Engineering & Mining Journal

DEC 2015

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Poor blasting controls and uneven topography made those roads difficult to construct and maintain. They had very slow haul velocities and were rough and dirty. Proof Engineers tried two ways to make the road better. One used two bulldozers with rippers to break the coal, and then the machines track rolled the coal to crush the larger pieces. After that a grader shaped the road. Finally, haul trucks compacted the material. They improved the quality of the road, but it was very resource- and time-consuming. The other method involved a Vermeer T1255III Terrain Leveler SEM, which could mill the coal in situ. It exceeded the productivity of the two large bulldozers by a considerable degree, and the particle size distribu- tion was better and had less oversized particles. "It was a faster process, which ended up with a better outcome for the client," Miedecke said. Truck travel speeds were about 50% higher than both the traditional con- struction method and the one using bulldozers. In this instance, it also took less than half the time to grade and shape the road with the SEM than it did with the bulldozers. Miedecke said the Terrain Leveler SEM also produces a suitable particle size distribution in one pass, whether it's cutting large boulders or coal. The bulldozer operation, by comparison, took four passes and then still had to track roll the coal. Other Benefits Miedecke has identified several other benefits in using the Terrain Leveler SEM. One is a reduction in the traditional 11-action process of producing road surface material. The surface excava- tion machine eliminates several of those steps, including drill and blast, crushing and stockpiling, and the haul- ing of in situ material for processing. The machine also helps with the issue of material falling from haul trucks, which affects maintenance of roads. "By milling the surface with the Terrain Leveler SEM—and it might only be for 300 millimeters deep—you'll be mixing up the material, maybe intro- ducing some fresh coarse material," Miedecke said. "It mills it through, and then you've got a good particle size distribution in the surface material again and you've negated the issue of those fines." The Terrain Leveler SEM also is ver- satile. Proof Engineers uses it for haul road construction and maintenance, but it also can mine ore. Miedecke noted it's been shown to be proficient at surface mining thin seams that drill- and-blast methods often cannot. "I could see if you had a Terrain Leveler SEM on-site, when it's not doing work associated with haul roads, there's plenty of opportunities for it to be min- ing those particularly difficult areas, especially in coal mining," he said. DECEMBER 2015 • E&MJ; 49 www.e-mj.com H A U L R O A D S Measure Irregular Surfaces with Accuracy BINVENTORY TM LEVEL CONTROLS 402-434-9102 www.binmaster.com • info@binmaster.com ©2015 BinMaster, Lincoln, NE 68507 USA • Low frequency acoustic sensor works in the dustiest environments • Non-contact technology eliminates risk of equipment damage • No climbing bins or tape measurements make your workplace safer /HYHODQGYROXPHGDWDLVVHQWWR\RXU3/&RU3;&LQ;\RXURI¿FH • Dust resistant sensor works reliably with very little maintenance • Systems for one bin or 100s of bins, one location or corporate wide Understanding Inventory Accuracy Free White Paper Real-Time Data Proven in all types of materials like frack sand, alumina powder, lump coal & clinker, limestone and many others! Sand, aggregates, rock and other minerals tend to pile irregularly in bins, tanks or silos. This makes inventory accuracy challenging, especially if you're using a single- point level measurement device. The 3DLevelScanner measure multiple points, mapping the material surface, to ensure your inventory is accurate.

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