Coal Age

JUN 2013

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Komatsu Looks to the Present to See the Future In the ever-challenging mining world where less people are being asked to make more decisions, Komatsu has a notable history of providing meaningful equipment performance analysis tools that come to the aid of its customer base. At the forefront of these Komatsu tools is its Komtrax Plus. The key function of Komtrax Plus is to provide valuable equipment operating performance data while also monitoring the condition of various components of the machine. This combination of equipment operating data with component health information can assist the owner in developing unit performance criteria for machine evaluation purposes. Examples of some of the more common operating performance figures currently being reviewed by Komatsu owners are: Payload, fuel consumption, service meter hours, idle hours. A similar list of component health information available for review is: Engine temperature and pressures and suspension pressures. These data points, which are also monitored for many Komatsu mining models, can be represented in many different formats, including trend analysis graphs. While the preceding data points are important in defining current equipment performance, there are many other operating parameters being captured by Komtrax Plus that Komatsu and its customers are analyzing in an effort to improve operating performance. For instance, the industry has recently emphasized improved road construction and maintenance principles, and Komatsu readily joined in this effort through its Komtrax Plus tool. Komatsu allocated data management capacity in the Komtrax Plus system to capture and report the wide array of real time operating forces being imparted upon key structural members and components of a truck while travelling along a road surface. The illustration below depicts the results of an analytical study of recorded structural forces during truck travel. These results are computed and represented as severity indices and reflect a one month period for a large number of Komatsu ultra-class trucks operating globally. Further refinement of the large array of data points allows Komatsu to begin understanding severity difference between different mine types, as seen in the graph below. factor, a calculated figure using real-time fuel consumption data captured by Komtrax Plus. The table utilizes load factor and the application severity index to estimate an overall severity designation for the haulage application in question, which then correlates with such major performance parameters as engine life, component life, and productivity. Another example of a similar exercise is a current customer project involving the correlation of certain road severity indices with respect to the optimum superelevation design parameters for haul road curves. Also, Komatsu design engineers are currently using this application severity data for many internal projects. For instance, this type of data is extremely valuable in many facets of new product design programs. Market definition and corresponding design requirements are two examples of new product design criteria that will be impacted by this type of information. In addition, road condition severity information of this nature is of great value in projecting future operating costs for existing truck fleets as well as identifying site locations where severe road conditions need to be addressed. Numerous cost analysis and projection departments within Komatsu and its customers are using this data for more accurate cost projections, parts stocking needs, fuel usage estimates, continuous improvement projects, etc. Fleet procurement analyses will also benefit from this data. Accurate component life projections will allow the development of more refined operating cost forecasts. This capability will lead to increased confidence in defining the most economical time to replace an existing machine. Komatsu Marketing personnel are making a concerted effort to incorporate these application severity results into exercises involving proprietary equipment replacement software programs (e.g. RUN OR REPLACEĀ©). Komatsu expects to further enhance its abilities to project ideal replacement periods for its equipment based on a more thorough understanding of world-wide mining applications. Given its large global machine population and its extensive data collection network, Komatsu foresees many significant uses and benefits from the ability to capture and analyze real-time field condition data, as described. If any of these capabilities are of interest, please contact your local Komatsu Distributor representative. www.komatsuamerica.com The significant difference in the severity indices give Komatsu engineers and customers an understanding of how variable operating conditions and mine types can impact truck performance characteristics. As an example, the following table illustrates an analysis involving the aforementioned severity indices in correlation with engine load 960E Company Profile - Paid Advertisement June 2013 www.coalage.com 19

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