Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still image
Long-range mining dump truck?
Yes, this happens too. And in Russia. ALROSA has been testing completely unique “mainline” dump trucks in Yakutia for the third year now. Which ones, how and why? This is our story. It happens that a new diamond deposit and an ore processing plant are separated by one and a half hundred kilometers of pristine taiga. This is exactly the situation that ALROSA faced. It took a long time to figure out how to deliver the ore. Cargo cableways, conveyors, huge mining dump trucks, trolley and diesel-trolley trucks, and railway transport were considered as industrial transport. As a result, the choice fell on “mainline” dump trucks.
01.
Even in their external concept, “diamond” road trains are unusual, and are unlike anything previously used in Russia. But they didn’t become like that right away. There was an evolutionary path in which several scientific disciplines were intertwined - geology, geography, logistics, economics.
Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still frame
In order to understand what this path was like, why it was like this and what it leads to, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of the places where these road trains are operated. Let's start with geographical and geological details.
02.
So, welcome to Yakutia, the largest administrative-territorial entity in the world. It is larger than the second largest CIS state - Kazakhstan. The area of Yakutia is approximately the same as India. But 1.3 billion people live in India, and in Yakutia there are 1350 times less - about 962 thousand. This is less than in Voronezh. There are not many settlements in Yakutia either.
03.
The city of Udachny, located 1,100 km northwest of Yakutsk, has a population of less than 12,000 people. However, by Yakut standards, this is exactly a city, and a rather large one. Do you see industrial buildings in the background?
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alrosa.ru 04.
This is the Udachny Mining and Processing Plant - a city-forming enterprise.
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And this is the main “ore body”, which is being developed by the mining and processing plant - the Udachny open pit. In the diamond mining industry, such geological objects are referred to as “kimberlite pipes.”
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alrosa.ru 06.
The Udachnaya pipe is modestly the largest diamond deposit on the planet. The Udachny quarry has dimensions of 1600 x 2000 m, and the depth reaches 640 m. This quarry has already been mined out. Open pit mining has been stopped. But they continue to dig here using the mine method.
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The rock that was previously mined here by opencast mining is now processed at processing plant No. 12, located here in Udachny. The factory’s “appetites” are huge and the raw materials from the mine are not enough for it.
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alrosa.ru Actually, the need for new raw materials for this factory brought to life those same road trains.
08.
In parallel with the completion of open-pit mining at the Udachnaya pipe, they began to develop another quarry - the Zarnitsa kimberlite pipe. This field is located 22 km from Udachny. And it was the Zarnitsa – Udachny route that became the test track for the road trains we are talking about.
Alice Nerr
photo,
backdoorpath.com
So, are large mining trucks being replaced by road trains? No, not supplanted, but supplemented. And they work with them in logistics.
09.
Road trains on "
road components
" will not withstand the shock loads from giant excavators. In addition, they will not raise the ore to the surface. The maximum permissible slope for road trains is 6°. Technological roads of kimberlite pipes have a greater degree of slope. So it’s impossible to do without great professional careerists.
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alrosa.ru 10.
Huge special quarries deliver ore along winding serpentine roads to the top. And on the surface, ore is loaded into road trains using front-end loaders. That is, in essence, road trains act as shuttle delivery vehicles.
But the volume of the Zarnitsa pipe is not enough for a processing plant. The main new source of raw materials for it is located even further - 160 km northeast of Udachny. We are talking about the Verkhne-Munskoye field. It was opened in 2007.
11.
In fact, it is located in the pristine taiga, where no human had ever set foot before the geologists of AK ALROSA.
A road to the deposit was needed. Construction of it began on November 1, 2015, when the dump trucks, whose brothers would travel along it, were already being tested with might and main on the 20-kilometer route Zarnitsa – Udachny.
12.
Legally, this is not a highway, but a “temporary technological passage”, therefore
all-Russian restrictions on axle load
, as well as dimensional standards for the length of a road train, do not apply here.
The “beloved” PLATO
will not be here either. However, ALROSA is building this “temporary passage” “as if for itself,” using technologies that would be the envy of many Siberian sections of federal highways. For example, geotextiles are used in the “substrate”. The “passage” should be completely ready for operation by November 1, 2022.
Media gallery
alrosa.ru Now, having dealt with geography and geology, let’s move directly to automotive technology.
Over the course of three years of testing and development of the idea, the concept of road trains has gone through an interesting evolutionary path. Details:
13.
Scania
was the first to rush into battle .
