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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developed problems after the mine began using larger trucks. "The subgrade wouldn't stand up to the big trucks and would even shift," he said. "The road became almost impassable." Alternative Approach The Vermeer Terrain Leveler SEM pro- vides solutions to most of these issues. Miedecke became aware of the machine while looking for an answer to a common problem: how to deal with oversized material near the surface of a road that needs rehabilitating. Typically, dozers are used to extract the large rocks. Miedecke thought if that material could be broken up and incorpo- rated into the surface materials, the road would be structurally stronger. There are additional benefits when the particle size distribution is improved in that the dusty fine particles are held longer and the road will require less water to maintain dust levels. The Terrain Leveler SEM offered that capability. The machine has a cutting drum that operates with a top-down motion, which allows the cutter teeth to penetrate without using the machine's tractive effort to drive the teeth into the rock. As the unit travels backward and the drum rotates, the teeth on top of the drum advance over the top of the unbroken material surface. The technique pro- motes greater operational efficiency as more horsepower goes into cutting rock and less into moving the machine. Better Outcome One project in particular proved to Proof Engineers the value of the sur- face excavation machine. In 2013, Proof Engineers was part of a rehab project at a South African coal mine where more than 60% of the haul roads were on coal benches. 48 E&MJ; • DECEMBER 2015 www.e-mj.com H A U L R O A D S COMPANY PROFILE-PAID ADVERTISEMENT Proof Engineers has used the Vermeer T1255III Terrain Leveler SEM, which can cut an area up to 68.6 cm (27 in.) deep and 3.7 m (12.1 ft) wide in a single pass. BinMaster Level Controls were developed to eliminate the dangerous and cumbersome task of climbing bins, tanks and silos to manually check the level of material in them. The com- pany offers a wide variety of level sensors that can be used in all types of solid materials, including very fine, dusty powders like alumina, silica and all types of sand, as well as rock, aggregates and coarse lump materials such as coal. BinMaster products are designed to be rugged, simple to install and operate, require minimal maintenance, and be long lasting with a low cost of ownership. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, BinMaster is an ISO 9001:2008 certified com- pany that designs and manufactures reliable, solid-state point and continuous bin level indi- cators and inventory management systems. In the mining industry, rotary level indicators and tilt switches are popular point level indicators, while SmartBobs and the 3DLevelScanner are favorites when it comes to inventory manage- ment. All of BinMaster's products are designed to enhance safety and save time while improv- ing inventory management. These sensors are cost effective and help optimize storage capac- ity, preventing empty conditions and overfilling to keep plants operating efficiently. SmartBob is a proven, highly reliable and accurate inventory management system for monitoring all types of solid materials for one or an entire network of bins, tanks and silos. Working like an automated tape measure, the rugged SmartBob2 sensor is for bins up to 180' tall. Mounted on the top of the bin, a weighted cable drops to the material surface to take a precise measurement and then sends measurement data to a console, eBob PC- based software, directly to a PLC, or to BinView for Internet-based access. Options include models for high or super-high temperatures, measuring submersed solids, and wireless communications. The BinMaster 3DLevelScanner utilizes continuous, non-contact level measurement using dust-penetrating technology to provide unsurpassed bin volume accuracy. It works by measuring multiple points within the silo. This advanced acoustics-based technology is proven to perform in powders, sand, ores and aggre- gates contained in tanks, silos and domes. Its unique 3-D mapping capabilities provide a visual representation of bin contents, detecting irregular material surfaces, as well as sidewall buildup. It is self-cleaning, requires minimal maintenance and features a variety of exten- sions and configurations to allow it to be used in a wide range of challenging applications. BinMaster Level Controls 7201 N 98 th St. Lincoln, NE 68507 USA 402-434-9102 / 800-278-4241 www.binmaster.com info@binmaster.com BinMaster