Tag Archives: Bell Equipment

Bell Equipment on its autonomous ADT transition with xtonomy, Pronto AI

Four years after commencing extensive testing, global ADT specialist, Bell Equipment, reports that autonomous technology is now at the adoption stage with more customers in the United Kingdom, South America and Australia set to introduce autonomous Bell ADTs on their work sites during 2023.

“We’re extremely excited to have reached the adoption stage,” Bell Equipment Product Manager, Brad Castle, said. “Right now we are working closely with one of our UK customers. They are a leading mobile plant supplier and earthmoving contractor that has a large existing fleet of Bell ADTs and is looking to initially install an autonomous system onto two B30Es for a quarry application. Initially, they will be introducing autonomous ADTs on two of its sites as part of a continuous drive to improve safety.

“At the same time, we have a mining customer in Australia who will be introducing five autonomous Bell ADTs later in the year. Both these customers have chosen xtonomy as their preferred guidance system.”

xtonomy has had B30Es operating autonomously in the Alps since 2020 (photo courtesy of xtonomy/voestalpine)

Castle explains: “Providing autonomous-ready machines will be a part of our core business in the future, but in terms of sensing and guidance systems we decided that it makes more sense to partner with market leaders and innovators, as we do with drivetrain, hydraulics and electronics technologies in our trucks. Bell currently has two approved service providers, xtonomy, based in Europe, and Pronto AI in the United States, both of which can work with Bell customers from anywhere in the world.”

Xtonomy has had B30Es operating autonomously in the Alps since 2020. Pronto has established two test sites in the US, one at a Texas sand mine and another in Reno, Nevada, where three autonomously operated Bell B45Es and a Bell B50E are working in a quarry. In addition, it will soon be establishing a demo site in South America.

“As part of our strategy to enable interoperability between our ADTs and various control systems, so that customers have a choice of third-party suppliers, we have recently engaged with a third supplier and hope to begin testing this system later this year,” Castle adds.

The xtonomy and Pronto AI systems, although both autonomous, offer different benefits depending on a customer’s needs.

“Xtonomy has vast experience in the autonomous field with years of stable testing. It offers a complex radar-based system, which is less affected by inclement weather, but requires higher upfront costs and relies on the loading tool operator to manage the operation,” Castle says. However, the continuous site and object mapping, with minimal manual interaction, makes the system well-suited to multiple load and dump sites. In addition, the advanced in-cab display and supervision screens allow for easily integrated with other equipment on-site to provide a fully autonomous offering, according to Bell.

“Pronto AI, on the other hand, offers quick deployment with a much simpler, integrated system that has subscription-based pricing with minimal upfront costs,” Castle says. “Theirs is a camera system and the non-dynamic site and object detection require manual interactions. However, it is controlled by a user-friendly mobile app and routes can be easily changed by manually driving them. It is also possible to run this system over a private LTE network.”

He concluded: “The beauty of both systems is the flexibility they offer our customers. Bell provides a standard cab with no extra hardware taking up space to create an environment where manual, remote or autonomous operation is interchangeable. This means that once an ADT has finished a contract on an autonomous site, the sensory and control system can easily be removed and the truck either fitted with a new system for another site or be used in a manual operation.”

Bell B60E truck bridges the RDT, ADT divide

Bell Equipment says it is continuing to push new boundaries in the mining industry with its 60 t crossover concept, the B60E 4×4, having an impressive balance between off-road performance, productivity, and fuel economy.

Designed to provide a crossover of both rigid dump trucks (RDTs) and traditional ADTs, the B60E has a single rear axle instead of the more typical double axle while retaining the traditional ADT characteristics of all-wheel drive, and articulation steering with an oscillation joint, Bell says.

According to Bell Equipment Product Manager: ADTs, Nick Kyriacos, this gives the B60E far better capabilities in challenging conditions compared with RDTs.

“The oscillation joint keeps all the wheels in contact with the ground allowing for consistent all-wheel drive performance,” he said. “If an RDT fleet owner is looking for more flexibility or is forced to stop production due to unfavourable conditions, then the B60E is a great solution for them. The truck has operated side-by-side with rigid dump trucks on several sites where it has proven it capabilities. Additionally, customers running a mixed RDT and B60E fleet are able to standardise on one loading tool whilst retaining a high level of flexibility when deploying their equipment.”

