Trackless equipment
Mechanization in
the deep
John Chadwick looks at LHDs,
underground trucks, drill jumbos and
support units – better underground
roads, fuel cells
T
T
rackless machines continue to
evolve and become more
productive. Nevertheless, it is
disappointing to observe the
number of underground (and
surface) mines that have yet to embrace
correct road maintenance. No underground
machine will perform to its full potential if
the haul roads are not of good quality –
even if the task is only moving a jumbo
from one face to another. Furthermore,
poorly maintained roadbeds are also
expensive when trackless vehicles
succumb to premature wear and tear. The
tyre shortage is not confined to surface
equipment and it is never good economic
practice to shake machines around more
than is necessary.
Recent diesel technology developments
have made trackless machines safer, more
efficient and more cost-effective than ever
before. To achieve their full potential,
good underground roads are essential,
especially with the current tyre supply
challenge. Getman’s RDG-1504C
Roadbuilder incorporates many of
these important advances to help
create quality roadway
Produce underground
roadbed material with
MTI’s HydraCrusher.
systems. It is a
complete road
maintenance and
road building
machine that rips
up road surfaces, spreads gravel and
grades, creating working roads for other
equipment to pass. “Typically you’ve got
a mess: sloppy, muddy, hard-going
conditions,” says President Dana Getman.
“The best thing is to come along and
keep that clean. The Roadbuilder goes
through the mess and makes it flat. It just
does a lot of heavy-duty maintenance
work.”
One significant Roadbuilder technology
development is Getman’s exhaust chiller
that reduces exhaust temperatures to
below 150°C and reduces maintenance
and exhaust filter costs. The new design
features an air-to-water shell and tube
heat exchanger. Hot exhaust gases are
directed to an inlet port in the exchanger
shell and passed over finned tubes
carrying water/glycol
antifreeze. The fins and
tubes transfer exhaust
heat to the antifreeze,
which then exits to be
cooled by a
fan-cooled
radiator.
Then the
The solid steel Caterpillar front axle on Getman’s
Roadbuilder has a 32° oscillation, 18° wheel lean and
50° wheel-turn while chain box final Caterpillar drives
are splined to the heavy-duty, no-spin Caterpillar rear
axle.
antifreeze circulates back into the shell
and the cycle starts again. A fin redesign
from previous chiller designs reduces exhaust
gas temperature from between 430 and
540°C down to between 66 and 120°C
and increases the water/glycol antifreeze
temperature only 21°C (from 50 to 90°C).
Getman says that compared to other
exhaust cooling technologies, its new
chiller delivers substantial cost savings.
A fibreglass exhaust filter is also new,
reducing the risk of fire and poisonous
fumes that can endanger miners’ health.
Diesel exhaust temperature spikes can
burn adhesive filters and release toxic
fumes. The new filter, from Filter Service
and Testing, uses metal straps to hold the
end caps onto the filter, rather than
adhesives. A special, heat-resistant
fibreglass foam gasket seals the caps and
provides a tight seal on the filter element.
The gasket is rated at 650°C; higher than
the 480°C a diesel exhaust can reach. .
Replacing only the filter element offers
mines an economical solution to filter
maintenance. Getman is the first
manufacturer to install the filter on its
mining equipment, and will use it in
conjunction with the exhaust chiller.
“This is another important step in our
efforts to lead the way in increasing
safety,” Getman said. “By adding
this innovative filter to our
exhaust chiller system, we’ll
be able to further improve
air quality and lower the
risk of fires.”
December 2005 International Mining 33
 Toro’s T60 aims to provide the best
possible ownership cost, a truck that
fits into existing tunnel sizes, raises
