The Problem
Haul trucks form a critical component in a mine-site’s operations, moving large volumes of resources from mine to crusher. As such it is critical to plan for necessary maintenance as unscheduled failures have significant cost implications from lost production, under-utilized staff, as well as heightened safety risks for personnel.
The Solution
By using VROC AI to monitor the expected load distribution among tyres and the individual responses, it is possible to identify small degradations in tyre performance and load balance when tyre degradation events such as leaks / cuts impact performance.
Prior to the incident the VROC AI dashboard is showing green for the front and rear tkph indicating “Normal Operation”. Shortly after that there is a period of “Moderate Degradation” which progresses to “Severe Degradation”. It is possible to see that the tpkh distribution between the front and rear tyres is incorrect which indicates an issue with the tyres.
The Outcome
After noticing the degradation of the tyres, the truck was sent for repairs where maintenance personnel found a cut to the tyre sidewall. The workshop was able to repair the tyre before the damage became catastrophic.
VROC notified operations personnel of the issue 24 hrs before the truck was sent for repairs
Minimal downtime was experienced (and was a planned activity)
Repairs conducted as a planned activity with both Operations and Maintenance aware of the requirements
The tyre was repaired and the truck put back into service without any major disruption to operations
Estimated savings of $45,000 for this incident + lost production