But not alone. Meusburger Novtrak
went “on reconnaissance” with the Swedes .
Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still frame
To be fair, it should be noted that neither customers nor equipment manufacturers at first had a clear idea of what kind of road trains were needed and what nuances needed to be taken into account. No one had the necessary experience. However, it was necessary to start somewhere.
14.
Scania R620CB 8×4 EHZ
dump trucks with
Meusburger Novtrak AK-48
.
Dump bodies with the possibility of three-way unloading to speed up delivery times were purchased from Meiller Kipper
.
Probably, not specially designed bodies were used, but the bodies closest in terms of characteristics from the “ Meiller Kipper
“.
But the editing was done by Meusburger Novtrak
. In the standard two-link version, the carrying capacity of such a road train was 80 tons.
15.
However, in Yakutia they also experimented with
a three-link
version of the hitch, when two trailers were already docked to the dump truck-tractor. In this case, the road train was already transporting 110 tons of ore per trip, although it would slip in inclement weather.
16.
Immediately after the first test flights, it became clear that during unloading, due to the properties of the ore, the wheels of the car and trailer would fall asleep with the transported rock. As a result, the tires were cut and the further movement of the road train was very difficult. This is how the first problem emerged.
Photo from the magazine "Mining Industry" No. 6/2014
We must pay tribute to the Meusburger Novtrak
, which promptly responded and, at its own expense (!), “redesigned” the design of the sides of dumping platforms. Installation work was carried out directly in the hangar of the Udachny Mining and Processing Plant's motor depot.
17.
So the bodies now have two folding sides on the left side. When opened, the new lower side now created an additional “visor” that diverted the “avalanche” of ore from the wheels of the road train.
Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still frame
18.
It was also
Meusburger Novtrak
who suggested the idea of a special unloading ramp.
At the ore warehouse of processing plant No. 12, it was made from parts of decommissioned bodies of huge Caterpillar
. Now the unloading of ore ceased to threaten the wheels.
Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still frame
Another problem has emerged related to the physical and mechanical properties of the ore. The rock “stuck” on the starboard side. It became clear that the starboard side should have an oval shape to avoid “sticking”. In addition, it became clear that in the established logistics scheme, tripartite unloading is completely unnecessary. It is enough to unload only on the left side. Based on these findings, a new “second generation” road train was built.
19.
The new completely custom tipper bodies for the car and trailer were designed and manufactured by
Meusburger Nowtrak
. The right half of the bodies is oval in shape, unloading is only on the left side, the folding sides are single-leaf, suspended on lower hinges. Opening/closing of the sides is automatic when lifting/lowering the body.
Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still frame
20.
New road trains arrived in Udachny in the spring of 2015.
The tipper body for the Scania R620 8×4
was designated
Meusburger Novtruk S4 MK
, and the three-axle trailer was called
Meusburger Novtruk AK354S
. The internal volume of the car body was 21.1 m3, and the body volume of the three-axle trailer was 25 m3. The carrying capacity of this version of the trailer was 45 tons, the entire road train was 85 tons.
Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still frame
A trailer of “this variant”? Is there another one? Yes! Meusburger Novtrak
built two models at once. In addition to the three-axle trailer, they also produced a four-axle version.
21.
The designation of the four-axle trailer is
Meusburger Novtruk AK472S
.
The internal volume of its body is 30 m3, and the load capacity is up to 58 tons. Four reinforced BPW
with a permissible load of 18 tons each, tires are “evil”
Michelin 14.00R20 HCS
. Trailer length - 12.5 m. Dump monster trailer!
22.
The total carrying capacity of such a road train confidently approaches one hundred tons.
Is there heated bodies? Certainly. Both variants of Meusburger Nowtrak
have independent heating systems. The bodies on truck chassis are heated by exhaust gases.
With the advent of the eight-axle two-link coupling, it became clear that this particular concept was the most successful option of all that were available at the Udachny Mining and Processing Plant as of 2015. A few additional details:
23.
of Meusburger Nowtrak
tipper bodies are made of
Hardox 400
, 10 mm thick. Their internal height is about 1.5 m.
24.
The width of the folding side is more than a meter. In combination with the configuration of the unloading trestle, the possibility of the wheels being buried in rock is now completely eliminated.
25.
The links of the road train are not unloaded simultaneously, but sequentially - first the truck, then the trailer. The raising/lowering of the body flaps, we remind you, is automatic.
26.
Another year later, around May 2016, another
Scania R620
.
