Going Underground with Hercules Wabush

Going Underground with Hercules Wabush

Digging a little deeper into our Wabush location.

High-quality metal, non-metal, and industrial mineral products are produced in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) and sold both domestically and abroad. Behind Ontario and British Columbia in the production of copper, nickel, and iron ore, Newfoundland and Labrador produces more iron ore than any other province in Canada.

Our Hercules Wabush branch is proud to be a partner in safety and service to the Newfoundland Mining Industry.

Just one of the projects we undertake on an annual basis is the entire inspection of all the rigging equipment of one of the largest mining and energy companies in the region.

Our inspectors spend a week 1200 ft underground to accomplish this sizeable task.

Hercules Wabush is comprised of 14 team members:

• 3 CSR’s
• 3 Inspectors
• 2 Warehouse Associates
• 5 Crane Techs
• 1 Branch Manager and our General Manager for the Atlantic Region

We stock a wide range of off-the-shelf, leading brand name, rigging products and accessories, we also manufacturing custom assemblies for all your lifting requirements.

Our brands include Crosby, Kito, Bridon Bekaert, Samson, Columbus Mckinnon, Tractel, 3M and more.Our highly trained and certified inspectors, test, inspect and repair:

• Cranes
• Fall Protection/SRL’s
• Hoists
• Slings
• Plate Clamps

What you might not know is we can also offer a couple of additional services such as:

• Rebuilding Grease Pumps and Impact Wrenches.
• We also supply specialized items for the mining industry including shovel rope cables for Electric Mining Shovels.

Electric Mining Shovels

An electric mining shovel, also referred to as a power shovel, stripping shovel, front shovel, or electric rope shovel, is a machine with a bucket that is typically powered by electricity and is used for loading earth, breaking up rock, and mining for minerals. Energy Mining A type of excavator known as a shovel uses steel ropes and winches to control and power the digging arm rather than hydraulics, as is the case with more typical hydraulic excavators. The track system, cabin, cables, rack, stick, boom foot-pin, saddle block, boom, boom point sheaves, and bucket are the basic components of a power shovel. A bucket can be 0.73 to 53 cubic meters in size.

Electric mining shovels typically have a rotating deck with a power source, drive and control mechanisms, typically a counterweight, and a front attachment, like a crane that supports a handle (also known as a “dipper” or “dipper stick”) with a digger (or “bucket”) at the end. The handle and digger are referred to as a unit under the term “dipper” at times. The equipment is supported by tracks or wheels on a base platform. These days, bucket sizes range from 8m3 to almost 80m3.

Energy Mining In open-cut mining operations, shovels are primarily used for overburden removal and excavation. They can also be used to load minerals like coal. They function similarly to steam shovels and are their modern equivalent.

Other uses of the Electric Mining Shovels include:

• Close range work
• Digging very hard materials
• Removing large boulders
• Excavating material and loading trucks

Various other types of jobs such as digging in gravel banks, in clay pits, cuts in support of road work, road-side berms, etc

Operation

The shovel operates using several main motions including:

• Hoisting – Pulling the bucket up through the bank of material being dug.
• Crowding – Moving the dipper handle in or out to control the depth of cut or to position for dumping.
• Swinging – Rotating the shovel between the dig site and dumping location.
• Propelling – Moving the shovel unit to different locations or dig positions.

A shovel’s work cycle, or digging cycle, consists of four phases:

1. Digging

2. Swinging
3. Dumping
4. Returning

During the digging phase, the dipper is crammed into the bank, filled by being hoisted, and then retracted from the bank once it is full. Once the dipper is both vertically and horizontally free of the bank, the swinging phase starts. When the dipper is properly positioned over the haul unit, the operator controls it through a predetermined swing path and dump height (e.g., truck). To dump a load, you must open the dipper door while maintaining the proper dump height. Returning entails lowering the dipper into the track position to close the dipper door and swinging it back to the bank.

Compared to other loading tools on the market, electric mining shovels are more effective and efficient at loading more material. They offer the lowest cost-per-ton loading solution for mines with a long lifespan by combining a large payload capability with minimal maintenance needs and high reliability. They are a viable option for mines with estimated lives that meet or exceed a 20-year time frame because they have an operating life of 120,000 hours.

Stop by or give us a call to see how we can help when it comes to your next lift or learn more about or specialized services.

25A Second Avenue Wabush, Newfoundland & Labrador, A0R 1B0

Tel: +17099443691

[email protected]

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The Hercules Group of Companies encompasses a wide portfolio of products and services across 7 diverse companies.