Features

grouting
 Features

Building on solid foundations

In the search for the perfect epoxy grouting compound to install critically aligned machinery for mining, site engineers often look for these attributes: high compressive strength, high impact strength, resistance to fatigue, ease of mixing and levelling, fast curing, low shrinkage and resistance to weathering and chemicals.  The Epirez® Chockfast® Red and Chockfast® Orange compounds from ITW Polymers and Fluids (ITW P&F) meet all of those requirements, and more.  As Michael Rowe, BSC Product Manager for Adhesives and Sealants explains, the three-component Chockfast Red epoxy has been formulated with low exotherm to allow for large-volume pours of up to 450 millimetres in thickness and 2.2 metres in length without shrinkage or cracking.  “This makes Chockfast Red the ideal product for the final positioning of heavy machinery such as compressors, pumps, bearings blocks, crane rails and other such applications,” he says. While the Chockfast Red is best suited for large volume-pours, the Epirez Chockfast Orange is best suited for chocking in depths of 12 to 100 millimetres. In Australia, as Michael explains, the Chockfast Orange compound has come to be known mostly for its applications in the marine industry.
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motors
 Features

The business sense of adopting high-efficiency motors in mining

The topic of greenhouse gas emissions came to the fore recently as world leaders attended a climate summit in April and made new pledges towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions as part of their countries’ Paris Agreement commitments. In Australia, the electricity sector is the biggest polluter, accounting for 33% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.1Any efforts to curb electricity consumption in heavy industries like mining helps the country inch closer to its target of slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% by 2030 on a 2005 baseline. This is particularly critical considering that the domestic mining sector consumes roughly 500 petajoules per year, which is 10% of the country’s total energy use.2 Michael Greelish, National Accounts Manager – Mining at CBC says adopting high-efficiency motors, with IE3 ratings and above, is one way by which mines can adhere to their emission reduction goals while also reducing their operating costs considerably. As a key supplier of electric motors to major mines in Australia, CBC works closely with motor manufacturers, such as TECO, to work out the cost-benefits of adopting high-efficiency motors in mines, as well as in other industries. In fact, Michael says CBC’s technical teams are often engaged by their industrial customers to conduct audits to estimate a plants’ yearly electricity expenditure and potential savings with high-efficiency motors. In one such audit recently, Michael says the CBC and TECO technical teams were able to calculate annual savings of $69,000 on electricity charges and CO2 reduction of 485.7 tonnes per year for a gold mine in Queensland simply by switching to high-efficiency TECO motors.  Read More
Features

Dealing with particle abrasion wear in coal processing

The impact of particle abrasion wear on equipment used in coal processing can be significant. Ever-persistent abrasion and wear takes a major toll on centrifuges, pulverisers, conveyors, chutes, augers, and other equipment. It can ultimately cause unexpected, costly downtime or greatly reduced equipment life. For a major coal mine in Queensland, high abrasion from coarse coal in the dewatering centrifuge – used to extract excess water before stockpiling– meant the mine had to partially dismantle the centrifuge and remove the four chutes every 12 to 15 weeks to re-coat the internal surfaces of the chutes with a wearing compound. The frequent re-coating required a minimum of 72 hours of labour time, over a 12-month period.  Read More
Features

Resolve in the face of adversity

Driver fatigue is one of the most dangerous risks to worker safety on our roads. Liebherr-Australia’s Brandon Robinson-Smith tells Safe to Work about how he turned a life-changing experience into an inspiring lesson for the mining industry.
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 Features

A change in perception: Building a case for raw edge belts in iron ore

Throughout his years of experience as power transmission engineer with CBC Australia, Tony Voiklis has concluded that raw edge, or cogged, v-belts were not ideal for applications in harsh environments. That perception took a 180-degree turn when he learned about the superior performance of the Carlisle Power-Wedge Cog-Belt by Timken. As manager of power transmission applications in South Australia and Northern Territory for Industrial Solutions Australia – the largest distributor of power transmission products in Australia and CBC’s parent company – Tony often engages with sales teams across the Industrial Solutions Australia business network to provide them with product training.  The solution Tony says he often recommended to his customers and sales teams for drive belts in harsh conditions was to upgrade to heavy-duty or wrapped v-belts. While this ensured longevity under harsh conditions, these belts could be substantially dearer in cost compared to the raw edge Carlisle Power-Wedge Cog-Belt.  “Our experience with other brands of raw edge cogged belts was that when contaminated with dust and dirt in harsh applications, such as those in mines and quarries, these belts heated up quickly, which made the rubber material hard and brittle. This further increased risk of premature belt failure and created other problems such as the belts slipping excessively,” says Tony. Read More