sure. It stands to reason that off-road
equipment would experience similar fuel
efficiency results.
Monitoring tire pressures results in
reducing unplanned downtime because
tire issues are managed proactively rather
than waiting for low pressures or high
temperatures to force the downing of a
unit.
By maintaining tire pressures through
monitoring, mine operators also enhance
safety by increasing handling and brak-
ing of the haul units.
Also, a number of different sensors are
available on the market today that, again,
when coupled with a preferred telematics
option, allow for problem areas to be
monitored and alerts sent if issues arise
for things like air filter restrictions, oil
condition sensing, wheel motor bearing
vibrations or any number of other areas.
Enhancing Safety
In similar fashion to production and main-
tenance, various functions can be moni-
tored on other areas of mobile equipment
that can help to enhance the safety of the
workforce at a surface operation.
For instance, management can be
notified if seat belt usage is in compli-
ance while the unit is in production. If a
unit rolls over, an emergency notification
can be sent over the telematics platform
to alert others and initiate a response and
speed restrictions can be monitored and
alerts generated for any infractions.
These are just a few of the various func-
tions that a fleet monitoring system can
address in terms of enhancing safety for
the mine operator.
December 2014 www.coalage.com 43
s u r f a c e m a i n t e n a n c e c o n t i n u e d
A close-up look of the temperature and vibration sensor for a BE495 bearing gathering critical data for
the user.