Open-pit equipment notebook
Beds of consolidated material need to be drilled and blasted before successful excavation. In open-pit mining it is common to move fragmented material across to spoil piles by dragline, shovel, or bucketwheel excavator. One method recently introduced uses explosives to throw much of the overburden across the pit, thus reducing the amount of material needing rehandling. The increased cost of explosives must be balanced with the reduced cost of power needed by the prime excavator. The drill hole pattern and the use of high energy explosives require careful design. Making the choice between hydraulic excavators with a backhoe or front shovel, wheel loaders, and rope-operated shovels continues to be an interesting area of debate. While the rope-operated electric shovel is best for large output, smaller shovels are being replaced by hydraulic excavators for numerous reasons. One of the advantages of hydraulic excavators is that they weigh around half that of rope-operated shovels with the same size bucket. Another advantage is their mobility. They can move at a speed roughly twice that of a rope-operated shovel. Hydraulic excavators can successfully attack a solid face that needs blasting before being loaded by a wheel loader or rope-operated shovel. Neither the rope-operated shovel nor the wheel loader has the wrist-action of the hydraulic excavator. The backhoe's ability to dig below the level on which it is situated and to load trucks that are on the pit floor is important. Recently, many equipment manufacturers have introduced microprocessor-controlled systems for higher power and simpler operation. The choice between wheel loaders and hydraulic excavators should be based on site conditions.
- OSTI ID:
- 5934217
- Journal Information:
- World Min. Equip.; (United States), Vol. 8:12
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
MINING EQUIPMENT
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
MANUFACTURERS
SURFACE MINING
EXPLOSIVE FRACTURING
BELT CONVEYORS
OVERBURDEN
REMOVAL
TRUCKS
COMMINUTION
CONVEYORS
EQUIPMENT
FRACTURING
HAULAGE EQUIPMENT
MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT
MINING
VEHICLES
012000* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Mining
420206 - Engineering- Mining & Drilling Equipment & Facilities- (1980-1989)