AU2012213921A1 - Aerodynamic hopper to be installed on and used in high-tonnage trucks, intended to transport mineral or waste rock at open pit mines - Google Patents

Abstract

The aerodynamic hopper is primarily intended to transport and unload material at main mineral extraction centres, the hopper structure being installed on a high-tonnage truck (1). Owing to the complexity of this task, the hopper has been provided with aerodynamic characteristics that facilitate the transfer of the load, avoiding wind resistance, which leads to a reduction in the fuel consumption of the truck (2, 4, 13, 15). In addition, the load is uniform, with the centre of gravity being maintained stable for loading, unloading and moving. Moreover, the main structure, known as the chassis, can be easily repaired. The invention is essentially characterised by the following: the front wall is in the form of an S having a varying radius, said wall being joined to the floor and the roof projection, forming a single part (8); the side walls are straight in the upper portion thereof and curved in the lower quarter which is connected to the floor (7); and the structure is formed by multiple double I-beams which are secured to the chassis by means of intermittent welding and bolts.

Description

AERODYNAMIC HOPPER TO BE INSTALLED IN HIGH TONS TRUCK, DESIGNED TO CARRY MINERAL OR BARREN IN OPEN PIT MINES Technology Sector It's installed in high tons trucks, designed to carry mineral or barren in open pit mines. Prior Technique The high tons trucks which carry mineral or barren in open pit mines are loaded by equipments called shovels or front loaders. The truck that carries this large amount of volume moves the extraction material to the places where the primary process of unload is done, with a hopper or a box - this hoppers can be constituted both of polymers or steels. This process in actual mining is performed by cycles, generating irreversible structural damages to the box or hopper, provoking large amounts of fatigues and tensions localized in the structure, which will increase as the transport cycles get repetitive. Current hoppers have curve or straight geometrical shapes made of structural steels elastically deformable with stocks of polymers; anti-abrasive - or blindaged - steels; T, U or plicated beams with continuous or plug welds, generating large accumulations of stresses in the weld joints between the parts of the hopper - such as front, side, visor and floor. These hoppers also contain a rigid chassis, creating a single structure. This configuration makes this kind of hoppers to generate large maintaining costs, reparation and time. Besides this kind of equipment in extreme environment conditions with great wind gusts produces an increase of fuel consumption, due to the fact that its front generate restrictions in the moment of advancing. The following measure in this application of utility model is centralized in the decrease of fuel consumption if the truck and the easy fixing of its principal structure called chassis. The main feature is that it is an aerodynamic hopper. This concept is grounded in three principal points: the first one is the "s" shape of the hopper's front, geometric form that allows making a single piece, putting together the floor, the frontal wall and the visor, junction which at the moment of contact with winds decreases the restriction due to this phenomenon. The second aerodynamic characteristic is that its side walls end in curve joining the floor, this configuration of the side walls allows - both together floor and frontal - to create a uniform load, keeping its mass center stable even in extreme conditions, such as slopes up to 14'. This action maintains a uniform charge distribution in percentages of 33.3% plus or minus 1% for the front axle and 66.7 % plus or minus 1% for the rear axle. The hopper as being loaded adapts to the geometrical shape of the front and side walls, maintaining the load controlled when moving the truck and its load, when it's unloaded, glides faster and smoother. The third aerodynamic characteristic is that the beam configuration of the chassis makes an easy change of the principal structure, because the beams are attached to the floor with intermittent welds and the binding to the chassis legs are formed by bolts, converting the beams in chassis mechano ones. 1 The three features of the aerodynamic hopper give a sustainable saving both the equipment day by day and its preventive (and reparative) maintenance, turning it into an easy to maintain and repair hopper, with low costs and time saving. Brief description of the figures Figure Nr. 1 is an isometric perspective of a conventional high tons truck, in which the present utility model is installed Figure Nr. 2 is a side view of the aerodynamic hopper parallel to the high tons mining truck, shown in figure nr. 1. Figure Nr. 3 is a superior view of the aerodynamic hopper parallel to the high tons mining truck, which shows the aerodynamic geometrical shape of the box. Figure Nr. 4 is an inferior view that shows the configuration of the chassis beams ranging the front visor and floor. Figure Nr. 5 is a frontal view of the hopper that shows the configuration of the I-beams and the aerodynamic shape of the chassis. Figure Nr. 6 is an inferior view of the visor, which shows the configuration of the I-beams and the present utility model. Complete description The aerodynamic hopper to be installed in high tons truck, designed to transport mineral or barren in open pit mines is formed by three fundamental elements. The first one is its structure or skeleton formed by I-beams (1); the second is the floor, front wall and visor set (2) and the third its two side walls (3). All the parts can be made of structural or antiabrasive steel. The floor of the hopper is straight shaped. That, in the moment of connecting with the front and the visor creates a single piece, thereby enabling it to become aerodynamic, because this set takes the geometrical form in "S" (Figure 8). Also the floor is formed by a resilient and extendible structure, because their joints with the floor base plate are through intermittent welds; thus permitting to minimize residual stresses in the beams and the base steel sheet, a condition that generates a single structural assembly connecting the floor, the front wall, the visor and sidewalls (Figure 9) - the kind of floor beans are called "I" (Figure 10). Once the beams are connected they're fixed by bolts; enabling this way to maintain in position the legs of the chassis (Figure 11). This action permits to keep its percent elongation depending on the type of steel used at the moment of the generation of dynamic forces by the chassis. The front wall of the box or hopper is configured with a variety of I-beams which are in horizontal and vertical position (Figure 12); that allows having connectivity with the visor 2 and the floor. The alignment of the I-beams takes the geometric shape of the front wall in S (Figure 13). Furthermore, the subjection of the I-beams is intermittently welded to the floor base plate, the front wall and the visor. The side panels of the box are straight shaped in the superior part, ending in a curve of variant radius (Figure 14), connecting then with the floor and the front. The side once is bound to the walls of front and floor, is held in a beam engine C called primary beam (Figure 15), of variant radius starting from the back side and ending at the peak of the hopper. The primary beam is connected to the lateral wall by intermittent weld. This modality allows the base plate plus the beam to retain by 95% the mechanical properties of the product, due to weldability (Figure 16). The hopper visor is constituted by a variety of I-beams (Figure 17) that starts form the floor and end in the visor. These beams take the straight geometric shape of the visor and turn into S in the front (Figure 18). The beams are fixed with intermittent weld. 3