MSABC members keep mining at the forefront of innovation

Abbotsford’s ShearForce Equipment has brought the Xcentric Ripper excavator attachment to Canada. — Photo courtesy of Shearforce.

Did you know that a Caterpillar 797 truck, supplied by Finning, is taller than a four-storey building, longer than half a basketball court, and weighs over 600,000 kilograms? That’s as much as one hundred and 75 Ford F-150s.

Or that Digital Precision's laser tracker, used to monitor the wear and tear on mining equipment, can measure dimensions or alignments at an accuracy of 1/10th the thickness of a human hair at a distance of 24 feet away?

Or how about that overhead distribution lines installed by Arctic Arrow Powerline Group provide 3,750 kVA of electricity to power a single P&H 4100 mining shovel—enough to supply 1,071 homes with electricity?

Although considered an ancient industry with roots in the beginnings of industrialized society, mining represents some of the most innovative and progressive technological developments in the modern age. According to a report titled “100 Innovations in the Mining Industry” by Quebec’s Minalliance, innovation shapes our future.

“From the first Copper Age smelters in Cyprus to the bronze workings of the Shang Dynasty in the 12th century BC, to the gold rushes in the North American west and the mining complexes and sleet workings of 19th century Europe, mines have been prominent on the economic landscape since antiquity,” says the report. But despite its early beginnings, mining technology is anything but dated.

Similarly, mining suppliers across B.C. are revolutionizing the mining supply industry with technology and innovation that boosts productivity, cinches cash flow, and saves time. The Mining Suppliers Association of BC (MSABC) comprises over 200 member companies who are reshaping the economic landscape of BC mining with no holds barred equipment and services.

Abbotsford’s ShearForce Equipment has brought the Xcentric Ripper excavator attachment to Canada, which, through the use of impaction vibration technology, can remove sections of rock in 12 hours that would take a traditional hydraulic hammer three working days to clear.

The tool, which comes in nine model sizes, was designed to tackle rock excavation and trenching in a wide variety of environments. Its impact vibration technology makes it more efficient than a hydraulic breaker in 70 per cent of job applications, and its closed energy chamber cannot be influenced or damaged from the outside by dust, water, or dirt.

“This means that it can work in the most severe conditions in tunnels, foundations, muddy, and wet places,” says Brad Dewit, president of ShearForce Equipment. “The Xcentric Ripper even works in all kinds of underwater applications, and underwater excavation can be done without making any expensive or complex preparations.”

Besides offering rockbreakers that can break rocks the size of pick-up trucks at a mine site’s primary crusher, Thiessen Team produces Thiessen Team Cellular Concrete (TCC)—a low density cellular concrete with application in voids or cavities, as back-fill, paste fill, or diamond drill hole fill, or as steelcan encasement or as a tailings transfer medium.

The engineered geotechnical material coats uniformly distributed air voids, and in its rigid form can be thought of as concrete having air as the aggregate.

“Its density can be varied from 20 to 120 lb/ft cubic and its compressive strength can range from 20 to 3000 psi,” says Thiessen Team. “TTC can be produced quickly and easily on site by mixing a preformed foam having the consistency of shaving cream into Thiessen Team Cement Slurry.”

The combination withstands vigorous mixing and can be pumped long distances with little loss of cellular structure.

“It can be installed at rates up to 100 yds cubic / hour, has excellent workability, and typically sets in the same time as normal concrete (accelerator can be included in the cement slurry for faster set times),” says the company.

Atlantic Industries Mining provides miles of corrugated steel pipe to mining operations and designs and supplies some of the world’s largest heavy haul road arches, capable of supporting the heaviest mining equipment, including the P&H Boss Shovel, which weighs over 1400 tons.

In May, the company minimized road closure time and environmental impact at a bridge replacement in Mink Lake, Ontario using its new Big R Bridge with Bolt-A-Bin Abutments. The Bolt-A-Bin System is a metal bin-type of retaining wall system available in a variety of bin sizes for both vertical and battered applications.

“The structure was designed to span the existing abutments and stay back from the river,” says AIL. “We supplied a set of Bolt-A-Bin Abutments that were assembled on-site, then lowered into position and compacted, behind the existing gabion basket headwalls.”

The modular structure’s four sections were quickly assembled onsite and placed on the compacted abutments with precast sills and integrated bearing plate assemblies.

Find out more about how MSABC members are revolutionizing the mining industry at www.miningsuppliersbc.ca.