| Underground
routes are in need of reconstruction and new chambers have
to be driven. This is a job which can only be mastered with
special machinery. The difficult conditions in the mine and
the confined space call for special machines. Exactly the
right challenge for the TEREX Schaeff specialists.
K+S Kali GmbH commissioned TEREX Schaeff, which has its headquarters
in Langenburg, southern Germany, with the new development
and shipment of several SF120 Roof Cutting Units to be used
for the reconstruction of the tunnels in the Werra and Zielitz
potash and salt mines. Thanks to the special boom geometry
of the SF120 and its hydrostatically driven cutting head (120
kW), the unit is capable of recutting the hanging wall and
driving new cavities and maintenance pits underground —
all this over existing belt conveyors. Mounted on the customer's
underground loaders instead of their 8-m³ buckets, the
roof cutting units are extremely flexible and easily relocated
on site.
Tough conditions in very confined spaces: The extremely mobile
arm of the SF120 Roof Cutting Unit made by TEREX Schaeff is
used in various mines of the K+S Group for the re-construction
of tunnels. Photo: TEREX Schaeff
The K+S Group is one of the world’s leading suppliers
of speciality and standard fertilizers, plant care and salt
products. Its business segment “potash and magnesium
products” operates six mines for the production of potash
and magnesium raw salts in Germany. The group employs about
11,000 staff and closed the business year 2003/2004 with an
increase in turnover of 12 percent. Profit before taxes even
rose by 38 percent to €128,4 million. This positive development
is due to the strong worldwide demand for potash fertilizers,
which is expected to continue in the coming years. According
to the corporation, they will also benefit from continuous
increasing efficiency and cost savings in all sectors.
Underground conditions are tough and demand a great deal of
the machines: Longitudinal inclinations of up to 28 percent
with simultaneous lateral inclinations of up to 15 percent
and maximum ambient temperatures of 52°C! From the outset
the roof cutting units — the total weight of each fully
assembled machine is approximately 48 tonnes — have
performed to the full satisfaction of their users and proven
their flexibility, efficiency and reliability each day. The
special design of the TEREX Schaeff roof cutting unit allows
it to be attached to virtually any loader type in this performance
class, while configurations for smaller loading machines or
other carrier vehicles are also available.
TEREX Schaeff is a member of the US TEREX Corporation, the
number three global player of the construction equipment industry,
with a total turnover of almost four thousand million dollars.
Alongside excavators and wheel loaders, TEREX’s equipment
portfolio consists of excavator-loaders, tunnelling and mining
equipment, dumpers, compaction equipment, telescopic handlers,
loading machines, crushers and screeners, as well as truck-mounted
cranes.
Text: Thorsten Hiller
|
