Mining Equipment
This group seeks to assist the mining industry by providing expert opinion and advice on mechanical maintenance and related productivity issues as well as undertaking equipment Research and Development.
Group Objectives
- Selection and management of mining equipment.
- Maximising the availability and utilisation.
- Developing novel solutions for equipment related problems.
Group Leader
Dr Mahinda Kuruppu: m.kuruppu@curtin.edu.au
Current Projects
The areas of research are:
- Optimising maintenance of mining equipment
- Novel mining equipment
- Non-destructive testing of wire ropes
Optimising maintenance of mining equipment
It has been found that nearly 50 percent of the costs of a typical open-pit mining operation are maintenance related. The objective of the maintenance function is to minimise the overall operating cost while improving the reliability of equipment. Our research focuses on improving the availability and reliability using predictive maintenance methods such as vibration monitoring; helping the mines to manage maintenance information derived from on-board computers, despatch control systems and others; and benchmarking of equipment availability, reliability and utilisation.
The conveying angle of a standard belt conveyor is restricted to less than 18-21 degrees. However, a steep angle conveyor (SAC) can move material up any slope, including vertical lift. These conveyors can be successfully used for transporting blocky ore that has gone through an in-pit crusher in deep open-pit mines. It is an attractive alternative to truck haulage as the diesel truck haulage cost increases dramatically with the depth. WASM has developed a pilot plant of a bucket-type SAC in a joint venture with a mining research institute in China. The objectives of the ongoing research are: (a) Further developing the SAC option for open pit material haulage (b) Develop a Matlab-based mathematical model to design and construct field prototypes of SAC using the pilot conveyor performance characteristics.
WA School of Mines is also in the process of developing a high-angle monorail transport system suitable for use in narrow vein mining.
Non-destructive testing of ropes
Mining regulatory authorities mandate regular inspection of winder ropes in shaft-equipped underground mines. In addition to visual inspection, electromagnetic or permanent magnet-based methods are used to identify wear of rope wires made of steel which is a ferromagnetic material. This research involves the in-situ testing of wire ropes in mines using a state-of-the-art rope tester in order to determine the extent of wire breaks, surface wear and other faults that cause loss of strength of ropes. Such decisions are particularly difficult to make due to the inherent noise associated with sensor signals and the detection of 'significant' defects has been a classical problem. This research project provides support for mining companies to do reliable inspections of the condition of winder ropes.
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