876 Open pit mine planning and design: Fundamentals

Figure 11.2. Shovel digging force

DIGG ING FORCES (Martin, 1982).

Figure 11.3. Digging profile.

DIGGING PROFILE Martin (1982).

reduce jamming. The dipper latch is a simple sliding bar arrangement activated through a
light cable driven by a small electric motor. Dippers for regular duty are roughly square in
cross-section. A door hinged at the rear is unlatched to dump the load. The door opens under
the force of gravity in an uncontrolled discharge. If there are large boulders in the dipper,
it must be lowered close to the truck body or other discharge surface to avoid high impact
loads. The door automatically re-latches as the dipper is lowered into the start of the dig
position. Martin (1982).
In operation, the dipper is pulled through the bank by hoist cables. It is held against the
bank by the crowd motion which extends or retracts the handle length wise. The handle is
pivoted about a fixed point as it is positioned lengthwise by crowd motion. The dipper is
pulled through the cut (Fig. 11.2).
The cutting path geometry is relatively restricted and is generally typified by a vertical
circular are. Martin (1982). A typical digging profile is shown in Figure 11.3.
When the dipper is full, the machine swings sideways and the dipper load is dumped
through the door.
The entire machine is usually mounted on a system of crawlers. The crawlers are endless
belts of links hinged or pinned together. They permit mobility and the positioning of the
machine with respect to the bank. Steering may be accomplished by powering one belt and
locking the opposite belt. The actions of
• hoist
• crowd
 Shovel loading 877

'( ...
CROWD
CCABU:/DRUM
OR GEARI

t(
PROPEL
IMOTORSI

Figure 11.4. Shovel powered functions (Martin, 1982).

• swing
• dump
• propel
are shown diagrammatically in Figure 11.4.
Although various systems are available for powering shovels, this chapter will focus
entirely on those powered electrically through a trailing cable. Although the dependence on
the trailing cable somewhat limits mobility, trailing cable handling can be facilitated through
the use of special cable handling trucks. For isolated sections of the pit, skid mounted diesel-
electric power units can be employed. Power consumption is between 0.2 and 0.45 kwh per
bank cubic yard of material moved. The advantages of electric cable power are considered
to be
• efficient utilization of energy
• reliability of the system
• simple controlling equipment
Repairs and maintenance on the shovel can be facilitated by incorporating modular and
solid state electrical components.
The pit power supplied to the shovel is three phase, 60 cycle. lt may be 4160, 6900 (7200)
or 14400 volts (Martin, 1982).
On the shovel there are currently three possible types of drive systems (Martin, 1982).
l. A main A.C. motor with power supplied through the trailing cable drives a separate
D.C. generator for each function. The D.C. generators are connected to D.C. motors
for hoist, crowd, propel and swing.
2. A transformer is employed to change high voltage A.C. from the trailing cable to low
voltage A.C. The A.C. power is then converted to D.C. by solid state electronics. D.C.
motor drives are used to power the various functions.
3. A transformer and rectifier are used to convert to D.C. Inverters then convert to con-
trolled frequency A.C. with separate units for each function. Individual functions are
powered by A.C. induction squirrel cage motors.
878 Open pit mine planning and design: Fundamentals

The hoist machinery consists of a motor driving a cable drum through a gear train.
There are two basic types of crowd drive systems (Martin, 1982).
1. Rope crowd
2. Rack and pinion crowd.
In the rope crowd system, wire ropes anchored at the drum, transmit power up the boom,
over the sheaves mounted on the shipper shaft, then along the handle. The crowd cable
passes overa deflection sheave on top. The retract cable is attached to an adjustable take-up
screw at the bottom. Wire rope elasticity, combined with cushioned sheaves reduces shock
loads. The dipper handle is a circular tube and is essentially free to rotate. Power is supplied
by variable speed D.C. or A.C. motors. In the rack and pinion crowd, a motor drives a pinion
which engages a rack on the lower side of the handles. The handle is made of either
• a single box-sectioned member
• twin box members designed to straddle the boom.
Power is supplied by variable D.C. or hydraulic motors. Various methods are used to
cushion shock loads.
Swing machinery consists of a motor, gear reduction, and a large circular rack centered
at the principal vertical swinging axis.

11.2 OPERATIONAL PRACTICES (Martin (1982))

There is a great deal of accumulated experience for using electric shovels in mining
operations. Common practices can be briefly summarized as follows:
• Strongly consolidated materials should be drilled and blasted prior to excavating.
• The shovel should operate on a level, flat digging floor whenever possible.
• Digging downhill permits higher digging thrust forces because gravity adds to the
machine' s resistance to movement away from the digging face.
• Normally, the digging face should not be higher than the boom point sheave.
• The toe of the bank should be below the rear of the point sheave or shipper shaft.
• Crawlers should be perpendicular to the face to minimize possible damage from
materials sliding down the face and to facilitate positioning maneuvers.
• Short frequent moves are desirable to keep the shovel close to the face maximizing the
effectiveness of the crowd and hoist forces.
• Hoist and crowd motions should be coordinated for an efficient dipper path up through
the bank, starting at the toe and filling in a single pass.
• Penetration of the face should be uniform with a depth sufficient to fill the dipper in 2
or 3 dipper lengths. The dipper should then be retracted clear of the face to minimize
travel in the bank.
• To optimize motor life, prolonged stalling of the motors while digging is to be avoided.
• Excessive crowd will jack the boom and lead to reduced suspension cable life.
• Under difficult conditions, the top of the bank should be dug away to ease hoisting
through the lower portion.
• Boulders or frost caps are removed by digging undemeath and then lifting out with the
dipper.
• lf a hard toe is present, the machine should be moved as elose to the bank as practica!, to
gain maximum benefit of crowd forces and improve tooth orientation for penetration.
• The face can be prepared (while waiting for trucks) by raking the bank with the dipper
with the door open.