operator safety to a new level and is
easy to adapt to existing
operations.
Of course, diesel engines have been
upgraded to make them more efficient
and cleaner. The Roadbuilder uses a four-
cylinder, turbocharged, aftercooled; Tier 2
Detroit Diesel OM904 diesel engine rated
110 kW at 2,200 rpm. The new electronically-
controlled smaller engines include design
improvements such as cylinder head/
combustion chambers and high-pressure
unit fuel injectors to deliver similar or
more power than older engines.
Electronic engines constantly adjust the
timing and duration of fuel injection
relative to operating conditions and
external factors such as intake air
temperature, intake boost pressure,
coolant temperature, throttle
position, engine speed and
loading. This optimized tuning
reduces emissions, fuel
consumption and maintenance
while enhancing engine protection and
diagnostics.
Its clean, but it moves dirt. Getman
says the RDG-1504C Roadbuilder moves
more dirt than any motor grader
available in the USA. It produces more
than 7,120 kg of tractive effort while
applying more than 6,600 kg of
working effort into the 3.7-m
Caterpillar 120H mouldboard blade.
Roadbed maintenance can be
expensive if mines have to hoist
waste rock to surface for crushing and
then send it back down for grading and
top dressing. Mining Technologies
International’s (MTI) HydraCrusher, an
LHD bucket with a built-in, hydraulically
operated crusher is one solution. Its
much cheaper to handle waste
underground and create a
stockpile of roadbed
material. Adjustable jaws
chew coarse material of
up to 305 mm and
crush it to any desired
size – down to 19-mm
34 International Mining December 2005
jaws and the resized material falls to the
ground. A quick-attach design allows the
unit to be easily fitted to or removed from
the LHD.
“We also offer a grader blade and a
compactor so you can use the same
vehicle to do all of your road maintenance,
rather than have a fleet of equipment,”
said Bob Lipic, MTI President. “Most
underground equipment operates without
suspension, so if you have rough roads, all
that shock is transmitted to every
component of the machine,” said Lipic.
“With good road maintenance, you will
definitely reduce the maintenance costs of
your equipment.”
MTI manufactures a full line of loaders,
trucks, drill jumbos, rail haulage equipment,
utility vehicles and in-the-hole (ITH)
drilling rigs from two manufacturing
plants in Sudbury and one in North Bay,
material for top dressing. The bucket, Canada. It is keeping details confidential
doubling as a hopper, picks rock from a as yet but is developing a Hybrid Diesel
muck pile. The rock passes through the Electric Loader. Another new machine is
A
tlas Copco’s ST1520 LHD - the first of these units in Australia went to
Consolidated Minerals’ Reliance nickel operations in Kalgoorlie. Michael
Aspinal, Underground Manager, at the company’s Beta Hunt mine said
recently: “The unit has been working very well for the past five months now and
has 1,700 engine hours. The operators are very happy with it and it is now the
preferred unit on site.” The ST1520 is reported to be faster when tramming, more
comfortable to drive, thanks to the good legroom, and the engine does not overheat.
This nickel operation was originally developed in the 1970s but was out of action
for several years. Recently it has been pumped dry and is now in
development for low level production at a rate of 200,000
t/y with a 70% waste to 30% ore ratio. There are
proven ore reserves for five years of
production.
The ST1520 is primarily used for
mucking in the main decline, but it also
works on some of the incline development
headings. Reliance’s Atlas Copco fleet
includes the Rocket Boomer L2D for
development drifting, the Boomer 104 for
narrow vein production drilling and
MT5010 Minetrucks for hauling. An
on-site Atlas Copco service team keeps
them running and available.