This time in the version of a truck tractor, which towed the product of a new participant in the “competition” - the Tonar
.
Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still frame
27.
Based on its serial two-link dump semi-trailer of the
Tonar-9540
, the domestic manufacturer has created a special “ALROSA version”. The carrying capacity of this train is about 120 tons. It has replenished the general fleet of dump couplings.
But by that time, Tonar was working on bringing to life, without exaggeration, an ambitious and daring project for a completely different road train.
28.
A sensational road train developed from scratch, consisting of a two-link semi-trailer
Tonar-95405
and a truck tractor
Tonar-45252
, was assembled in August, and arrived in Udachny in September 2016.
Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still frame
The fact that MZ "Tonar"
, which once began as a kiosk-on-wheels cooperative, can now design and build completely original not only trailers, but also heavy-duty tractors - especially notable.
29.
The length of the “train” is 26 m, width – more than 3 m, height – about 5 m, load capacity – 130 tons, body volume – about 70 m3.
The road train is unique, the road train is a megamonster. Naturally, Tonar
has special hopes for this coupling.
In terms of carrying capacity, Tonar
is the undisputed leader of the “race”.
Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still frame
The struggle for a prestigious contract intensified even more when, just a couple of weeks apart, a new player arrived in Udachny. Volvo Trucks, has joined the fight.
.
30.
In partnership with the Moscow bodybuilder
InterPipe Van
, two road trains were built, the concept repeating the 8-axle version, “suffering” for Moisburger. But here is a completely different chassis, and a different “bodybuilder”.
Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still frame
Of course, the Volvo
/
IPV
had a definite advantage over the
Scania
/
Meusburger Novtrak
. There was already experience, the nuances were already clear. At least the concept did not have to be developed from scratch. The “war” between Swedish brands is now not about the coupling concept, but about the reliability of systems and units in extreme conditions.
31.
This
Volvo
with a 750 hp engine is probably the first four-axle
New FH16
in Russia.
The designation of the dump body is IPV 6832AC
. The internal volume of the body is about 21 m3.
Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still frame
32.
The dump trailer is designated
IPV 8590FG
.
The internal volume of the body is about 30 m3. Load capacity is about 51 tons. Axles are 18-ton BPW
, tires are
Michelin XZL 14.00 R20
.
About tires Remarochka
:
Remark by M-Park
33.
These are
the Michelin XZL 14.00 R20
that the KAMAZ-Master team has been using for a long time.
Starting from Dakar'2017, KAMAZ-Master, however, already drives a Continental, but a Michelin XZL
continue to be used by many "truck" rally teams around the world.
So, all the “competition” road trains have been manufactured and tested. The road to Muna is almost ready for them too.
34.
The test run of the mainline dump truck train has already taken place. On January 24, 2022, the first road train with 45 “cubes” of crushed stone set off from Udachny to Muna along a temporary technological passage for filling the sites of the shift camp. On the way back, the train brought the first 50 tons of ore mined at the Verkhne-Munskoye deposit.
Video report
from the Almazny Krai shopping and entertainment complex , still frame
35.
Almost everything is ready to launch the project. In the very near future, ALROSA will announce the winner of the “competition” for dump truck-train builders. Who will win? It's time to place your bets!
36.
We would venture to guess that the lion's share of the order for tipper chassis will go to
Volvo Trucks
.
Probably, the production of superstructures and trailers will somehow be distributed between the Meusburger Novtrak
and
InterPipe VAN
. And perhaps there will be one supplier.
We are very interested in the fate of the Tonarovsky mega-train. Does it have a chance to “reproduce”? We won’t dare to put forward versions here yet. Let's wait for the official results. As soon as they become known, we will give news.
This year, 75 thousand tons of diamond-bearing ore should be removed from the Verkhne-Munskoye deposit. The full design capacity of this deposit is 3 million tons of ore per year. Reaching design capacity is planned for 2022, and production there will continue until at least 2043. At least four kimberlite pipes are to be developed, named Zapolyarnaya, Deimos, Novinka and Komsomolskaya-Magnitnaya.
How many road trains are needed for this? This is exactly what is known - about seven dozen. It is planned that 68 road trains will be involved in the transport cycle for the delivery of ore over a distance of 160 km. And with the development of other remote fields in the area, the need for such transport will increase. In addition, the fleet of mainline dump trucks will be renewed once every 7 years.
The main intrigue is which manufacturer will receive the prestigious dump truck contract? We are waiting for the outcome with interest.
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