Transport solutions for large-scale construction sites and mining operations

Efficient and innovative
Transport solutions for large-scale construction sites and mining operations
At bauma 2013, between April 15 and 21 in Munich, the manufacturers of machinery for mining, raw-materials extraction and processing will be showcasing solutions to cater for the world’s demand for raw materials. Below are some of the innovations and highlights in this area that visitors can expect to find at the booths of exhibitors at the show.
Bergmann Maschinenbau, well known for its wheel dumpers, special vehicles and dumpers for use in underground mining, is now making a start in the market for chain dumpers: the new 4010 model has a payload of 10 tonnes, a 6.3 m2 capacity tray and a ground pressure of only 0.45 kg/cm2. It therefore reliably meets the requirements for use in wet, marshy areas, in pipeline construction, in the mining industry as well as in the moorlands. The concept for the vehicle´s frame allows for different troughs such as a rear tipping trough, a round tipping trough, a loading platform, or a skip to be mounted onto the vehicle. A quick-change system can also be fitted for frequently changing requirements. With the crane mounting in front or behind the cabin the 4010 is ideally suited to function as a welding bead, as required for pipeline construction.
Daimler is presenting the new force in mining solid rock and quarrying operations: the Mercedes-Benz Arocs. The new tippers, all-wheel drive tippers, concrete mixers, tractor units and rigid chassis are available as two, three and four-axle vehicles with 16 power output levels ranging from 175 kW (238 hp) to 460 kW (625 hp). All of the engines have been designed to meet the future Euro VI emissions standard. The Arocs Loader has made a considerable saving to its own kerb weight. The 8×4/4 cement mixer with a permissible gross vehicle weight of 32 tonnes, has a kerb weight of just 9,250 kg, which enables them to supply 8 m³ of ready-mixed concrete on every trip – half a cubic meter more than previously.
Mining companies have for years been looking for a way to protect the expensive tires on their dumper trucks against damage to the side walls. Because of the distances these vehicles travel, the high weights involved and the higher petrol costs, so far it has not been cost-effective to use tire protection chains on dumper trucks in the same way that they are already successfully used on wheel loaders, bulldozers and graders. This problem has now been solved by Erlau with its Sideflex protection system. This assembly shields the entire sidewall of the truck tire, deflecting rock fragments harmlessly away so that they cannot damage or perhaps even penetrate the tire, make the wheel unusable or even disable the vehicle. While the Sideflex mounting components are made of steel, the all-important Sideflex shield is manufactured from a sophisticated engineering polymer – a robust material with a ‘memory’ capability that allows the protective ‘platelets’ to flex and deform upon impact and then return to their original shape without any loss of integrity.
In its presentation at bauma 2013, GHH Fahrzeuge GmbH is focusing on the particularly low-profile LHD (load, haul and dump) vehicle, the SLP-14 with a load capacity of 14 tonnes. GHH´s “Efficient Drive System” (EDS) combines a hydrostatic drive train with mechanical power transmission to axles and wheels to meet the demands of mining. The Diesel engine, fitted with a sophisticated exhaust-gas treatment system, is supplemented with a ‘hydraulic brake hybrid’ to recover braking energy.
In mining operations, great quantities of spoil, waste rock and mineral-containing materials are produced. These have to be transported from the point of extraction, on steep and unsurfaced roads, for further processing or to the overburden dump. For these conditions, MAN is exhibiting at bauma its heavy-duty TGS WW dump truck for a gross weight of 50 tonnes. Front and rear dumper trucks on three- or four-axle chassis are used. The conditions are exacting: Hard multi-shift operation at maximum daily production, the heaviest loading, toughest terrain and high dust levels. Mining vehicles have to be therefore very robust, have a high loading capacity, powerful engines and at the same time be cost-efficient. In order to cater for the high demands of mining operations, MAN is offering service concepts tuned to the local conditions as well as full mobile workshop solutions for the vehicle fleet.
Scania is mustering its experience and presenting a comprehensive spectrum of attractive solutions for global mining companies – systems and vehicles that represent important links in the production chains of these companies. Mining in particular requires a customized approach, and Scania is developing optimized solutions in cooperation with the mining operators. These include special vehicles for mining and tunneling, and also buses for moving teams, engines for powering the heavy machines and generators and mobile workshops in container modules for on-site maintenance and repairs.
Important information: Entrance tickets to bauma 2013 do not now include free use of local public transport. At the exhibition center, tickets for local public transport can be bought at the West and East entrances and at the entrance to the southern part of the open-air site.
Further information: www.bauma.de
Source: Bauma News Room