In comparison with traditional ADTs, Kyriacos explains that there are customers who do not need the level of off-road ability that their three-axle ADT counterparts provide.

“In these cases, the B60E offers a level of productivity never seen before,” he said. “There is negligible tyre scuffing on the 4X4 ADTs, which is a major wear point for the middle and rear axles of three-axle trucks.

“Some of our leading customers have experienced the B60E achieving more than double the tyre life of their 6×6 counterparts in the same application. The B60E’s tyre life also exceeded that of similar sized rigid dump trucks in the same application by 60% due to a combination of its all-wheel drive configuration, whilst the oscillation tube ensures that all wheels maintain even contact with the ground along the entire haul cycle.”

Kyriacos added that the company has sold a number of B60s to ADT customers in various parts of the world who are running them successfully and noting the increased productivity and tyre life.

Far larger than a conventional ADT bin, the B60E’s flat-bottomed 35 cu.m body resembles a rigid-truck bin in its dimensions and geometry, according to Bell. This makes it fully compatible with existing loading equipment in mines and quarries and assures a 2:1-heap of coarse blasted material, Bell says.

“The shape additionally allows the loading tool to easily place bucket loads evenly within the bin for efficient loading, which is not possible in comparable ADTs in this size class,” it said.

The truck has proven its versatility on customer sites moving rock, ore, and sand over extended haul distances, according to Bell, managing short, steep gradients, tight turning circles and poor underfoot conditions during inclement weather.

“To date, the average fuel consumption of all B60Es ever sold is less than 24 litres per hour,” Kyriacos said. “Carrying a 55,000 kg payload per cycle at that fuel economy, coupled with the extended tyre life, the B60E achieves the Bell design philosophy by continuing to deliver lowest cost per tonne solutions.”

In addition to cost efficiencies related to economies of scale and a highly economical drivetrain, the B60E is loaded with safety features incorporated into the truck as standard, including Hill Assist, Safe Tip, downhill braking control and automatic traction control.

Other standard features include auto-greasing systems, rear-view camera, on-board diagnostics, and Bell Fleetm@tic® telematics with full production data reporting.

Bell ADTs benefitting from EU Stage V MTU Engines from Rolls-Royce

Bell Equipment, the articulated dump truck (ADT) specialist, recently received the first six Series 1000 – 1500 MTU engines from Rolls-Royce that meet the new EU Stage V emission standard, the engine specialist said.

The engines cover a power range from 170-430 kW.

The order had been preceded by a test phase of several years under the most adverse operating conditions in order to ensure the trucks would be guaranteed a reliable, cost-effective upgrade, according to Rolls-Royce. To this end, MTU’s off-road engine series were optimised to comply with the emission standard and a new exhaust aftertreatment system introduced.

In preparation for the more stringent emission requirements, Rolls-Royce had made two Stage V prototypes available to Bell for field trials in 2016 – a 260 kW MTU 6R 1000 engine and a 430 kW 6R 1500 were successfully tested in the hot, dusty climate of South Africa and for the tough conditions encountered at extreme altitudes of up to 3,000 m.

Bell and Rolls-Royce with the MTU brand have been working together closely since the 1990s, with Rolls-Royce not only the supplier of more than 1,000 MTU engines a year, but also the technology partner in all emission-related design and construction decisions – including the upgrading of the ADTs.

Stefan Rudert, Head of Sales and Application Engineering for Construction & Agriculture at MTU, said: “During the field trials, we accumulated an enormous amount of experience that goes way beyond any simulation on a test bench, since the real-life interplay between the engine and the vehicle affects the behaviour. Data obtained during the field tests, which we collected from sensors mounted on the engines was subsequently used in the configuration of the components.”

The new Stage V engines, which Bell will successively upgrade to, besides MTU’s current SCR exhaust technology, also include a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and a diesel particulate filter (DPF), with all components installed in a compact one-box solution behind the driver’s cab, according to the company.

“Another positive aspect of the new emissions technology is that it reduces fuel consumption,” the company said. “To prepare for the upgrade to the new emission regulation, Rolls-Royce had around 100 MTU engines undergoing trials with various vehicle manufacturers.

“In total, over 110,000 operating hours were accumulated as a result, with individual engines running non-stop for more than 4,000 hours. Since the trials had started at an early stage, the MTU engines were certified in accordance with the EU Stage V regulations by mid-2018, marketable and ready for series production.”