Australia is known worldwide as a mining country. Mining has been prevalent with the early settlers who heralded the gold rush in 1850 and were instrumental in bringing development during the early years. Mining is a major contributor to Australian economy, accounting for around 14.6% of the total Australian economy in 2021. For a complete snapshot of the Australian economy, download the chart here.
There are over 350 operating mine sites across the country, one third of which are in WA and the balance two third are spread over Queensland and NSW. In Australia, WA accounts for 97% of iron ore while the east coast is majority coal production. Majority of coal mines are open cut with 1 in every 3 mines being underground.
RUD Group – Mining Solutions
For over 140 years, the RUD Group has been developing innovative chain systems and components for a wide range of applications in the mining sector around the world. In Australia, RUD offers a range of lifting and lashing points, VIP sling chain systems and tyre protection/traction chains for the mining industry.
RUD also offers a range of mining chains and connectors for use in armoured chain conveyors and beam stage loaders, covering all standard sizes, from 14x50mm through to 48x152mm. All sizes can be supplied in round steel link configuration while the flat link style is available only in the 38mm to 48mm size.
Tyre Protection Chains
The world reputed RUD tyre protection and traction chains are a sought-after quality product for mining and quarrying trucks.
Tyre Protection Chains are required for 3 broad reasons:
- To Maximise Safety in wet and slippery environments
- To Reduce Operating Costs by cutting down on expensive repairs and avoiding downtime
- To Increase Flexibility and Overall Productivity by using high quality chains across different terrains
RUD’s tyre protection chains:
- Use case hardened alloy chains linked in patented designs to provide a high level of tyre protection
- Are designed to be used across fire and hot slag conditions, which can be very dangerous and lead to loss of equipment through burnt tyres
- Help extend a tyres’ life by a factor of ten
At the Jundee Nickel Mine, extreme tyre wear and premature tyre failure had become an ongoing problem. Tyre issues were frequent but unpredictable. Replacement tyres were often difficult to source, leaving trucks and machinery out of service for long periods of time.
Continued into Part 2 to discuss lifting, material handling and engineered solutions…
Article copyright to RUD, this information is accurate at the time of publication and RUD Australia takes no responsibility for any errors inadvertent or otherwise.
Some data is sourced from the below:
- https://www.rba.gov.au/education/resources/snapshots/economy-composition-snapshot/
- https://www.miningmonthly.com/archive/news/1294947/rud-offers-options-longwall-miners
- https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/australia-mining
- https://www.aggreko.com/en-au/news/2018/auspac-news/07-july/five-common-challenges-facing-the-mining-industry
