Optimum Tyre Protection in Quarries

25 November, 2014

First published in the November 2014 issue of Quarry Management as Optimum Tyre Protection

German quarry operators Fels-Werkre GmbH protect their loading and hauling fleet with Erlau tyre-protection chains

Headquartered in Goslar, Fels-Werke are one of Germany’s leading quarrying operators and second largest suppliers of limestone products. The company owns several quarries and has more than 10 lime production plants in operation in Germany, the Czech Republic and Russia.

In total, Fels employ around 1,000 people, supply more than 5 million tonnes of limestone products and generate revenues of around €250 million per annum. As part of a plant optimization programme to produce an additional 6 million tonnes of quarried materials, the company has strengthened its loading and hauling fleet with the addition of two new Caterpillar 990 wheel loaders and a 992G model.

One of the Cat 990 units is working at Saal an der Donau, in south-west Germany, where Fels have access to a major deposit of high- purity Jura limestone. Operating nine kilns utilizing efficient processing and calcining technologies, the site produces a comprehensive range of lime products in grades that meet a broad spectrum of industrial applications.

The second Cat 990 loader is operating at Kalkwerk Kaltes Tal – a two-quarry operation close to Harz National Park where 1.5 million tonnes of Devonian limestone is processed annually. There are currently seven kilns on site, including three annular shaft kilns and two counter-flow/parallel-flow regenerative (PFR) kilns that produce around 500,000 tonnes of highly reactive quicklime per annum.

Meanwhile, the Cat 992G wheel loader is carrying out earthmoving duties at Fels’ Rubeland/Hornberg facility. Also located on the edge of Harz National Park and with the same Devonian deposits as Kalkwerk Kaltes Tal, this operation consists of 10 state-of-the-art PFR kilns, allowing Fels to produce around 600,000 tonnes of multiple grades of high-quality lime products per year.

Devonian limestone is an extremely abrasive material that can that can rapidly destroy the tread of bare tyres and, at the working face, there is an ever-present risk of sidewall damage and blow-outs as earthmoving machinery have to contend with newly blasted rock fragments.

With large earthmover tyres in short supply and costly to buy, Fels have taken key measures to obtain maximum value from their plant and equipment investment by ensuring tyres last as long as possible.

For optimum efficiency and economy, the front tyres of the three CATs are fitted with Erlau R71 special tyre protection chains (TPCs) – a closed mesh, case hardened ring-ring chain that absorbs abrasion and protects against sidewall damage. The less vulnerable rear tyres are protected against abrasion by a pair of the lighter Erlau R71 TPCs.

With the all-round protection of the R71 TPCs, plant operators will not only extend tyre life by as much as 10 times, but will also benefit from greater productivity and reduced cost-per-tonne rates, thanks to reduced maintenance downtime and increased machine availability.

Erlau’s TPCs are found in quarries and mines across the globe and have proven their worth on wheel loaders, dozers, motor-graders and dumptrucks. In Europe, Erlau continue to be a long-term supplier of tyre chains to Fels Werke. The German quarry operators have specified three further TPCs for two Cat machines and a Komatsu WA800-3 wheel loader at their Elbingerode operation.

Furthermore, two full sets of four Erlau TPCs have been delivered to Fels’ Bad Grund Quarry to provide all-round protection for more Caterpillar machinery.

Erlau recently celebrated 70 years of their TPC invention and currently have a 65% share of the world market. Erlau tyre-protection chains can be found in more than 75 countries supported by an extensive service network.

For more information visit: www.erlau.com