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Productive Road Condition Monitoring

Mines have to recognise the direct correlation between good road maintenance and high productivity on sites, two experts, Sebastian Karsas of 88 Chemco and Dr Shane Richardson of Delta V Experts, assert.

When all businesses look to cost containment, productivity suffers, and if not monitored daily, even hourly, they risk losing the upside attained from optimisation. Mine Managers in particular need to address every cost element to ensure savings across the board. That’s why vehicle and road maintenance is a vital necessity as both contribute to a mine’s productivity, two experts, Dr Shane Richardson of Delta V Experts and Sebastian Karsas of 88Chemco, contend. Karsas says mines have to prioritise this area.

“Mine Managers will save costs when they institute benchmark performance evaluations on both the road network and all production vehicles. Typical oversights include regular evaluations of a mine’s road network.”

What mines might not be aware is that by overlooking the cost of road maintenance, eventually, they affect their productivity, Dr Richardson and Karsas point out. In fact, they say, it has been established that rougher roads result in increased fuel burn for all vehicles, increased vibration damage to vehicles (cracking) and vibration damage to operators.

“Pit monitoring for benchmarking a performance evaluation is a necessity not a luxury. It is a cost saver that promotes sustainable increases in production,” explains Dr Richardson.

Proactive measurements

Hence, to ascertain cost improvements, proactive measurements need to be implemented. Sadly, some mines currently measure the road’s roughness in a very subjective manner. Ludicrously, a person or team is paid to drive around the mine and identify problems on the roads. After which, road maintenance may be carried out. Sometimes, maintenance is conducted on roads that don’t even need repair, which is a total waste of resources.

However, Dr Richardson and Karsas recommend that Chief Operating and Financial Officers should take notice of saving estimations currently achieved on projects on fuel and maintenance costs from around 2% up to an average of 10%. They call on mines to utilise the road condition monitoring systems which they supply.

Says Karsas: “There are numerous cost savings in implementing our systems. Monitoring is continuous, objectively measured, identifying current and predicted problems to the mines road networks.

This results in a programmed road maintenance plan and budget. “This provides savings on fuel burn, as the roads roughness is maintained with increased rolling creating less impact on the vehicles, and lessens the vibratory load on operators.”

The system offers several advantages, according to Dr Richardson. Firstly, the road network is continually and objectively monitored, so that problems can be predicted and identified. So a mine can program road maintenance. Secondly, as fuel burn is a function of road roughness, if the road is rough then the rolling resistance is increased. Thus, by maintaining a constant road roughness fuel burn can be controlled. Finally, if the road network is maintained to a better standard, then the vibratory load on both the vehicles and operators is reduced.

Dr Richardson confirms that the system has been successfully used in mines in Africa, Australia, New Caledonia, South American and South East Asia.

A Water monitoring system

Dr Richardson believes that current developments take secondary machinery to a whole new level. The latest innovations include a water monitoring system that evaluates and quantifies the use of water and road products on a mine. Another one is a system that can evaluate and quantify the effective use of not only a grader, but also a vibratory compactor and a scraper.

Significant bottom line cost savings

Dr Richardson mention that the major difference which the systems bring to mine operations is significant bottom line cost savings. “By implementing effective road, water and vehicle measurement systems that provide benchmarking and proactive monitoring, mine management can reach reduction targets.”

Attention to Optimisation Systems is Critical

Karsas would like to see more attention given to optimisation systems such as road conditioning monitoring for mines are to stay competitive. “Mines are a costly business, with massive amounts of risk attached. Cost saving programmes need to be adopted on a daily, an hourly basis. Implementation of benchmarking and monitoring systems, coupled with systems that record incidents and events, better equip Mine Managers to make objectively informed decision for pit management” he says.