its Vein Runner II, a narrow vein hydraulic
jumbo with full mechanical power train, a
5.5 m boom reach and next generation
Intellsense III drilling controls.
A member of the Fuel Cell Propulsion
Institute, MTI is closely monitoring the
development of alternative energy
technologies. “With diesel engines, you
can only go so far in reducing emissions,
so there’s no doubt about it – the
development of new technology is
inevitable,” said Lipic. A fuel cell-powered
locomotive has performed well in trials
under the auspices of the Institute and
trials of a similarly powered LHD are in
hand.
According to Lipic, fuel cell-powered
underground equipment is cost-effective
to operate, but the initial capital cost is
high. “We have to live every day in a
profitable world so we can only go as fast
as the industry will allow us to go,” he
said. “There’s a lot more work to do and a
lot of training needed to safely and
effectively use and service fuel cell equipment.”
Coming soon?
Timo Laitinen, President of Tamrock
Underground recently engaged in some
gazing into the crystal ball of underground
trackless mining and saw:
●Further increased drilling
performance and efficiency through
new technology
●Integration of excavation process,
drilling technology and excavation
machinery
●Improved equipment utilization with
new technology and services
His colleague, Tuula Puhakka, Senior
Advisor, Mining Business sees the current
drivers in underground mining (in an up
cycle, with high sensitivity to market
change) to be:
● Asian and Chinese GDP growth
● From BIG to efficient and utilized
● From maximizing to optimizing
● Large scale underground mines
● More selectivity in selective mining
methods
36 International Mining December 2005
Atlas Copco’s Scaletec is equipped with the
hydraulic Solid Body (SB) concept breaker,
especially designed for scaling. As a result
the breaker is lighter in weight, but still
● Shortage of labour for mining work
● From unit to system automation
● High environmental focus
● Minimize incidents
● Focus on operational quality
Looking forward she sees:
● Decreasing numbers of available
mining people
● Remote mine locations
● Demanding underground mining
environment and removal of humans
from it
● Zero environmental impact
● Tough revenue demands-
uncompromising business results
● Need shorter time to production
● Continuous cycle
● Standardized mining procedures for
global mining companies
She expects it to be harder to see
where extraction (rock harvesting) starts
and the processing continues, enabling
the full process to be optimized based on
the mineral output. Mines will be highly
automated based on precision in mineral
extraction technology and a process-type
environment will have been created.
“We will see an increasing amount of
civil engineering diciplines being applied
Tamrock’s Axera 6 Cabin is
optionally available with
heating as well as
air conditioning.
powerful Atlas Copco SB 300 Scaler, a
tough on the rock
in the underground mining environment.
There is little or no real work quality
measurement used in underground
mining today whereas they are standard
procedures in construction. This can also
be seen in the way equipment is
specified. The quality focus will go
through the whole process from rock
harvesting to processing since the
measurements and techniques will need
to change.
“If we have lifted the demand to a
higher level due to China and Asian
growth all together, the cyclical peaks will
continue to impact our lives. Now we just
need to be more adaptable and be able
to take advantage of the high portions of
the cycle and get the mines on line much
sooner than before. If any focus was lost
earlier when moving from feasibility and
development of the mine to production
that will be greatly reduced in future
mines.
“The increased focus in quality will
have a positive impact in safety and
environmental awareness in mines and in
the industry altogether. We will see much
leaner mining operations and they form
the basis for larger scale mine automation.
“People,” she says, “are a tough call.”
She believes we need to take mining to
the people, and this editor wholeheartedly
agrees. There is much the mining industry
needs to do, and can do, to make itself
more attractive to young people and the
calibre of young people that it needs to
attract. Much can be done in education
to let young people appreciate the
advantages that mining provides through
the commodities that we all need in our
everyday life.
We can also expect to see more multi-
tasking machines, capable, for example, of
drilling the face and drilling support holes.
As for Tamrock’s revolutionary 1,000 Hz
drifter, first hinted at during MINExpo last
year, the project proceeds as planned
with internal testing underway.

