As an integral machine to meet production needs of the mining industry, how can dragline maintenance and downtime be reduced?
If you’ve ever been around a dragline, you can fully appreciate the sheer size of these incredible machines.
Pictures truly don’t do them justice; these are REALLY big machines. Through everyday operation, these massive excavators often wear and grind themselves down.
Relatable, right?
Below, we show you just how you can reduce maintenance and prevent costly dragline repair.
If there’s one bit of dragline maintenance that is worth the downtime, it’s the installation of a shock and vibration solution in the structure.
The rotation and operation of the dragline reverberates vibration throughout the dragline tub and excavator structure.
Dragline bases, due to the weight of the top portion of the excavator, experience large amounts of stress.
Shock and vibration pads ensure that the machine is properly protected from these natural forces.
Moreover, if the material is tough enough, it can withstand the load the machine places on the dragline tub.
Talk about putting too much pressure on yourself.
READ NEXT: ["History of Fabreeka Pad on Draglines and Shovels"]
Performance and reliability are two important features of mining equipment. The dragline is no different.
Replacing draglines is not only impractical, but quite costly for the mining industry.
Technicians perform dragline repair when there are one or more functions of the mining equipment that are not achieving optimal performance.
The mining industry relies on draglines to operate for years, even decades at a time. Regular maintenance leads to downtime and costs that inhibit progress.
Noted in the figure to the right, the dragline tub is one especially crucial component of the dragline.
The dragline tub must bear the entire weight of the machine while also rotating along a roller ring segment.
This portion of the machine allows the dragline to operate over a significant area. However, the dragline tub experiences a great deal of stress and fatigue.
Powerful shock forces transmit vibration through the segment due to dragline operation, leading to damage such as cracking, chipping and stress fracturing.
Depending on the size and scale of the affected component, dragline maintenance and dragline repair can take weeks or even months.
Since the dragline tub is so large, and the roller ring segment the excavator sits on, such a repair leads to production delays and maintenance costs.
However, you can avoid dragline repair with the right materials and solutions to maintain operation of the excavator.
The mining industry heavily relies on the lifespan of draglines, which can operate up to 40 years; addressing these issues early means the machines last as intended.
Fabreeka® International brings more than 80 years of experience to the mining industry. We help mining firms find solutions that prevent dragline repair and dragline tub replacement.
Our signature shock and vibration isolation pad, the Fabreeka® Pad is a remarkably resilient pad that can meet the challenges of the mining industry.
READ NEXT: ["WHAT IS FABREEKA PAD?"]
Our cotton duck pad accommodates loads up to 10,000 psi with a low creep rate to ensure the pad maintains its shape and function.
In an older study on Fabreeka® Pad by the Franklin Research Center, research found that our pads reduced peak stresses by as much as 40%.
That’s some serious strength.
For dragline tub applications, Fabreeka’s engineers design the pad into ring segments for easy installation and ideal results.
The ring segments are then laid around the roller ring on both the top and bottom rails to reduce stress as much as possible.
For vibration transmission, install Fabreeka washers underneath steel bolts around the ring to reduce the effects of shock in the machine.
Vibration transmission loosens up the bolts that hold the ring together, without them, rail alignment is lost, leading to even more dragline repair and downtime.
To date, Fabreeka successfully installed hundreds roller ring segments that significantly prolong machine life and eliminate the need for dragline tub replacement.
As trusted partners in the mining industry, our expertise extends beyond that of draglines.
We successfully design shock and vibration solutions for grizzly bars, rock crushers, roller mills and more.
READ NEXT [“What To Do When Impact Shock Affects Mining Equipment”]
Our dedicated engineers are standing by ready to develop your solution on your way to reducing maintenance and service costs.
For more on our work in the mining industry, and other product offerings, download our free brochure on Fabreeka Products for Mining Applications.