Haul Road Maintenance - GRT' Automated Dust Suppression Systems

Haul roads are the backbone of any mining operation. In most cases 40% are permanent and 60% are non-permanent haul roads. Legislation on dust control limits and haul road maintenance has driven mining companies to transition towards a more sustainable, environmental, and economic solution for managing and suppressing haul road dust.

Global Road Technology’s haul road maintenance system enables: 

• reduction in fuel consumption
• dust legislation compliance 
• higher haul truck availability 
• minimal dust challenges
• water to work for you
• minimized downtime 
• improved cycle times
• increased safety
• asset protection  
• less tyre wear

Haul Road Maintenance Issues

Poor haul road design increases the resistive force working against mine truck motion. Haul truck cycle times are vastly affected by ineffective haul road maintenance. It will result in slow or stop events of the haul trucks. The contributing factors to these slow or stop events include:

Proximity 

There is a correlation between haul truck productivity and effective use of auxiliary equipment such as water trucks and graders. Maintenance vehicle interactions in key segments of the haul road reduce haul truck speeds and this negatively impacts haul truck productivity. 

Loss of Traction 

Water truck over-watering haul roads lead to losing traction. Moisture content that isn’t optimized to suit the traction requirements creates skid resistance challenges. Inconsistent grading increases rolling resistance and ultimately reduces the tonne kilometre per hour. 

Rutting and Spillage 

Poor road conditions as a result of loss in surface integrity contribute to tyre wear. Overloading and spillage of materials creates debris on the haul roads. These also have an impact on tyre wear. It creates more risk of incidental premature tyre failure. 

Dust 

Speed restrictions are placed on haul trucks when dust levels are too high. It is worth the effort to put in the best haul roads you can. This gives savings in cycle times, ground engagement wear, hydraulics, haul road dust control, and ponding. Haul road bearing capacity changes with increasing loading haul truck round trip cycles. 

Haul and access roads on mine sites endure the majority of mining activity and movement. Heavy machinery, high traffic usage and harsh weather conditions mean these roads must be robust, resilient and flexible.

GRT’s Haul Road Maintenance System –

GRT’s revolutionary products and processes prevent dust while also repairing and controlling soil and surface deterioration. Our products are effective on all soil types, keeping roads open, improving driving conditions and eliminating potential health threats posed by fugitive dust.

GRT: Haul-Loc is designed to be applied on mining haul roads using existing site water trucks, tankers, or sprinklers. Mixed with water, GRT: Haul-Loc is sprayed onto road surfaces binding fine dust particles and preventing them from becoming airborne dust.

GRT – Automated Dosing Units

Designed and manufactured in Australia, GRT’s SMART dosing units range from simple hand-operated pumps to our fully automated dosing units used by some of the world’s largest mining and quarrying companies. GRT’s dosing units inject GRT: Haul-Loc into the flow stream of the water at your standpipe or hydrant fill points at our recommended dosage rates, calibrated to the rate of flow in the water supply pipe.

These units are tailor-made for each customer to suit their individual needs and ensure accurate dosing of the product with the following options:

• Solar-powered, generator or mains power compatible,
• Manual, remote control, or automated start,
• Permanently fixed, mobile skids/bunds, or even truck-mounted units are available.
• Can be dual-purposed to also dose our GRT: ACTIVATE and GRT: RoadConditioner products.

Mine operators understand how essential it is to build a stable road base so as to keep the routes intact, maintain safety and avoid rising maintenance costs. GRT delivers quality access road dust control and stabilization solutions to keep these vital thoroughfares permanently operational.

GRTs’ line of highly effective, environmentally safe soil stabilization and dust control products and processes eliminate the need for inefficient watering. Our dust control products also help prevent surface deterioration, potholes and rutting, avoiding haulage downtime, and damage to plant and equipment.