MINING TYRES |
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Mighty MasterCore
In 2020 , Bridgestone launched its
groundbreaking MasterCore OTR mining tyre
line – and most recently expanded the range of
its production of these tyres at its Aiken , South
Carolina plant in the US – one of three major
OTR plants it operates globally . IM Editorial
Director Paul Moore recently caught up with
Bridgestone President , Off The Road : North
America , Rob Seibert
Q Why was MasterCore such an important step
for Bridgestone , what makes it a differentiator
in the market in terms of design and
capabilities plus what does it offer customers
at the mine site ?
A Since the launch , we have introduced a series
of different sizes and patterns but of course
primarily focused on the mainstay 57 in and 63
in radials that dominate in mining . MasterCore
was a significant investment for Bridgestone –
and that ’ s across our two Giant tyre plants in
Japan located in Shimonoseki and Kitakyushu ,
as well as at our Aiken , South Carolina facility
and our two Bridgestone-owned steel cord
plants in Clarksville , Tenn ., and Saga in Japan .
Collectively this gave us the foundation for an
upgraded and enhanced casing for all of the
MasterCore tyres . We made the cord more rustresistant , and we changed the bonding agent and how we approached compounding to improve resistance to crack propagation by 20 % as well as improve to belt and casing adhesion . All of these contributed to increased payload on the tyre – a 320 ton truck that traditionally runs with 53 / 80R63 tyres – based on the tyre rating you could potentially increase that payload by 15 % or 48 tons to 368 tons . Before we would have had some limitations based on the tyre capacity and any payload upscaling required working with the truck OEM and making sure you had all the appropriate risk assessments in place . Again , the fundamental reason it is now doable is the upgraded casing . Some customers will want to take advantage of extra payload and some won ’ t . But if you can meet your production requirements with one or even two less trucks as a result of MasterCore then it is a big enabler .
Q What attributes would you highlight apart from higher payload ? A It isn ’ t just about payloading up – it also better handles payload variability . MasterCore was developed around the fundamental value proposition of helping mining customers be more productive . We traditionally always speak about tyre life or tyre wear ; but depending how these are measured it is not always a direct indicator of productivity . We wanted to also
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focus on payload , capacity and of course TKPH . Mining customers continue to seek ways to optimise their operations not only for tyres but also – shovel and truck utilisation . They want to be able to do more with less and this has only been accelerated by the labour issues and restrictions that affected production during the pandemic . MasterCore provides customers with a solution to facilitate an increase in truck speed and truck payload but without sacrificing tyre life .
Q Tell me more about the new OTR MasterCore tyres that are being made in Aiken ? A These are MasterCore VREV tyres , which are replacing some of the VRPS tyres in hard rock applications . With these new tyres the customer is getting a new tread pattern as well as a new casing . The casing provides the payload up and the new compounding and tread pattern provide a better TKPH for the tyre which is a work rating measure . So this also allows for a speed increase . So you can get the benefit of greater payload , increased speed or a blend of both depending on customer preference , together with increased durability . Effectively , MasterCore is a no trade-off mining tyre that customers can customise to their application . The technology is now used on all 57 in and 63 in tyres that Bridgestone manufactures .
Q Does this mean that all of your Bridgestone customers when they order 57 or 63 in tyres will get a MasterCore tyre ? A There is still production of our standard tyre design in Japan but MasterCore represents the future of our tire production . At Aiken , 100 % of our 57 / 63 tyres manufactured have the MasterCore design . North America is a competitive market with mines all looking for a way to lower TCO and MasterCore allows them to do that . We had customers who started with MasterCore with trials in limited volumes and we were already seeing + 13 % of total life , followed by increased payload trials with no trade-off on the wear life so the value proposition very quickly resonated with these customers . Therefore at Aiken , we chose to bring these benefits to all our customers in the region including the 46 / 90 , 53 / 80 and 59 / 80 tyres which covers all of the tyres traditionally used for 240 ton mining trucks and above . This is also true of these sizes made in Japan for elsewhere in the world . Globally , the 37.00 and 40.00 tyres are still supplied in a non- MasterCore design for sub 240 ton trucks out of Japan . Manufacturing out of Aiken brings a host of benefits for our North American customers both in the US and Canada . Aiken began
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Rob Seibert , President , Off The Road : North America , Bridgestone Americas
production in 2014 and before that 100 % of the mining tyres were imported from Japan . Our customers now have access locally to the latest technology . Bridgestone has a very loyal customer base in mining so we had and have a responsibility to them to be able to continue to innovate and help drive costs out of their operations . But beyond that it is also winning us new business and interest as other customers see the benefits MasterCore brings .
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Q Is there also a sustainability aspect to MasterCore ? A Yes , it also brings them advantages as they work through their sustainability and emissions goals – both in potentially using less trucks but also removing a lot of CO 2 from the tyre supply chain . And Aiken itself is one of the most sustainable tyre plants worldwide – it reuses 92 % of its own construction debris and 100 % of discarded manufacturing materials ; leverages rail transportation as an alternative method to truck transport , reduced 400 tons of CO 2 in transportation to its Western Canada market in 2022 alone ; and harvests rainwater via geomembrane pond liners and pavers , creating retention ponds . In Japan , our Giant plants have also shifted to renewable energy sources .
Q Autonomous haulage is still in its infancy in the US but is quite well advanced in Canada across several operations – does MasterCore suit autonomy well ? A Absolutely – everyone that gets into AHS hopes to match or exceed the productivity of the equivalent manned fleet . As part of that you want to be able to increase the average work shift of a tyre and MasterCore ’ s increased TKPH rating directly adheres to that . I would also emphasise that customers can and do maximise the benefits of MasterCore by using our iTrackII
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22 International Mining | JULY 2023 |