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Komatsu wins big Alcoa
order
Ben Sharples
Monday, June
27, 2005
ALCOA has purchased $40 million worth of equipment
from Komatsu as part of a replacement program at its
Western Australia bauxite operations, including
twelve-190 tonne Komatsu dump trucks.
Alcoa said that by moving to the
larger trucks at its Willowdale and Huntly mines
southwest of Perth, the company would be able to reduce
haulage, labour and maintenance costs. Previous trucks
at the two mines were Komatsu HD785s (90t) and HD985s
(105t).
To accommodate the 190t trucks, Alcoa has
implemented a driver guidance system to ensure the
trucks can work safely on the restricted-width haul
roads – rather than increasing the haul road clearing
widths.
Developed at the University of Sydney's
Centre for Autonomous Systems, the AcuMine HaulCheck driver guidance
system uses an on-board monitoring system to create a
"virtual corridor" within the haul road by measuring the
relative distance from PVC markers placed along the side
of the road.
The monitoring device uses a
scanning laser to measure the distance from the PVC
markers and if the truck veers out of the "virtual
corridor", the driver is alerted. The system also
incorporates a GPS allowing the location of any problem
areas to be easily identified.
The purchase
package includes the 12 Komatsu 730E dump trucks, four
WA900-3 loaders, two WA 500 loaders, and two HM400-1
artic trucks fitted with ejector bodies as part of a
trial of a new method of removing overburden material
from on top of the ore body.
In addition two
GD825A-3 graders for haul road and pit floor maintenance
have been delivered as part of the package – the first
time these graders have been used by Alcoa.
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