Truck innovation
On good quality mine roads, equipment
such as Toro’s new T-60 truck can be used
very effectively. As noted in IM September
2005 (p.49), it is based on Toro’s innovative,
patented rigid frame chassis and triple axle
design. It offers a small turning radius, small
overall size, and superb driving characteristics.
This editor drove it and found it not much
different to driving his own car, an
automatic, though a little larger! It
certainly was easy and comfortable to
drive over a basic circuit. Toro is clearly
confident of the unit’s potential having
established a line in its Turku plant capable
of producing about 50 T60s each year.
According to George Tophinke, Toro’s
Business Line Manager, Australia, the
challenges for today’s underground trucks
are:
● Mines are getting deeper – more
productive trucks are required
● Making bigger openings is costly – truck
envelope size must be kept to minimum
● Safety requirements are getting more
demanding – requiring safer equipment
and better operator comfort.
So, when designing the T60, Toro had
to provide the best possible ownership
cost, provide a truck that would fit into
existing tunnel sizes, had to raise operator
safety to a new level, and, finally, had to
make a truck that was easy to adapt to
existing operations.
The T60’s ideal loading partner is the
new Toro 0011 LHD, designed for massive
underground production and large-scale
development. Its capacity is 21 t,
equipped with 8-10.7 m3 buckets. A
Detroit Diesel S-60 engine developing
354 kW powers this machine.
Also with an eye on the envelope, Dux
has the ET24/DT25 dump truck, which, it
says, “is a revolutionary high payload
capacity truck incorporated into a small
envelope.” It is 2.2 m wide and fitted
with a regular dump box has a load
capacity of 25 t. Equipped with the
ejector box the capacity is 24 t.
Dux also has a new generation of cabs
for its underground haulers. These
are isolated from the chassis and
noise levels range from 75 to 82
dB(A), depending on the truck.
Vibration, noise and heat transmit-
ted from the chassis are reduced
to a minimum thanks to the
pin/rubber mounting. The cab is
ergonomically improved with
good leg room as well as offering
easy to read gauges and electronic
displays. Air conditioning and
heating are standard and the cab
is pressurized and filtered. All pan-
els are insulated and win-
dows are double-glazed thus
reducing noise even further.
38 International Mining December 2005
“People,” she says,
“are a tough call.
We need to take
mining to the
people.”
Dux manufactures a complete line of
utility vehicles including the new SLP
5000N scissor lift truck which is specially
designed to work in narrow drifts and
confined areas thanks to its 1.83-m
chassis and 45º articulation angle. The
SLP 5000N also has a central oscillation
(mid-ship) of 10º to either side that
permits four-wheel ground contact on
uneven terrain. It comes with pipe
handlers to facilitate the installation of
pipes and ductwork. It offers a 1.83 m
wide x 3.66 m long platform with 4.27 m
extended deck height and 6.15 m man
reach without stabilizers.
While it is normally best to use a
purpose-built underground truck, the
wide range of articulated dump trucks
(ADTs) available could be used in the
right applications. Caterpillar has just
introduced a second, smaller ejector ADT
featuring the Cat C11 engine with ACERT
technology. The new unit is the second in
the Caterpillar line to use a self-cleaning
ejector mechanism that allows material to
be spread and dumped on the go,
without raising the body. Such units can
of course be useful in spreading backfill
underground. The ejector body also offers
clean load ejection to eliminate production-
robbing carry-back.
Drilling in comfort
Sandvik Tamrock’s Axera 6, compact twin-
boom jumbo was launched in 2004. As
with its predecessor Axera D06, it has
gained popularity in underground mine
development. With a total population of
over 150 machines in use, of which one
third is the latest Axera 6 model, it
The operator in the cabin of the Paus RL-852TSL controls
the hammer’s breaking power or impact frequency.
represents a considerable market share in
the global market.
Now the Axera 6 is available with a
ROPS and FOPS certified safety cab;
insulated from noise and vibration and
pressurized for best operator comfort. To
provide best operator ergonomics, the
proven hydraulic THC controls offer easy
and fast boom and drilling operation.
The compact envelope size of the Axera
6 has not been compromised. With a
total height of 3 m the Axera 6 Cabin is
good for cross sections from 3.5 m by
3.5 m and up. It is powered by the Deutz
BF4M2012 (74kW) diesel engine for fast
and safe tramming. The large tyre size
together with high ground clearance
allows smooth operation even if road
conditions are not as they should be.
The choice is between TB26 or TB40
booms, TB26 is simple to operate, with
great flexibility for different applications.
TB40 is known for robust design, accuracy
and full readiness for sensors and
instrumentation. The new generation HLX
5 rock drills are standard on Axera 6. The
TF cylinder rope feed with 25 kN maximum
feed force provides stable drilling even
with high power levels. New TFX
telescopic feeds are an option.
Good serviceability is always a key
objective. All daily service points are easily
accessible. Covers are designed to protect
against falling rocks and water, but not
prevent easy servicing of the machine.
During 2005 Sandvik Tamrock completed
the Solo 5 series, a full range of longhole
drill machines for underground excavation.
The latest versions meet needs for modular
design and common technology platforms.
The Solo 5 carrier is the same as for the
Robolt 5 and Axera 5 products. The Solo 5
range replaces three current models: Solo
126LC10, Mercury LC22 and the Solo RTS.
Solo 5 longhole drills can fit in drifts as
small as 3m by 3m and have particular
use in small-scale sub-level stoping, vein
mining and underground benching. The
main components in the drilling module,
i.e. boom, feed and cassette, have been
redesigned using experience and know-
how from the well proven 07-size-
class Solos. Additionally, the new
SOLO 5 series will introduce the
HLX5 drifter.
Boart’s big move
The change in ownership of Boart
Longyear (BL) was initially dis-
cussed in IM September (p.51).
The Johannesburg corporate office
will be closed by year-end and
relocated to offices at BL’s Salt Lake
City plant in the USA. BL Corporate
was located in Johannesburg to be
close to its former parent, Anglo
American. However, more than
half of BL’s business now emanates
 Trackless equipment

