Latest Svedala mobile crushers for Tarmac
With reserves at their Craighill Quarry becoming depleted, Tarmac Quarry Products made the decision seven years ago to purchase the reserves of Hightown Quarry.
The basalt reserves are suitable for use as dry-stone aggregates, coated materials or sub-bases and crusher runs. The topography of the working area posed a technical challenge, with three working faces, the latest involving a long haul to the crusher.
Following discussions between the local management teams of Tarmac and Svedala, a range of mobile crushers and screens was agreed upon, with loading equipment from Caterpillar, to be operated by Dunn Technical Services.
The primary crusher is a crawler-mounted Svedala JM 1208 48 x 30 jaw crusher which is fed by a Caterpillar 345 excavator. The Jawmaster was designed for mobile applications, with finite element analysis being used to reduce weight without loss of strength. Its main feature is the wide and symmetrical crushing chamber which gives a high capacity while accommodating large lumps of material. Its Caterpillar engine drives a generator to power the crusher via an electric motor rather than hydraulically, as in most other applications.
The secondary crusher is a Svedala H4000 Extra Coarse Hydrocone, capable of being operated in closed circuit and producing a typical minus 60mm product. The tertiary crusher is a crawler-mounted H4000 MF Hydrocone to produce aggregates of 20mm and below.
Two mobile screening units contain high-capacity VLB318 Tripl-Flo screens, a derivative of the Duo-Flo screen which is usually applied in non-sizing applications. A mobile VFO Duo-Flo screen wagon can be used following either the primary or the secondary sections to produce specific product sizes as required.
Both the primary and secondary units regularly travel to different areas of the quarry, while the tertiary plant is semi-static within a central area to minimize product stockpiling and ease dispatch. Material is moved and dispatched by two Caterpillar 962G wheel loaders.
An important consideration in Tarmac's purchasing decision was Svedala's service support in Ireland. Last July Svedala opened their new regional service centre in Maghera, within 30 miles of the quarry, which is the home base for the region's four-man service team. Spare parts are also stocked there.
Environmental issues were met by on-board dust collectors on all three crawler units, and all conveyors and screen units are fully encapsulated. The discharge area of the primary, secondary and tertiary crushers, along with all transfer points and the discharge points from the product stocking conveyors, are fitted with water-based dust-suppression points.
Initial reports indicate that the plant is working in excess of 275 tonnes/h and is producing high-quality finished aggregates.
