Reliability of diesel powered load-haul-dump machines in an underground Quebec mine

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 87, No. 978, 1994

J. Paraszczak and J.F. Perreault, Department of Mining and Metallurgy, Universite Laval, Quebec City, Quebec

The profitability of an underground mine depends to a great extent on the production cost. Random equipment failures and their consequences have significant influence on the total operating cost of a mining system. Having this in mind, a reliability study has been initiated for load-haul-dump machines in an underground mine. The main purpose of this study is to identify the critical machine subsystems, determine their failure pattern and help work out an effective maintenance strategy. In the first part of this study, the failure data of diesel powered LHDs, gathered during an 18-month period have been analyzed. For the purpose of the analysis, the machines have been treated as systems comprising seven subsystems connected in series. The most critical subsystems, i.e. electrical and hydraulic, were further investigated, and analyzed by graphical and analytical methods. Different failure distribution models were applied and discussed.

Keywords: Equipment, Underground mining, Maintenance, Production costs.