from the Americas and the move will gain Load and haul serviceability (working from heights, etc.)
closer access to the main business hub Agreeing with Sandvik Mining and and emissions of noise, gases and fluids
and Advent’s (the new owner) key office Construction colleagues quoted earlier on are the areas to be addressed.
in Boston, USA. the future and looking generally at the These things will be achieved, he says,
A programme to maximize operating Toro LHD and truck products, Product through basic technical solutions that
efficiency is already underway. This aims Line Manager Riku Kesäläinen foresees encompass hydraulics, mechanics,
to reduce existing cost structures by better control of the mining process powerline, electrics, etc. There will be
identifying the location at which a meaning ‘transparency’ of the underground new designs and new technologies,
product is made most competitively, then operations with onboard data collection, particularly in electronics, IT and
consolidating BL’s manufacturing plants more communication and more data communication.
so the company can single source processing. Also, open systems will be Kesäläinen too sees fuel cells playing an
products from global Centres of required and provided. important role in the future. The main
Excellence. The success of these centres is Increased process/equipment utilization task to get that going is to find ways of
in the hands of the team of global requires automation, monitoring, safely handling hydrogen underground.
product managers, working closely with predictability, reliability and diagnostics. He also foresees, in the near future, Toros
regional management to ensure a And the requirements for even safer without cabs operating on the Automine
common approach to global strategy and operation embrace both operator safety system – thus saving the tramming of
local customer needs. and machinery safety. Ergonomics, dead weight.
To simplify the structure and maximize
efficiencies, the business has been divided
into Drilling Services, which is already well
established, and Products & Equipment,
which encompasses the manufacturing
operations. BL is currently finalizing the
structure of Products & Equipment.
CEO Paul Brunner says the way forward
will focus on a three-track growth strategy
designed to mitigate the effects of relying
on the cyclical ‘boom or bust’ nature of
mining and to consolidate BL’s leadership
in its core businesses. The first track is in
strategic acquisitions. Once Boart
Longyear has bedded down in the Advent
fold and concluded the process of
restructuring and consolidating existing
operations, both organic and acquisition
growth will be key strategic drivers.
A second target is to increase mining
market penetration in under-represented
territories. “We enjoy a broad geographic
footprint in the global mining market and
will seek to further penetrate mining
markets in Brazil, India, China and
Russia.” The third goal is diversification
into non-mining drilling services.
The StopeMaster is a classic BL product,
a fully electric-hydraulic tophammer
longhole drill rig, offering increased
productivity, at low capital investment,
with decreased maintenance costs. Last
month we noted interesting StopeMaster
sales to the CIS, but what is this rig? Well,
compact enough to get into the tightest
drilling sites underground, it is designed
for efficient dismantling, and reassembly
for rapid transport into captive areas. It is
ideally suited for drop raises, cable bolting,
fan drilling and parallel drilling.
Deep hole accuracy is enhanced through
superior guidance of the durable feed
system and Hercules centralizer. It is
designed to produce consistent, high
performance regardless of varying operator
skill levels or conditions. Importantly, it
allows longer intervals between scheduled
preventative maintenance and this has
been proven through millions of metres
of drilling experience.

