , Garner says have all received positive responses in their targeted areas of performance .
He expanded : “ The MICHELIN XDR3 + tyre has delivered an increase in tyre life through better resistance to wear , through innovative multilayered compounding in the tread , leading to a potential of 10 % improvement in wear vs . the previous generation . The increase in tyre life results in increased machine availability leading to increased production . The MICHELIN XDR3 + Extra Load tyres are making it possible for miners to maximise their machine payloads with the option of increasing the target payloads , while staying within the machine NTE ( Never to Exceed ) limits . Increasing the machine productivity is a major tenant of the MICHELIN XDR3 + Extra Load tyre . The MICHELIN XDR4 SPEED range of tyres is Michelin ’ s first E4 tyre designed specifically for very high-speed long-haul mining applications . Mines can now increase productivity due to the highest possible TKPH in the market and the
Two mining trucks in the service area of Kal Tire ' s facility near the Esperanza pit at Minera Centinela
machines are not limited by TKPH , including increased tyre life over the products that they replaced . The MICHELIN XDR4 SPEED range of products meets the needs of miners as they target moving more tons of material with less , while also cutting costs .”
In addition , Michelin just introduced the 70 / 70R57 MICHELIN X MINE L4 ** tyre , the first radial construction designed to boost the productivity and mobility of the world ’ s largest wheel loader , the Komatsu WE2350 / P & H L2350 .
AHS and mining tyres
There are sizeable fleets of autonomous trucks running at customer sites that have been doing so for a number of years now – so what has Michelin learned about tyre behaviour and wear on AHS trucks ? Gardner stated : “ Autonomous haulage fleet numbers have indeed increased over the past three years . We find that there is clearly increased tyre life and reduced tyre consumption when using autonomous platforms , and the autonomous fleets are becoming increasingly more productive . Truck utilisation rates are higher , and this has a positive impact on productivity . Michelin ’ s product portfolio offers a range of tyres that allow for increased speed and load that can match the performance achieved by the autonomous machines today .”
Gardner says most autonomous machines use the following MICHELIN tyre sizes : 40.00R57 MICHELIN XDR3 + tyre or the 50 / 80R57 MICHELIN XDR250 tyre , and for high-speed applications the 50 / 80R57 MICHELIN XDR4 SPEED tyre . For the ultra class machines , Michelin offers the 53 / 80R63 MICHELIN XDR3 + tyre and the MICHELIN XDR3 + EXTRA LOAD tyre as well as the
Michelin XDR4 SPEED + MD tyre
16 International Mining | JULY 2023