One of Transmin’s latest Bonfiglioli driven feeder hoppers is earning its worth at an iron ore operation where it is being fed by wheel loaders depositing 45 t bucket loads into the reclaimer hopper, after which it is transported at 2,500 t/h onto a stock yard conveyor.
The low-profile relocatable machines feature custom-engineered Bonfiglioli combination Trasmital planetary and HDO helical bevel drives that achieve high torque densities in a compact space, with a rugged capacity to cope with the shock and impact of intermittent loads, according to Bonfiglioli.
“Their reliability is further enhanced by alignment-free design and integrated heat protection,” the company said.
On the iron ore stockyard application, Phil Gilbert, Trasmin’s Director – Capital Sales and Business Development, said: “The whole reclaim hopper assembly in this instance weighed approximately 90 tons (82 t) when loaded onto the articulated heavy vehicle, mounted on a skid frame so the unit can be moved to other locations in the future if required.”
To facilitate the move and achieve compact performance, the system also incorporated a standalone electrical control system and an over-band tramp metal magnet located above the feeding conveyor belt to achieve a lower space requirement, according to Bonfiglioli.
To achieve 2,500 t/h, this particular machine is driven by a 150 kW electric motor driving a Bonfiglioli Trasmital 318L1 planetary and Australian-assembled HDO 130 helical bevel drive. This locally engineered unit – which drew on the expertise of Bonfiglioli’s Customer Application Engineering facility working with direction from Transmin’s specialist Engineering Division – achieves a final ratio of 186,357:1, delivering 193 kW at 1,500 rpm, with 188,790 Nm rated torque at 50°C (220 MW and 320,000 Nm maximum torque).
Bonfiglioli Western Australian Manager, Fred Whalley, said: “The helical and planetary drives are combined to extract the best performance characteristics of each type, so they can be integrated into a high performance, high torque density, optimum reliability compact unit that is further enhanced by forced cooling.”
Gilbert said the Bonfiglioli unit was selected for this job because of a combination of advantages, including competitive cost, good delivery times, reliability ̶ “and an ongoing relationship we have with them, part of which is the excellent service we receive from sales through to back-up on site if required,” he said.