December 2005 International Mining 39

 16 km/h, but automated they can run at
30 km/h, making them much more
productive. Indeed seven units would
have been required if drivers were used.

Roof control
Based on experience from long-term
testing of Atlas Copco’s first Scaletec rig in
Sweden’s Malmberget mine, a number of
new features have been incorporated in
the second unit. Operator comfort has
been further improved by reducing

The Paus and Schopf LHD product lines complement

each other well because Paus is strong in smaller LHDs
with payloads of up to 6 t, while Schopf offers a
payload range of 6.5-18 t. Above a Paus PFL8 in an
apatite mine, on the right an Schopf SFL130 in
magnesite.

Automation
One of the key drivers for Toro’s
Automine system for LHDs and trucks is
improved safety and working conditions,
made possible by allowing the operators
to work from a surface control room.
Automine offers:
● Semi-automated cycles with automated
tramming and dumping, tele-operated
bucket loading and on-the-fly mode
change
● One operator for several LHDs
● Condition and production monitoring
● Production area isolation
● Traffic control
● Interfaces to external systems
● Scalability to different applications
Potential savings in labour costs are
60-75 % (haulage automation with large
fleet). For example take this truck haulage
case (see box below):
The current Automine LHD references are:
● Finland - Inmet Mining, Pyhäsalmi mine
– one T0011 LHD
● Chile – Codelco, El Teniente mine –
three T0010 LHDs (Pipa Norte section)
and three more T0010 LHDs in Diablo
Regimiento section
Oppenheimer alluded to De Beers current
heavy reliance on open-pit mines and
said: “What we are proving here is that
we can thrive underground.”
He noted today’s open pit can become
the underground mine of tomorrow
and efficient ways of mining
underground, using block-cave methods
and automation, would provide an
exciting future for De Beers. He explained
that Finsch began as an open pit, and the
same would happen to other De Beers
assets, including Venetia mine, which
would need to go underground in the next
ten years.
The system uses six 50 t T50Ds to haul
kimberlite ore from a tipping point to an
underground crusher in the new Block
Four, the deepest mining section at
Finsch. Block Four extends the life of
Finsch by a further nine years. With
drivers, South African mining legislation
would restrict tramming speed to
vibrations. A new operators chair with
built in pneumatic shock absorber both
eliminates vibrations and offers a number
of adjustment options to suit each
individual operator. The front end of the
machine was previously only supported
by conventional hydraulic jacks, but now
also uses the shovel blade to ensure a
stable set-up.
Safety and visibility have been improved
by moving the boom attachment
further forward. The cabin lift and tilt sys-
tem combined with a new design with
steel bar protection across the windscreen
makes it easy for the operator when scal-
ing in higher areas. Hydraulic hoses have
been relocated to better protect them
from rock falls.
Excellent manoeuvrability is achieved by
the positioning system’s proportional
functions. The configuration of the
control sticks and buttons has been
adjusted according to operator experience

