The third article in our regional snapshot series focuses on Africa.
Above: Excavators in African mines need to overcome hard abrasive ground sharp fragmented rock and calcrete layers.
Africa is a continent with many distinct regions including desert in the north, rainforests in the centre, the Great Rift valley to the east and savannah plains, high plateaus, deserts and mountain ranges in the south. Such varied terrains produce extreme climatic challenges; from tropical heat with high humidity, to extremely dry arid deserts, where some of the highest temperatures in the world have been recorded. Progress Mining has undercarriage components installed on more than 20 machines at mine sites across the African continent.
The majority of the mines that Progress Mining services are located in the central and southern parts of the continent. Progress Mining undercarriages can be found in the large open-pit iron ore and manganese operations in South Africa’s Northern Cape, and in coal and chrome mines across Limpopo and other neighbouring regions. The diversity of terrain, conditions and rocks mined in these areas all create different challenges.
Above: Challenging terrain found in South Africa’s Northern Cape region.
A good example of this is South Africa’s Northern Cape region where the ground conditions are predominantly hard and abrasive, with compacted iron-rich soils, sharp fragmented rock, and calcrete layers. The hot, dry climate also creates many challenges for miners and their equipment. High summer temperatures and arid surroundings cause increased dust that erodes components over time. On the opposite side of the scale, seasonal heavy rainfall events can cause muddy ground conditions hampering operations and clogging up components.
Above: Clouds of fine dust in arid African mines can increase component wear.
Above: Fine dust seen coating the undercarriage can compromise seals in lubricated assemblies.
In summary the main operational challenges faced by miners in this region include:
- Highly abrasive ore and waste rock accelerate wear on ground engaging components and undercarriage systems.
- Seasonal wet conditions create mud packing that increases track loading and accelerates component wear.
- High levels of fine dust can make ingress into lubricated assemblies and compromise optimum sealing performance.
To cope with these challenges all Progress Mining undercarriage components are designed and manufactured for strength and durability using the following processes:
- Heat treatment, precision machining and induction hardening are all used to ensure components have the optimal mechanical strength and physical durability needed to tolerate hard abrasive ground and high impact loading.
- Premium lifetime seals in all roller and idler assemblies help keep fine dust particles out for longer, helping extend component life.
These are just some of the processes that go into making Progress Mining undercarriages. To learn more about what is involved in our design and manufacturing visit our Manufacturing page.
If your mining operations face similar harsh conditions to those outlined in this article or you are located in Africa and want to get in touch visit Contact Us to find the nearest Sales Representative or Distributors in your region. Where ever mining is Progress Mining is there to help.