Tag Archives: haulage and loading

WA gold mine looks for payload boost in Austin Ultima truck body trial

One of Western Australia’s key gold mines is trialling Austin Engineering’s new Ultima truck bodies on several of the operation’s 240 t haul trucks as it looks to optimise and maximise its haulage fleet payloads.

The trial has the potential to be converted into a fleet-wide body upgrade, according to Austin, continuing a program that started in 2014 when the engineering company fitted its JEC bodies and increased payload by more than 20 t/load at the operation.

The new Ultima body (pictured on a truck) will take the payload up to 240 t/load and further maximise the haul fleet’s availability and productivity, Austin said.

Going back to the previous payload increase program, the JEC bodies were fitted to the haul fleet after the mine identified a series of production-oriented challenges – including weight of the OEM bodies, the high cost of maintaining the bodies (and subsequent non-availability of the haul truck) and non-achievement of target payloads – impacting on performance and productivity of the load-haul fleet, according to Austin.

Initially 11 bodies were ordered and ultimately the mine’s load-haul fleet was retrofitted.

The customised bodies lifted payload capacity to 230 t/load – an increase of around 20 t/load over the OEM bodies – an outcome of the weight differential between the OEM tray and the JEC body. “Along with increased payload, the body change-out improved haul fleet availability and performance – the result of less frequent unscheduled body repairs, an outcome of the replaceable floor in the JEC body, which eliminated the need for heavy, maintenance-intensive wear line plates,” Austin said.

Now, with the trial progressing, the long-serving JEC units are in line to be replaced by the Ultima bodies which, due to further advances in the payload capacity vs body weight equation, will lift payload to 240 t/load and still meet all OEM dump truck specifications, according to Austin.

“The Ultima haul truck body has the potential to be a significant gamechanger in haul fleet operation due to its advanced steel and design technologies,” Austin said. “A lighter-weight module design, it features improved structural integrity for superior impact and wear resistance, extended fatigue life and lower maintenance costs – all targeted to maximised payload, improved cycle efficiency and significantly reduced total cost of ownership.”

A ‘V’ profile floor, designed to actively channel the load to the centre of the tray, improves machine stability and safety, according to Austin. The floor design also reduces dump cycle times (empty is achieved at 3/4 tipping).

Although the new tray is lighter and stronger than current OEM bodies – which translates to a 10-15% weight saving without sacrificing payload – its design reduces overall tray wear, which significantly increases availability and improves productivity of the mine’s load-haul cycle, Austin said.

The miner’s expectation of the Ultima body is for 240 t/load and, according to the manufacturer, when matched with the appropriate loading tool – such as the 32 m³ bucket on the mine’s shovel excavator – this load figure will be consistently and efficiently achieved.

Just as it did for the JEC units, Austin will maintain a condition monitoring program for the new bodies and advise the mine on any maintenance issues, it said.

The miner is also using Austin bodies in other operations around the world. Specialised hauler bodies have been customised to add significant value and reduce operational costs in underground mining operations, it said.

Metso Truck Body hits the heights at Terrafame Sotkamo mine

Metso may have only just released its new Metso Truck Body, but it has already proven its worth during tests at Terrafame’s multi-metal mine in Sotkamo, Finland.

The mine has been the first one in the world to test the Metso-designed, light-weight body, which can hold almost nine tonnes more payload, improving the efficiency of the mine’s hauling operations.

As an added benefit, the rubber lining of the body cuts the perceived noise in half during loading and significantly reduces vibration.

Metso officially launched the new truck body at the Bauma fair, in Munich, earlier this month.

Esa-Tapani Leinonen, Head of Mining Department at the Terrafame Sotkamo mine, said: “The experience we’ve had during the first few months of testing the body is positive. The capacity and the durability of the body match Metso’s promises. Higher payload and driver comfort are both top priorities for us. The feedback from the drivers has been very positive.

“Metso seems to have done a great job in designing this light-weight body. Despite the higher, 325-t total load, the elevated rear flange manages to keep the boulders on-board without problems,” he continued.

The rubber-lined, light-weight body was installed on Terrafame’s oldest haul truck, a Hitachi EH3500, in December 2018. Prior to installation, the truck already had an impressive track record of 50,000 hours of operation, according to Metso. The new body hauled its first loads from the Kuusilampi open pit just before Christmas.

The mine’s truck fleet is in operation 24/7. Currently, the ore is loaded from the 60-m-deep pit on to the trucks with a Caterpillar 910 Series excavator. One truck drives approximately 40 rounds in a day, equivalent to around 6,500 t of payload.

