Engineering & Mining Journal

AUG 2017

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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40 E&MJ; • AUGSUT 2017 www.e-mj.com For better or worse, Industry 4.0 has un- leashed a race among the companies that service the mining sector to innovate based on real-time data and with a view of the automated mines of tomorrow. In the tire space, that means increased focus on field results for products, now captured by em- bedded sensors and streamed by satellite to support teams and business coordina- tors. Live data mandates prompt responses, both in the field and on the drawing board. Manufacturers said there are numerous advantages to be gained from the instant notifications and burgeoning databases. They also said it is challenging to keep up with the pace of change it mandates. "With technology and the way the equipment keeps changing, and trying to keep up with everything, you almost have to keep adding to your tire line," said Gary Pompo, manag- er, field technical services, BKT. The latest tire releases promise to in- crease the life of the tire by reducing heat and improving its resilience. Manufactur- ers and solutions suppliers back these promises with live data from test sites and the field. That ability has enabled them to also offer data management solu- tions. And that data can tell a miner more than just the air pressure of an exact tire at any given second. A few examples of such products and solutions follow. New Compounds and Red Zones Earlier this year, Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) introduced a new off-the-road (OTR) mining tire. It is one of three new tires the company debuted within a year or so. Each is for a specific application. What they all share is improved features over predeces- sor technologies, the BKT warranty and potential use in surface mines. The 23.5R25 BKT SR 31, E-3/L-3, steel radial OTR tire was designed for long haul, articulated dump trucks and wheel loaders. It represents an update to existing technology in response to customer de- mands. "They were asking for a tire with a little bit different tread compound, a little bit more lug solidarity, to give them a bet- ter ride and a better life," Pompo said. He described it as a "good quality" tire. BKT described it as featuring a supe- rior cut-resistant tread compound for in- creased chip and chunk resistance. That tread is described as a "unique design for reduced vibration and excellent riding comfort," the company reported. The com- pounding "results in cooler running for ex- ceptional performance and reliability." Proprietary compounds and lug design enable the tire to "run cooler, and still be able to handle whatever they are running over," Pompo said. The SR 31 "is a multipurpose tire," Pompo said. However, it is designed for articulating dump trucks, the use of which is on the rise, he said. Field testing for the tire is reported- ly going well. "We're seeing tires fitted in different areas," Pompo said. The tire is too new to categorically declare its ex- pected overall life, he said. "I'm estimat- ing the tires to do 6,000 hours." The 27.00R49 SR 46 is a high-perfor- mance steel radial OTR tire designed for rigid haul trucks. The company described it as a response to "severe rocky, abrasive and harsh mining environments." The tire features a square shoulder design that "pushes loose stones aside to protect the sidewall," BKT stated. All-steel cas- ing and belts provide "protection against shock, fatigue and flats," the literature stated. The "lug blocks and circumfer- ential groove maximize cornering ability with minimal tread face damage." In the field, "it is doing a very impres- sive job," Pompo said. "The tire is per- forming very well in rock conditions." Currently, the tire is being tested at gold mines, gypsum and stone quarries. "The tires look extremely well and show very little signs of wear," Pompo said. The data-driven estimate puts the projected life at around 7,500 to 8,500 hours. Kal Tire is rolling out a new version of the Tire Managemen System, which is expected to go paperless and integrate data from GPS and other technologies. Above, inventory at a site supported by Kal Tire. (Photo: Kal Tire) MINING TIRES MINING TIRES By Jesse Morton, Technical Writer track performance in real time and double as consultants Tire manufacturers and solutions suppliers now offer technologies that allow them to as Suppliers Crunch Data From Afar New OTR Tires to Run Cooler, Longer

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