Tag Archives: Bridgestone

Zero emission haul truck developments on the IMARC 2023 agenda

Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , ,

IMARC 2023 is off to a bang, with two of the first keynote interviews – featuring speakers from Fortescue and BHP – kicking off what is expected to be a constant flurry of mining technology news.

During a Mining Keynote Interview, titled, ‘The Reshaping of the Fortescue Business: A Showcase of the Past, Present and Future of the Mining and Resources’ Industry,’ Dino Otranto (pictured on the right), CEO of Fortescue, talked up the mining company’s ‘Real Zero’ terrestrial emissions (Scope 1 and 2) 2030 aim.

Speaking to Jennifer Hewett (pictured on the left), National Affairs Columnist, The Australian Financial Review, Otranto highlighted the recent arrival of the first 240-t-class Liebherr Mining T 264 trucks at its Eliwana iron ore mining site in the Pilbara of Western Australia, which is expected to be converted to Fortescue’s in-house battery solution developed by WAE in the near term.

Looking further out, Otranto said the company’s first zero emission fleet at Eliwana was expected to be “on parity” with the diesel haulage equivalent from a cost and productivity perspective. “In the future, they could be even more productive,” he added.

Fortescue is currently working on a number of “zero emission” solutions across its mining operations – battery-electric and green hydrogen, among them – and Otranto said the company was confident that the electric powertrain is “the future”, with the system that generates the power to supply this being “agnostic”.

“In the future, we will not be beholden by the OEM and a single product,” he said, explaining that the captive energy source tied to where the resources and reserves were located would play a crucial role in the chosen system.

Soon after Otranto left the stage, Hewett was joined by James Agar, Group Procurement Officer at BHP, for another keynote interview, titled ‘The Importance of Supplier and Community Partnerships to Create Value’.

Agar was quick to pick up from where Otranto left off, referencing the company’s own zero-emission haulage plans, which included the expected rollout of a zero emissions truck at its operations next year. The company has previously signalled that a Cat Early Learner battery truck could come arrive for trials at its operations in 2024.

Alongside this, Agar referenced ongoing work with Bridgestone and Michelin related to battery-electric haul truck developments.

“We have realised that if we reduce the rolling resistance of tyres by 1-2%, it can have a big impact on battery life,” he said. “Equally, these trucks are going to be able to travel at faster speeds, so tyre life will be affected. This is another area we are studying.”

Bridgestone launches new rigid dump truck tyre and real-time monitoring system

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , ,

Bridgestone has launched a new rigid dump truck tyre along with a real-time tyre monitoring system at the AGG1 Aggregates Academy & Expo in Nashville, Tennessee.

Its 3-star rigid dump truck tyre is an expansion of its 24.00R35 product portfolio, a line-up specially developed for mid-sized rigid dump trucks to carry hefty loads on flat terrain, often at quarries and mines.

The new tyre delivers 8% greater payload capacity along with a deeper tread depth to provide excellent tyre wear and improved traction, the company said. Additionally, the tyre provides a high resistance to cuts and heat as trucks transfer larger hauls between long distances at high speeds.

Rob Seibert, President, Off-The-Road Tires, Bridgestone Americas, said: “As demand continues to strengthen in the construction and quarry segments, we remain dedicated to helping maximise productivity for our customers by pairing intelligent products with best-in-class services and integrated technology solutions. We are meeting growing industry demand with a superior product that features new technology and enhanced performance to optimise productivity.”

Bridgestone is scheduled to begin production on the new 24.00R35 rigid dump truck tyre with an all-new traction pattern in late 2022, followed by a new hard-rock pattern.

The company’s real-time tyre monitoring system, IntelliTire, is now being offered for 49 in or smaller applications. The system uses stem-mounted flow-through external sensors, in addition to internal sensors, to provide critical real-time data such as tyre inflation pressure and temperature to continually monitor the health of each tyre throughout its lifecycle. Transmitting sensor details through a cloud-based system, IntelliTire uses advanced and predictive algorithms to analyse data and issue alerts and customised reports to fleet operators.

With its robust smart fleet management technology, IntelliTire allows operators to proactively address tyre issues with automated task lists, increase technician productivity with digital inspections and reporting, and mitigate unplanned maintenance to help reduce downtime and improve driver safety.

Bridgestone to display world’s largest mining truck tyre at Bauma

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , ,

Bridgestone says it will present a selection of its premium and innovative range of tyres, industrial products and targeted solutions developed specially for the mining and construction industries at the upcoming Bauma fair in Munich, Germany.

The company is renowned for producing premium quality tyres for everything from bicycles to aircraft, including the world’s largest mining trucks. One of these 4-m-tall tyres, the largest in the world, will be on display at the Bridgestone stand on April 8-14. It will be joined by a number of other tyres, including brand-new products:

  • VSDL Loader tyre 33/65R29 – the first wheeled-loader tyre to combine the benefits of the super-wide-base 65 series with the deep Bridgestone VSDL tread pattern. “It delivers a new level of dynamic stability and low ground pressure, while retaining the resistance to cuts and damage,” Bridgestone said, and;
  • VLTS ADT tyre – Only recently launched, this tyre was specifically developed for the 60 t ADT from Volvo Construction Equipment. “The tread is even deeper than the VLT E3 tyre, delivering truly incredible traction as well as the strength and reliability Bridgestone is famous for,” the company said.

Other tyres to be displayed will represent the highly varied range of tyres Bridgestone provides for construction machinery and construction vehicles, building-material machines, mining machines, and other construction equipment, Bridgestone said.

Bridgestone’s stand will present rubber tracks, pads, hydraulic hose, cabin and engine mounts, in addition to having technology on show that falls under the Firestone brand.

This included:

  • Firestone Airmount – This air spring is adjustable. This allows users to meet the demands of loads that range in weight by hundreds or thousands of kilos, and to maintain a level surface even as loads shift. They offer excellent vibration isolation;
  • Firestone Marsh Mellow – Marsh Mellow fabric-reinforced rubber cylinders are virtually indestructible, according to the company, do not need to be inflated with air and still protect systems from the effects of structurally transmitted vibrations. They are perfectly suited for use on equipment such as vibrating screens, acting as passive isolators at a standard beyond that of steel springs.

Bridgestone has also developed digital solutions that maximise the potential of these products, making the most of the digital technology that is being increasingly integrated into vehicles and machinery to increase productivity, decrease downtime, maximise operational potential and minimise the risks to personal safety. Part of the Total Tyre Care approach, two specific solutions will be presented at BAUMA:

  • Tirematics TPMS – The first tyre pressure monitoring system to focus primarily on fleet pressure measurements for individual machines. It stops vehicles from running on under-inflated tyres, a trend that almost all fleets are guilty of. Automated pressure checks identify what work is needed without the interruptions and downtime that result from physical checks or damage to under-inflated tyres;
  • FleetPulse – A mobile and web application designed to help fleet customers maximise the health and performance of vehicles, while improving uptime and reducing total cost of ownership and digitising operations. At the same time, FleetPulse helps in reaching the high compliance and safety standards required in the industrial world.

FleetPulse consists of vehicle checklists that the driver performs, tyre-pressure measurements performed by Tirematics technology and scheduling to resolve defects, as arranged by the Fleet or Maintenance Manager.

The data FleetPulse gathers is consolidated to offer insights into the operation of a fleet, ranging from validation of maintenance/repairs to data extraction to ensure compliance.