Timo Sarvijärvi, Head of Mining Sales, Metso Finland, said: “A light weight without compromising durability was our driver in designing the Metso Truck Body. During the test period, we are keeping track of the hauled tonnage and collecting driver feedback.

“In addition to the higher payload, the body is lighter to carry when empty, which further increases cost efficiency. Moreover, we have recorded a reduction of around 10 dB in the noise level on a rubber-lined standard body, which means that rubber is 50% quieter compared to steel. We expect at least a similar reduction in the Terrafame trial.”

Kristiina Karjalainen, Haul Truck Driver at the Sotkamo mine, was among the first drivers to have tested the new Metso Truck Body. She said: “The new rubber-lined truck body has indeed cut noise significantly. Now the loading sounds I hear in my cabin resemble more of a whiz than a loud rumble. There’s been a noticeable reduction in vibration as well.”

According to Karjalainen, the first 40-t bucket load has always been the hardest for the driver. After that, the rock bed smoothes out the noise.

“The side shields of the new light-weight body work as they should, too, protecting the side view mirrors from falling boulders. I would definitely like to see a rubber-lined body installed on truck number 10, the one that I usually drive,” she added.

The Terrafame Sotkamo multi-metal mine, which produces nickel, zinc, copper and cobalt, reached its intended production level during last year. Yet, there’s plenty of material left to haul, with the mine recently applying for a permit to process 18 Mt of ore and 45 Mt of overburden annually.

Esa-Tapani Leinonen said: “In 2021, the amount of overburden to excavate will double, as we proceed with the Kuusilampi pit expansion and remove the large layer of rock covering the orebody.

“Before that, we will have to rethink the responsibilities and the composition of both our own as well as our contractor’s hauling processes. As the amount of hauled material grows, maintaining cost efficiency throughout our truck operations becomes more and more important.”

Bis’ Rexx 20-wheel dump truck impresses at Glencore’s Murrin Murrin mine

Bis Industries says its “revolutionary” new mining haul truck has delivered outstanding results in trials at Glencore’s Murrin Murrin nickel mine in the north-eastern Goldfields of Western Australia.

Known as Rexx, the dual powered 20-wheel dump truck has been designed with a range of features specifically incorporated to deliver savings to Bis customers, the company said. Rexx has more than four times the range of conventional dump trucks, outstanding manoeuvrability, operator comfort and maintainability plus on demand power that lowers fuel consumption, according to Bis.

Bis CEO Brad Rogers said the testing at Murrin Murrin mine has been carried out in `real-life’ operating conditions and the results to date indicated Rexx had the capacity to deliver up to a 30% reduction in operating costs compared with conventional dump trucks. These savings will be delivered to miners as part of Bis’ integrated haulage solution, it added.

Rogers said one area of the savings that could be passed on to Bis customers in haulage costs was average fuel use by Rexx, which was around half the fuel consumed by equivalent competing dump trucks.

“The fuel savings are a direct consequence of Rexx being designed with patented on-demand power that lowers fuel consumption,” the company said. “The vehicle has the capacity to carry enough fuel for at least two 12-h shifts, eliminating downtime needed for refuelling.”

Rogers said Rexx had been designed in-house by the Bis engineering team while the construction had used the talent of Western Australian tradespeople.“In Rexx we have a game changing work horse that showcases Australian innovation,” he said.

For example, the steering system enables an industry leading turning circle of just 13.5 m, allowing Rexx to manoeuvre easily in smaller spaces, the company said.

With an eye to industry trends, Rexx had also been designed and built to be easily retrofitted for autonomous operations with features including steering sensors, stability control sensors and a futuristic in-cab console, Rogers said. The console provides the operator with real-time data including pressure monitoring on all tyres and sensors for detecting bin tipping, engineering operation and payload.

Mining Manager at Murrin Murrin, David Ayres, said: “We were thrilled to be involved with Bis on this exciting project. Outside of autonomous systems, there haven’t been many major fundamental design changes in the rigid-frame off-highway game in a long time.

“The Bis design offers the ability to haul directly from pit-to-plant from a much longer distance, without the need for the re-handle step, which should save costs and reduce ore loss/dilution. Rexx solves a niche haul-distance equation,” he said.

Rexx has sparked significant interest from major miners both internationally and within Australia and a series of demonstrations are now being staged with interested customers, Bis said.