Winning
Wirtgen SA’s final demonstration of the 2200SM took place at an open cast coal mine in
Delmas with the primary objective to improve the yield at the production plant.
waste material, so conventional mining
is not an option – drilling and blasting
would make the material unusable due to
high contamination. Basically, the only
reason the FMG mine exists is because of
our machines and the way we operate.
Currently, Wirtgen has supplied 27 of
our big machines (4200SM) and 14 of our
middle-size machines (2500SM) to FMG.”
“We’ve also got a lot of machines working
in Guinea, on bauxite. What makes our
machines so effective there is the high
rainfall,” Newby continues. “It rains for
roughly 80% of the year in Guinea, which
is a big problem for drilling and blasting
operations. With our machines you can
carry on working, because the cuts not only
create a very smooth surface, but also one
that is very stable, with minimal cracks,
which means minimal water penetration
into the ground. This means that the
cutting and loading onto the truck is all dry,
and the trucks themselves aren’t creating
this big muddy mess.”
In addition to coal, iron ore and bauxite,
the 500 machines Wirtgen has operating
around the world are also working in
limestone, gypsum, salt, phosphate, oil
sands, kimberlite, mudstone and even
granite. The ZAO Kavkazcement limestone
mine, located near the Black Sea in Russia,
is a member of the Eurocement Group, one
of the top five largest cement companies
in the world. Since 2005, the mine has used
Wirtgen Surface Miners for its surface
operations – first two of the small 2200s,
and then, following their success, and
additional three 2500s.
Eurocement’s decision to use the surface
miners was based on three criteria: that they
should deliver the required tonnage with high
productivity and at low operating costs; that
the material should be reliably crushed within
the prescribed gradation; and that the miners
should suit the existing mine structures
optimally. Eurocement mining director Victor
Gustov highlights the benefits of using the
surface miner in their operations, “The use
of surface miners takes a huge strain off the
environment during limestone mining in the
regions affected – while increasing safety in
the mine at the same time.”
One of the main advantages of surface
mining over drilling and blasting is that
the limestone can be loaded directly onto
trucks. However, the cutting process is
always entirely independent from the truck
loading, and if material is required for a
temporary embankment stabilisation, for
example, the surface miners can discharge
the cut limestone sideways onto a pile.
The way forward
The Wirtgen Surface Miner is particularly
well suited to mines that have sections
of ore that can’t be mined because of
its proximity to oil pipeline, houses and
highways. Because of how it operates there
are no vibrations and no flying rocks – it
is extremely safe and allows more of the
ore to be exploited. Despite the obvious
advantages, it’s going to require a complete
mindset change for South African mines
and contractors to take up the technology,
although the successful demonstrations
seem to have started this change.
Specifications
There are four models of Surface Miner:
•
The 2200SM (with a cutting width
of 2.2m and a depth of up to 30cm);
•
The 2200/3.8SM (with a cutting
width of 3.8m and a depth of
30cm);
•
The 2500SM (with a cutting width
of 2.5m and a depth up to 65cm);
and
•
The 4200SM (with a cutting width
of 4.2m wide and a depth up to
83cm).
QUARRY SA | MAY 2017 _ 19