Allison Transmission will exhibit its Off-Highway Series™ of fully automatic transmission models and the latest technology at the forthcoming Bauma China 2020 show, one of the world’s leading trade fairs for construction machinery being held in Shanghai from November 24-27, and where a lot of mining equipment developments are also showcased.
As the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, Allison says it “offers unrivalled reliability and power for the toughest applications of wide body mining dumps (WBMD), autonomous driving rigid dumps, all terrain mobile cranes, concrete mixers and construction specialty trucks.” Allison’s booth will feature transmissions designed for a wide range of off-highway applications as well as interactive digital technology to explain the working principles and benefits of fully automatic transmissions.
“Allison fully automatic transmissions are built to perform in the toughest conditions. They feature our Continuous Power Technology™, which provides more power to the wheels letting you handle anything your worksite throws at you. Allison Automatics accelerate faster with 14% higher average speed than a manual or automated manual. They also offer vehicles better control, traction and maneuverability on loose soil. Our innovative Power Take Off (PTO) features integrated one-touch power for accessories and with tailored shift-points through our proprietary FuelSense® 2.0 software, enabling fleets to improve fuel economy and performance based on their own specific duty cycle needs.”
Shandong Pengxiang Auto is a leading manufacturer of off-highway dump trucks in China and has produced its customised wide body mining dump (WBMD) truck equipped with an Allison transmission. Their two new models, with GVW 90 ton and 96 ton, are coupled with a 382.4 kW diesel engine rated at 2,402 Nm torque and an Allison 4800ORS-PR fully automatic transmission and are very popular in open-pit mines which are characterised by short range, heavy load and harsh off road conditions.
“To allow the truck is able to negotiate steep grades smoothly when fully-loaded, the Allison 4800ORS-PR transmission provides the optimal torque for uninterrupted power to the wheels. With an integral hydraulic retarder, it provides additional auxiliary braking when going downhill thus, assisting driver control. It is easy to operate, reducing driver fatigue and significantly improving productivity. No mechanical clutches mean less wear and tear. Normal maintenance requires only periodic fluid and filter changes. With high performance and low maintenance cost, Allison fully automatic transmissions are naturally the preferred choice for WBMD.”
In order to increase productivity, reduce costs and relieve working pressure on drivers at customer sites, Chinese groups are making major autonomous fleet investments. Mining truck OEM Inner Mongolia North Hauler Joint Stock Co Ltd (NHL) delivered 18 TR100A rigid mining dump trucks to Anhui Conch Cement earlier this year which have been converted to autonomous operation by a sub-company of the customer and are understood to now be operational. This subsidiary is Haibo Intelligent Technology Co which itself has signed a deal with Huawei Technologies to jointly promote the standardisation and industrialisation of unmanned driving platforms for open-pit mines, as well as strive to successfully implement unmanned mining solutions.
The TR100A is equipped with a Cummins QST30 engine rated at 783 kW (1,050 hp) with 4,629 Nm torque and the Allison 8610 Off- Road Series™ (ORS) fully automatic transmission which allows autonomous driving to be carried out on rigid mining trucks. These trucks, supported by the Allison automatic transmisson, can be operated every day in demanding and hazardous conditions, while addressing the shortage of drivers and eliminating human operational errors through autonomy.
