An underground longwall mine located in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland has been producing premium hard coking coal since 1998. On average they produce five to six million tonnes of coal per annum. With such high demands for both quality and quantity, it is imperative that the mine runs at the highest possible level of productivity at all times. This means eliminating unscheduled downtime at every opportunity.
The mine was unhappy with a mechanical fastening system they were sourcing from a staple fastener supplier. The product was installed on a 1050 millimetre wide solid woven belt, which runs year-round, nonstop.
Unfortunately, the fasteners were wearing out extremely quickly, with the belt crew having to replace three to four splices a week. With a belt 8 kilometre long, that meant a total of 40 splices held the belt together, with each having to be replaced at least twice in the belt’s lifetime.
The fastener material was prone to high wear in the harsh mining conditions. The hinge pins were migrating, leading to potential safety issues, if not regularly inspected and replaced.
Click here to learn how Flexco solved the coal mine’s issues.