Tyre Maintenance of Mine Machinery

The performance of machinery and their availability plays a major role in the productivity and output of a mine. For this reason, every aspect of the machines should be properly maintained. The tyres of these machines are what keeps the machine in contact with the ground and bears the weight of the machine. While tyres for mining machinery are designed to withstand a beating, incorrect maintenance can reduce lifetime of the tyres, or ultimately lead to catastrophic accidents. Therefore, the proper maintenance of the tyres is as important as the maintenance of any other component of the machine.

Handling large tyres of the gigantic mine machinery is not an easy task. Even a simple task such as changing the tyre is difficult and results in a considerable amount of downtime. Therefore the best strategy in this case is preventive maintenance. This means checking tyre inflation daily, ensuring that valve caps are on, checking tread depth and removing stones and other debris lodged between the treads.

changing tyres is a difficult task

When it comes to daily maintenance, the first thing that comes to mind is the inflation pressure. Both over-inflation and under-inflation are detrimental to the tyre, and therefore, it must be ensured that the inflation pressure lies within the accepted limits. It should be noted that when running the machine the tyre pressure increases by about 10-20 percent. Therefore, this must be taken in to account when setting inflation pressure bounds. Tyres kept in good condition with the proper inflation will last longer and perform better.

External conditions of the mine also affect the tires. The road condition for example is what determines how fast the tyres will wear out. While it is not practical to maintain spotless roads, roads should be kept clear of scattered rocks and sharp pits as driving over these can cause a crack in the rubber, and subsequent running will cause it to propagate and destroy the tyre. Therefore clearing fallen debris off the roads and maintaining the road surface is also a part of tire maintenance. Wet rubber cuts better. therefore it is best to avoid wet road conditions. While most haul roads in mines are watered regularly to minimize dust, it must be ensured that the roads don't get too wet.

Bad road conditions can cause cracks to develop

The handling of the machines and their usage are two other areas that need to be considered. Driving too fast, especially in the case of dump trucks can cause several types of tire damage. In the case of heavy machinery used in mines, a combined parameter combining both speed and weight is assigned to tyres. This parameter is called the TKPH rating (Ton Kilometer per Hour). The TKPH rating should be considered when selecting and using tyres. When loading dump trucks, they should be loaded symmetrically so that the load is distributed over tyres equally. asymmetric loading can cause uneven wear and later result in more severe damages. It should also be noted that shear forces generated when steering the trucks while stationary at the loading points could cause ruptures in the tyres.

When dealing with damaged tyres, it is always best to attend to it them at the start of the problem. Neglecting small faults like cracks and running with them can cause these small faults to quickly propagate and result in serious and irreversible damage. When a crack appears it can be removed altogether by cutting around it. This however has to be done with proper equipment and knowledge of the tyre. When replacing tyres, it is always best to replace it with a tyre of similar amount of wear.

In summary, daily maintenance goes a long way in increasing the lifetime of the tyre. Inflation pressure must always be within the specified limits. The road surfaces, loading and dumping points should be free of fallen debris and excessive water, because wet rubber gets cut better. payload weight and hauling speed must be controlled. The TKPH rating assigned to the tyre must be adhered to. Proper handling of the machinery such as symmetric loading, avoiding steering while stationary and avoiding excessive tyre spinning will reduce the likelihood of damages. when repairing, the first stages of the problem is always easy to cure.