PRODUCT FOCUS
Volvo CE
The conversion to electric power is likely to reduce the amount of energy used by 71 % and cut CO 2 emissions in the targeted quarry site from the current 0.7kg / tonne of material produced to 0.3kg / tonne .
ELECTRIC ECONOMY –
THE FUTURE OF OFF-ROAD TRUCKS
By Robyn Grimsley
While outwardly off-road trucks may appear to have changed very little over the past century , the real change is taking place inside , under the hood .
Articulated dump trucks ( ADTs ) and rigid dump trucks ( RDTs ) are a staple of the mining industry and have been around in one form or another for close to a century . Since the introduction of the world ’ s first off-road dump truck — Euclid Road Machinery ’ s Model 1Z — in 1934 , and Volvo ’ s 10-ton 4 × 4 DR 631 ADT , nicknamed ‘ Grus- Kalle ’ ( Gravel Charlie ) in 1966 , there have been significant improvements to the design of these machines . Today ’ s ADTs have articulated steering , all-wheel drive , and differential locks , giving a tighter turning radius for improved manoeuvrability and making them the best option for navigating soft ground .
One of the big changes has been in the size of the machines . According to Equipment World 2016 , over the past decade alone , sizes have increased significantly . In 2006 , the largest ADT was Cat ’ s 42-ton 740 . In 2016 , 50 years after introducing the world ’ s first ADT , Volvo introduced the largest : the 60-ton A60H . This represents an increase of a ton per year since the original 10-ton machine was first introduced , and an increase of 18 tons in just 10 years . And RDTs are even bigger . Today , the largest off-road dump truck is the BelAZ 75710 , an ultra-class RDT manufactured in Belarus with a payload capacity of 450 tonnes . Not far behind this are the Caterpillar 797F , the Terex
MT6300AC , and the Liebherr T282B , with a payload capacity of 400 tonnes .
But perhaps the biggest change that has occurred over the past century — and which is continuing — is the move away from diesel-driven machines towards hybrid and purely electric machines . While hybrid machines operate in different ways , most have a fully mechanical drivetrain — engine , gearbox , driveshafts , and wheels — and an electric motor . This motor runs off a battery pack and provides additional power when the operator calls for maximum power , and then provides braking force when the operator wants to slow down . When braking , the motor turns into a generator and charges the battery pack .
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JANUARY 2018