Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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VDMA dle. Air hoists require an operating air pressure of 4 or 6 bar, with its Profi series able to run on oil-free air, so reducing any emissions impact. JDN products designed specifically for mining and other underground applications include the M-series air hoists. These operate off 4 bar pressure and can be supplied in lift capacities of 1, 2, 3 and 6 mt. Twin chain pulls are provided for alternate working, and all hoists feature a top hook mounting to accommodate oblique or horizontal load-pulling. These hoists can be equipped with two optional control systems for single- or two-handed operation, the company says. Its Profi TI series hoists are also suitable for use underground and operate off air pressures of 4 or 6 bar, with hydraulically operated units also available. With lift capacities of up up 100 mt, these can be fitted to traverse monorail trolleys for lifting up to 20 mt. Suited for applications in hazardous areas, as defined under EC regulations, versions are available with both standard and enhanced spark protection. Betek's TungStuds Prove Effective in New Zealand Betek GmbH & Co. KG specializes in supplying tungsten-carbide cutting tools to the mining and construction industries, and for this edition of Best of Germany has chosen to highlight an application using its TungStuds. The company points out that effective wear protection for machinery, transport vehicles and tooling systems is an important issue that can be solved in a number of different ways. However, poor wear protection can lead to shorter operating times, high repair costs and expensive breakdowns. To help overcome this, TungStuds—little wear studs with a core of its tungsten carbide—can provide a very costeffective solution, Betek suggests. TungStuds are easy to weld on to wear-susceptible machine parts, and are also easy to replace without destroying the part, Betek says. They come in various sizes, and are suitable for any type of mining machinery, as well as on vehicles. They have already proven themselves in a variety of wear-intensive applications, and were recently tested in particularly harsh conditions in a coal mine in New Zealand. With a production of 3.8 million mt/y—about 85% of the country's total output—Solid Energy is New Zealand's largest mining company. New Zealand's coal is very popular because of its high quality, TungStuds dramatically cut wear on this excavator bucket, Betek says. VDMA 54 and is exported to China, Japan and India for use mainly in steelmaking. Located on the west coast of South Island, Solid Energy's Stockton opencast is the largest in New Zealand, and although the coal here is easily accessible, other factors—such as the weather— play an important role in the mine's operation. The plateau around Stockton is characterized by a sub-alpine climate with extremely high rainfall and periods of hard frost. Taken together with geological challenges like the very hard sandstone overburden at the mine, this means that the mining equipment there— excavators and dozers—has to work under very tough conditions indeed. The ground engineering contractor at Stockton, Geotech, began trials on TungStuds in early 2012. The local Betek representative, Hard Metal Industries, which distributes Betek tool systems in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, supplied both BTS05 and BTS08 TungStuds, which were taken to the mine and welded on to a Komatsu PC1250 bucket that had been selected for the tests. Betek reports that this excavator has to handle rock pieces up to 1m3 in size. Since the TungStuds were installed on its bucket, it has worked trouble-free in very hard rock, clocking over 1,000 hours without the need to change a single TungStud. At that stage, the company added, the TungStuds protecting the bucket edges still had 75% of their initial height, with Geotech planning to install them on the bucket sides as well, at the excavator's next scheduled service. Erlau: New Concepts in Tire Protection This year, Erlau AG celebrates 70 years of producing tire-protection chains. Since 1943, when it adapted its snow-chain technology for use on pneumatic-tired loaders shovels, the company has established itself as a world-leading supplier of tire-protection and traction chains. As examples of its ongoing research and innovation, Aalenbased Erlau says that its top innovations during 2012 were its fully patented Easylock and Sideflex. Traditionally, the free ends of the tire-protection chain mesh are joined with a set of open-ended "Omega" rings, the open ends of which are closed by a hasp held in place by hammering home a pair of steel pins. This exercise is not without its dangers: as well as bruised fingers and hands, the installer risks injury from flying steel fragments. When it comes to removing the chain, corrosion will invariably have locked up the pins, with the only solution being to use flame-cutting equipment. Not only is this laborious and turns the rings into scrap, but using a live flame against rubber tires contravenes health and safety regulations. Erlau says that Easylock does away with pins, hammers and flame-cutting, and wastes no components. Using an integral locking device embedded in the hasp, Easylock is quickly secured and The Sideflex system from Erlau helps reduce truck tire damage. VDMA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2013