In mining, there is a constant search for cost reduction and increased productivity of the operation. A significant part of the costs of a mining enterprise is concentrated in the transportation of materials, due to the high price of inputs and parts that trucks require. In a fleet of vehicles, tires are one of the elements that interferes the most in the rise of costs, losing only to fuel costs.

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CHALLENGES OF USING TIRES IN THE MINE ENVIRONMENT:

It is estimated that the tires used by transport equipment in the mine environment represent about 20% to 30% of the operating cost of the fleet. These costs are significant, making it increasingly necessary to seek control measures in order to increase the useful life of these assets, to maximize their performance, since operational stops for tire changes contribute to the reduction of equipment productivity. In addition, another issue of attention is due to the increased disposal of tires as waste, which is a serious environmental problem.

CAUSES OF WEAR:

In order to increase the life of tires and reduce the need for replacement, it is essential to know the main causes of wear, listed below are some of these causes:

• Insufficient or excessive pressures;
• Poor condition of service plazas and access roads; 
• Overload or poorly centered load;
• Overheating;
• Excessive speed.

HOW TO AVOID EARLY TIRE WEAR IN THE MINE ENVIRONMENT:

To optimize the life of a tire, several activities, maintenance and care in the operation should be taken. Some inexpensive and efficient practices can be performed, below we list some of these actions:

• Monitoring the loads being transported, to avoid overloads;
• Continuous control of speed limits;
• Driving the equipment properly, avoiding sudden braking;
• Efficient tire pressure control, ensuring that they will work within the specified limits;
• Cleaning of loading areas, removal of obstacles such as fallen rocks during transport, limit the risks of damaging tires through shocks, cuts, punctures, by fallen materials.

HOW CAN FAST2 MINE CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCING COSTS WITH TIRES IN MINING?

To help in this important task, Mining Control has several features that contribute to the reduction of costs with tire in the mine environment.

Check below some of the features that have an influence on extending the useful life of these assets:

• Random sampling of average equipment load, ensuring that they are carrying loads according to those stipulated by the manufacturer, preventing trucks from carrying excessive loads;
• Control of speed limits through speed mapping, allowing to identify the locations on the transport route and the operators that are above or below the established speed limit, in addition, this functionality is also useful in identifying possible problems in the accesses that can cause future wear to the tires.
• Speed ranking by operator and historical record of points where limits were exceeded;
• Issuance of speeding alerts, which bring visibility to the operator and technical teams;
• Heat map that allows mapping possible operational problems on ramps and accesses, by monitoring the main routes traveled by the equipment.

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