On November 3, De Beers officially

opened the world's first automated Lifetime of project 10 years
horizontal truck system with Automine Fleet 6 trucks
and the Toro T50D trucks at Finsch mine Operation five days/week and three shifts/day
in South Africa. This was the culmination Number of manual operators 21 (six/shift x 3 shifts + three relief)
of four years of joint effort by De Beers Number of system operators (auto) 5 - 9 (1 to 2 operators/shift x 3 shifts + 3 relief)
and Toro (Sandvik Mining and Labour cost per operator €30,000/y
Construction). In opening the new
tramming loop, De Beers Consolidated Total lifetime saving €3.6 – 4.8 million
Mines Managing Director Jonathan

40 International Mining December 2005

 Trackless equipment

from the Malmberget tests. That original for example strategically located water Cemento Melon’s underground Navio
machine already featured a newly nozzles for dust suppression and the mine lies 15 km northeast of La Calera in
developed boom system with a built-in choice between electrical or diesel- Chile’s 5th Region. It mines some
hammer angle compensation for reduced hydraulic tramming and scaling. The 3,380 t/d of limestone. Navio has long
boom positioning time. complete unit comprises an SB 300 Scaler been a leader in the use of trackless,
Scaling is traditionally one of the most hydraulic breaker, a Scaler boom, an mechanized equipment in Chile. Because
hazardous jobs underground. Using M-series carrier, a 75-kW electric motor, of the development of drifts and production
mechanized rigs can drastically cut the RCS, hydraulically driven compressor and benches, mechanized scaling is a priority.
accident rate. Operators enjoy a safe water pump. Its transportation height is 3 Limestone being a stratified sedimentary
working environment with good working m, length 13.5 m and width 2.2 m. Its rock, falls are one of the main potential
area visibility. Productivity as well as total weight is 19 t. safety hazards in the mine.
quality of scaling will increase. The control Earlier this year Navio put into
system for the carrier has been integrated operation its second Paus RL-852TSL
into the RCS (Rig Control System). Meyco’s Logica 10 mounted on a Cobra is not scaler unit equipped with a hydraulic
The Scaletec design is based on years of commercially available but soon will be. This is the hammer. This is an innovative concept
rock excavation experience. For example, cutting edge of spraying robot technology for the developed by Paus, optimizing the scaling
the carriers for the twin-boom Boomer application of shotcrete. operation since - unlike other designs that
jumbos and the position the hydraulic
Scaletec MC rigs are hammer pointing at
almost identical, which the rock (only one
reduces the need for point of percussion)
storage of unique causing fragility and
parts, thereby simplifying overbreak - the
maintenance routines RL-852TSL attacks the
when working with a rock using a
full package of Atlas telescopic arm work-
Copco equipment. ing together with the
Scaletec is a new hydraulic hammer,
member, but already scratching the walls
an integrated part of and roof to knock off
the Atlas Copco the loose rocks.
product family. Paus and Schopf
Scaletec offers a have combined their
number of functional sales and service
features and options, activities for

