Specialist supplier wire and rope solutions Bridon International recently unveiled its latest innovation in dragline ropes. Bridon’s new Tiger Big T Bristar has been designed for use as drag and hoist ropes on dragline excavators working in open-pit mining.
“Continuous product improvement is part of our growth philosophy and in such a competitive market environment, our aim is to be the technology leader for demanding rope applications”, said Thomas Lichte, Market Sector Manager for Bridon’s mining products.
The new product improves productivity for end users running draglines in surface mining, and is believed to result in overall cost reduction for the mines. A special feature of this new product is that it comprises of an independent wire rope core covered with a fluted polypropylene material having helical grooves around its outer surface.
“This fluted shape core was formed by a special extrusion process,” explained Johannes Verwaayen, Technical Director at Bridon Group. “The internal contour of the fluted profile matches the internal contours of the outer Dyform strands, and the pitch of the helical grooves is controlled to closely match the lay of the rope and to ensure a smooth closing process.
“Six or eight compacted outer strands surround the independent wire rope core, giving it several competitive advantages. This includes achieving a higher metallic area and high breaking load due to compaction. With more accurate and durable placement of the outer strands, there would be even load distribution, reduced internal friction and increased bend fatigue,” said Verwaayen.
Tiger Big T Bristar was developed within Bridon’s Technical Department in Doncaster, UK and produced at the manufacturing unit in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. It is due to be introduced to the surface mining market in major areas across the globe, with North America, Australia and South Africa being the key target areas as these are locations which carry a majority of the world’s fleet of draglines.
“The new product will deliver overall cost reduction for our customers or end users by providing longer service life and as a result, less change outs”, concluded Lichte.