Dressta TD-40 in Kazakhstan

The heavy-duty Dressta TD-40 crawler dozer has been putting the brand’s trademark performance and durability to the test in the challenging iron ore mines of Kazakhstan. The Sokolov-Sarbai Mining Production Association (SSGPO) – a subsidiary of the Eurasion National Resources Corp. – is the largest iron ore mining and processing enterprise in Kazakhstan, which has the sixth largest iron ore reserves in the world. Employing more than 19 000 people, the company operates the Sokolovsky, Sarbaisky, Korzhinkolskiy and Kacharsky mines.

The Dressta TD-40 was deployed to the Kacharsky Karyer mine in the northern region of the country, some 70 km from the SSGPO headquarters in the city of Rudny. This Karcharsky mine brings 48% of total SSGPO production and, as such, it is essential for its operations to be fully optimised at all times.

Durability in arduous conditions

Since its initial deployment in 2000, the Dressta TD-40 in Kacharsky has put in over 65 000 hr of operation in conditions that drop as low as -40°C in winter and rise as high as 30°C in summer.

After many hours performing heavy-duty tasks at the bottom of the iron ore mine, in recent years the crawler dozer has been performing in ‘lighter’ applications. This has primarily involved moving overburden and large rocks to selected locations via the TD-40’s specially reinforced semi-U blades with a 39.8 m³ capacity. Additionally, the machine features a specialised wide track gauge to allow stability when operating on side slopes. In the challenging mountainous operating environment that dominates the opencast mine’s surroundings, the TD-40’s power, stability and handling ability is key.

For its operators, the longevity of its essential parts has been extremely impressive. Changing the tracks on a 67 700 kg crawler dozer is an unenviable task, but has been an infrequent exercise with the TD-40: the first routine track change was performed after 14 408 hr of operation.

It is a similar story with the dozer’s powerful KTA19C turbocharged engine, which went through its first overhaul after 25 070 hr of operation. In terms of transmission – which on the TD-40 features six-speeds forward and six-speeds reverse – it was first overhauled after 40 579 hr. The machine’s torque converter was first overhauled after 49 588 hr, and the modular final drive after 53 913 hr.

The sheer durability of the TD-40 and its vital components is testament to the quality of engineering and design that is achieved at Dressta’s plant in Poland, where only the toughest components and materials are used to ultimately ensure maximum productivity and satisfied end users.

Operator comfort

For the machine’s operator, the TD-40 has been built with features that offer comfort at all times throughout any given task at the Kacharsky mine. While the machine is capable of operating for thousands of hours without downtime, it needs to enable its operators to do this efficiently and effectively.

The sealed and sound-suppressed cab features an air recirculation system, meaning that in spite of the dirty air created through the iron mining outside, the air quality within the cab itself is clean and safe. In terms of actual operation, the TD-40 has been designed with ergonomic joysticks for precise blade control and movement and advanced electronic and motion controls that enable fluid control of every machine function.

Since the Dressta TD-40 was first specified and deployed to SSGPO’s Kacharsky iron ore mine over 15 yr ago, its contribution to continuous project productivity has not gone unnoticed, and Kazakhstan is a country where Dressta machines are becoming increasingly common on major mining and construction projects.

Edited by Jonathan Rowland.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/mining/05112015/dressta-td-40-in-kazakhstan-31178/