Mining products and components

Carbon fibre products offer the Mining Industry improved safety and ROI

Composite products and components for the Mining Industry

Improved safety and ROI

Carbon Fibre products can be manufactured for the Mining Industry with greater:

Strength than steel at a fraction of its weight (in some cases, just 25 per cent) (delivering improved safety and greater mechanical and fuel efficiencies); and
Durability (longer life and less maintenance) as they are able to withstand intense heat, corrosive substances (eg salt, water and chemicals which can cause irreparable damage to other traditional materials) and can be moulded into single pieces (fewer joins).

If you require strength without weight - and longevity in hostile environments - carbon fibre’s incredible versatility makes possibility a reality!

Carbon Tech Mining’s experts will help you develop a tailored solution: from inception, through design,

to manufacture.

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Examples of projects to date (see photo gallery beneath)

(The products below have been designed by Rivers Carbon and are being manufactured by Triac Composites.)

1. Ventilation Tubes

Product: Carbon fibre ventilation tubes, in multiple sizes, to provide fresh air in underground mines. (Scroll down for video.)

Benefits: Very light (enabling quicker assembly and retrieval by hand as well as reducing number of shoulder injuries). Very tough (minimising maintenance). Very stiff (increasing fan pressure). High chemical and heat resistance.

2. Mining Dump Trucks: Wheel Covers

Product: Wheel covers for 3300, 4400 and 6300 electric wheel drive mining trucks.

Benefits: Light, non-conductive, fire resistant and tough compared with OEM covers.

3. Backhoe / Face Shovel / Dragline

Product: Carbon fibre sticks and booms for Cat 6060 and Cat 6090 models. Booms for

Draglines.

Benefits: Reduced weight of stick and boom without negatively impacting strength.

Opportunity to make bigger buckets than an OEM (20T bigger for a 6060) or to reduce the size of the counterweight. This would produce cascade savings by reducing the number of “swings” to load a truck or speed up the swing rate.

4. Mono Rail

Product: 150mm carbon mono rail.

Benefits: The carbon rail weighs just 25 per cent of its steel equivalent (9kg Vs 35kg) and a test loading of the carbon fibre rail gave it a higher rating.

5. Conveyor Belt Rollers

Product: Conveyor belt rollers for BHP Westcliff mine.

Benefits: Reduced weight, elimination of corrosion, longer wearing (especially with the addition of

silicon carbide to the surface of the rollers) and high fire resistance (to comply with FRAS requirements).

6. Relay Bar Extensions

Product: Relay bar extensions for long wall machines.

Benefit: The weight of each relay bar extension was reduced to just 20kg and, under pressure test conditions, was able to withstand 90t. With 20kg being light enough to lift, this equipment could be adapted to use as a tow bar on a truck.