Mining Applications of Earth Moving Equipment
With the growth of mining sector in India, the earth moving equipment segment is also expected to grow due to strong correlation between the two segments. And this is the reason of happiness of earth moving equipment manufacturers in India.
Usage of earth moving equipment in mining sector
Various types of construction equipment are used in the mining sector such as hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, backhoe loaders, bull dozers, dump trucks, tippers, graders, pavers, asphalt drum/wet mix plants, breakers, vibratory compactors, cranes, forklifts, dozers, off-highway dumpers, drills, scrapers, motor graders, rope shovels etc. These equipment perform a variety of functions like preparation of ground, excavation, haulage of material, dumping/laying in specified manner, earth moving, material handling, road construction etc. Among all the equipment employed in the mining sector, earth moving equipment are most widely used.
Various earth moving equipment used in mining applications
Earth moving equipment in any mining project are used to move earth and minerals. While, giant machines such as drills, electric shovels and giant draglines, some of which have buckets that are capable of moving 160 cubic yards of material in one scoop are used for surface mining, complex equipment which can move material in a very headroom and limited space are used in underground mining. The prominent earth moving equipment employed at a mining site include:
- Backhoe loaders: They are versatile, multipurpose machines that can be used as an excavator and as a loader and are seen widely at any mining site. While backhoe helps in digging the trench, loader helps in back-filling it. Given to their huge demand, backhoe loaders are available in various configurations in the market. In addition, an extensive range of attachments are also available which can be easily attached to the backhoe loaders to perform some of the most difficult tasks at the job site such as lifting, grabbing objects, dozing, drilling or levelling the ground.
- Dump trucks/haul trucks: Off-road dump trucks are used strictly off-road for mining and heavy dirt hauling jobs. The more appropriate term for this vehicle is haul truck.
- Track type bulldozer: Bulldozers are a powerful tracked piece of equipment and the tracks give them excellent ground hold and mobility through very rough terrain at the mining site.
- Dragline excavators: These machines are extensively used in surface mining. The larger types are used in strip-mining operations to move overburden above coal and for tar-sand mining.
- Wheel loaders: They are often used in mining operations to load loose materials (dirt, snow, feed, gravel, logs etc.) into or onto another type of machine such as a dump trucks, conveyor belts, feed-hoppers or railcars.
- Scrapers: They are large motorised machines used for digging, hauling and levelling out materials in a variety of mining jobs. Running on massive rubber tires, motorised scrapers quickly move large quantities of earth around a mining site.
- Shovels: These machines are used for digging and loading earth or fragmented rock or for mineral extraction at any mining site.
Keeping in mind, the increasing need of earth moving equipment in the mining applications, the earth moving equipment manufacturers in India are leaving no stone unturned in producing high quality machines. Thus, the future of earth moving equipment segment looks bright at the moment.