gjerstad dux

December 2005 International Mining 41

Trackless equipment
customers in mining. The two LHD ranges
have been merged. In addition the
international partners will market the Paus
truck and utility vehicle range jointly.
“As a result of the merger customers
will now have the largest loader range on
the market with a total of nine models.
We have already started marketing in the
traditional mining areas of South America,
Africa and Eastern Europe and are expecting
the first successes shortly,” report Dr
Hermann Brüggemann, managing partner
of Schopf and Franz-Josef and Wolfgang
Paus, managing partners of Hermann
Paus. “For customers of both companies
there will be significant advantages from
an integrated product range and service
all from one place. With a well diversified
dealer network we are now also in a
position to pit ourselves against the major
competitors.”
Shotcrete excellence
Meyco says it benefits from being a part
of the UGC International organization
within Degussa Construction Chemicals.
Using know-how and synergies, shotcrete-
spraying systems are developed and
harmonized for greatest efficiency leading
to a better product. These include wet-
and dry-spraying machines, manipulators
(large and small), complete mobile units
and special constructions for specific
projects. Meyco’s own research and
development is dedicated to shotcrete
and the improvement of quality in both
application and end result.
The Cobra S is the latest generation
Meyco spraying mobile for mining. All the
necessary components on one chassis and
the ability to get to all parts of a mine are
very important. In today’s tight time
schedules, it is imperative that spraying
set-up is achieved, and the machine is
42 International Mining December 2005
ready to start, within minutes. As soon as
spraying is finished, the equipment has to
be removed so that the next part of work
cycle can begin immediately. The three
main components are Meyco’s Suprema
concrete spraying machine, the Minima
spraying manipulator, which can be
packed away very neatly and can be
extended without needing additional
room, and a 4 x 4 articulated Paus carrier.
The whole unit is very robust.
The Cobra now includes Meyco’s TDC
(Total Dosing Control) system. For 2006
there are some significant new features:
cable reel and electric cabinet are hinged
to allow instant and full access to the
diesel motor; heated electric cabinet and
remote control to prevent condensation;
and central lubrication will reduce wear
and tear on moving parts and cut
maintenance time.
At Ekati diamond mine, the
underground maintenance superintendent
Jack Wanner turned to Finning to build a
shotcrete machine based on Cat’s 420D
backhoe. “We looked at some other
machines, but they were a bit too unstable,
which is why we elected to go with the
420D backhoe and put the shotcrete
sprayer on the back,” he explains. “The
420D is a little wider so it is more stable.”
Finning’s equipment preparation team
removed the backhoe attachment, the
rear swing frame, the valve group and
hand controls. The rear backhoe mount
was sheared off. A mounting plate to
accommodate the shotcrete sprayer was
designed and welded to the rear of the
machine. The team designed a table to
mount the attachments needed for the
sprayer and bolted those to the mounting
plate. Separate welds on the mounting
plate allowed the shotcrete arm,
transformer and cable reels to be bolted
on. The hydraulic valve from the shotcrete
boom was moved to the table, fastened
to the mount and re-hosed. The boom
rest was attached to the mount allowing
for components to be easily removed for
repair.
In addition to these changes, Finning
installed two 500-W work lights to the
back of the cab. For health and safety, a
fire suppression system and a catalytic
muffler to scrub the vehicle’s exhaust
were added. Other additions included a
600 A main battery fuse, a central heater
system and a stand to mount the
shotcrete remote controls.
Shotcrete is mixed at the surface,
poured into 1,000 kg bags and transported
down into the mine. Underground, it is
dumped into the portable mixer carried
by the modified backhoe. The sprayer
connects to the mixer with a 50-mm thick
hose, using air pressure to blast the
shotcrete onto walls. The machine can be
operated from either inside the cab, or
outside by remote control.
One benefit of the modified 420D
backhoe is convenience. Parts are easily
available at the mine site. Ekati has a
number of 400 series backhoes on
surface so there’s no need to stock
different fuel filters. That’s a serious issue
for the mine because it is very expensive
to ship parts.
The machine has become indispensable.
Wanner ordered another modified 420D.
“It has worked out well. Its spraying
shotcrete every day. It is now part of the
regular mining cycle," he says. “We
wanted to see how it worked but it has
really done the job, so much so that we
need another machine. The ingenuity of
Finning in designing the shotcrete sprayer
and the ability to maintain the equipment
is impressive.” IM
Marcotte developed the M40 Fanhandler,
a unit to safely install and remove large
ventilation fans, following a workplace
accident, which had resulted in a serious
injury, at Inco’s Coleman-McCreedy East
mine in Canada. This removed worker
exposure from what can be a
complicated and sometimes hazardous
operation. It combines a boom truck
frame and an adapted boom function
with a fine controlled manipulator arm
and can install or remove 0.7 to 1.37 m
diameter fans in a much reduced time
span. It can lift fans weighing up to
1,800 kg with a 2.4-m reach. A 320°
manipulator arm rotation allows
precision reach into confined or tight
working areas and the fine fan
positioning adjustments allows workers
to perform the most difficult fan
changes.