Allison, the essential ingredient for powering massive road trains in Australian iron ore mine

Gulf Transport and Powertrans use Allison transmissions to help provide more efficient ore transport for Fortescue Metals in Australia’s rugged Pilbara.

Specialist Australian heavy vehicle manufacturer, Powertrans has had success using Allison automatic transmissions in developing some of the world’s biggest road trains to enable Gulf Transport to fulfil a demanding ore transport contract at one of the biggest iron ore mines located in the booming Pilbara region of North Western Australia. The Powertrans ‘powered’ road trains feature a specially designed and built heavy-duty prime mover or tractor unit and up to six trailers with as many as two of the trailers equipped with an identical engine and an Allison transmission as the prime mover. These massive road trains have been hauling more than 500 tonnes of iron ore at a time over a 52 kilometre haul road between the Fortescue Christmas Creek operation and the company’s Cloudbreak mine and loading facility. In its largest configuration with two powered trailers, four passive trailers and a full load of iron ore, the giant rig, including the prime mover, tips the scales at more than 750 tonnes. These vehicles have been doing this work reliably and safely in temperatures often exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, largely due to the ability of Allison’s M6610 six-speed automatic to handle the power and torque from the 760 horsepower Cummins QSK19 electronically managed 19-litre turbo diesel engines. According to Powertrans, chief engineer Scott McFarlane, Allison automatic transmissions have been key to the success of the Powertrans concept and have not only been perfect for the task but reliable and efficient as well. “The Allison M6610 automatic transmission is the only way to ensure that we get a smooth transfer of power to the wheels, not only at the prime mover but also through the powered trailers,” said McFarlane. “Allison M6610s are a staple of our design concept. They cushion the torque and prevent driveline problems through any mismatch of the engines during operation. The transmission takes care of the extra tractive effort needed to move such high pay loads because there is a torque multiplication effect through the torque converter,” he said. “The concept has always been to use the inherent efficiencies of a road train rather than the huge dump trucks traditionally used in iron ore mines particularly over longer distances which are a restriction for the big dumpers.” The road train concept also allows for a variety of configurations with two, three, four, five or six trailer capability using the prime mover and at least one powered trailer in each of the rigs. The four trailer rig can haul a payload of around 400 tonnes, while even the three trailer units are capable of loads of more than 250 tonnes. Fortescue Metals Group currently has a daily target of 135,000 tonnes of iron ore which means every piece of machinery used in the operation has to be working efficiently and productively. Gulf Transport has been operating 16 Powertans powered road trains at the Fortescue operation in the Pilbara over the past two years with tremendous success, particularly over longer haul distances from four to 53 kilometres where traditional giant dump trucks have limitations. Powertrans first started manufacturing powered trailers for mining road trains in 1999 pioneering the concept at the Granites Gold Mine in the deserts of Central Australia. Since then the company has produced more than 100 powered trailers from its factory in Brisbane (Australia). Initially the prime mover used was either a heavy duty Mack or Kenworth fitted with an 18 speed manual; however in 2006 Powertrans decided to design and build its own prime mover using a Cummins QSK 19 mated to the Allison M6610 automatic transmission, the same as the powered trailer units. The first Powertrans T1250 heavy-duty prime mover was completed in 2008 and went into service in early 2009 at the Fortescue Cloudbreak mine. “We needed a prime mover with a high rating to match the massive load requirements beyond 300 tonnes payload, and with Mack intimating it would discontinue manufacture of its Big Foot heavy duty model the only way we believed we could do that was to build our own using the same proven drive train from the powered trailers,” Scott McFarlane added. “It is a much better rig with an Allison automatic in the prime mover because it has more tractive effort, is smoother and is much less punishing on the axles and differentials than a manual in the prime mover,” he said. Gulf Transport project manager for the Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek mines, Michael Chard says the Allison transmissions have proven themselves more than a match for the job and have enabled the company to fulfil its contractual obligations without problems. “The automatics not only ensure smooth and reliable operation, but also mean the drivers can concentrate on steering the road trains and staying out of trouble in a busy mine operation where there are lots of vehicles moving about on the haul roads,” said Michael Chard. “The first Powertrans unit came here and was in many ways a working prototype. We had some minor teething problems, but as each of the 16 road trains came into service, they have continued to prove themselves as efficient and reliable,” he added. The oldest of the Allison equipped powered trailers operating at the Fortescue operation has logged more than 10,000 hours in two years while the original powered trailers operating at the Granites mine have clocked more than 60,000 hours. The success of the Powertrans road train concept using Allison has sparked interest amongst potential customers in mining operations around the world including West Africa, South America and in Asia. About Allison Transmission, Inc. Allison Transmission, Inc. (Allison) is the premier global provider of commercial duty automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems. Allison products are specified by over 250 of the world‘s leading vehicle manufacturers and are used in many market sectors including bus, refuse, fire, construction, distribution, military and specialty applications. Founded in 1915, the Allison business is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. and employs approximately 3,000 people. Regional headquarters with dedicated support staff are located in China, The Netherlands, Brazil, India and Japan. With a global presence in 80 countries, Allison has over 1,550 distributor and dealer locations. More information about Allison is available at www.allisontransmission.com. About Powertrans Australian-owned Powertrans was established in 2001 designing and manufacturing a range of innovative haulage systems that offer the mining industry lower cost, higher-productivity alternatives to conventional large mining trucks. We specialise in developing robust operator friendly vehicles. The Powertrans concept builds on its patented Powertrailer™ system, which, in addition to the prime mover, allows up to two powered trailers to be placed within a “road train” combination. Originally established to manufacture powered trailers for surface and underground mining applications. Its two key product families – the Powertrans Underground Mining Haulage and Powertrans Surface Mining Haulage systems – have proven themselves tough and reliable products that perform even the most demanding conditions. Based in Brisbane, Powertrans services clients around Australia and overseas, offering operational and mechanical field support in the most remote locations. www.ptrans.com.au For more details or imagery, please contact Nick Bailey, nick@propel-technology.com +44 1295 724130

Tags: