Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/718149
AGGREGATES MANAGER / September 2016 31 W hen a drill rig starts punching through soil or rock, the operator is not thinking about the fluid levels on the machine or the condition of its hydraulic hoses. Those considerations were addressed in the days and hours before the rig's engine was started and the drilling unit was moved into position. If operator and service techni- cians faithfully follow a recommended maintenance protocol, the machine should perform as expected when the bit actually starts burrowing. Bill Burgee knows something about how to keep a drill rig running. After 20 years in a tech support role, including teaching best practices to surface drill operators, the Sandvik technical supervi- sor is a firm believer in maintenance. The most important maintenance habit an op- erator and support technician can form, he says, is daily inspection of the machine. "Performing their daily maintenance, that is the biggest thing in keeping a drill running," says Burgee, whose entire working career has been in the industry. "Anything less can lead to premature failure of a component." The hierarchy of daily inspection procedures looks something like this: Check (1) the level of fluids, (2) condi- tion of hydraulic hoses; (3) condition of linkage; (4) tightness of bolts, nuts, and hose fittings; and (5) for evidence of wear in bushings, bearings, and other close tolerance components. Burgee's daily check-list is two- phased. Before starting the engine: • Check oil levels (engine, com- pressor, pump drive gear, shank lube, hydraulic), and other fluids including fuel, radiator — and fire extinguisher. After starting the engine and engag- ing drives: • Inspect for leaks; • Grease all grease points on lower half of feed rail; • Check filter indicators; • Warm up rig to operating temperatures; • Check condition of bit; and • Inspect working area for safety hazards. His weekly maintenance schedule is more hands-on. • Grease all grease points; • Clean radiator, oil coolers, and cab; • Check drifter accumulator, drifter tie rods, and drifter mount- ing bolts; • Check filter indicators and inspect dust collector filters; • Check feed cable/feed chain ad- justment; and • Repair any hydraulic leaks. Daily and weekly inspections are preventive maintenance procedures, so, as a rule, they are more cursory. Prob- lems are not really expected and visual examination and hand-testing usually are sufficient. "On the daily check, you don't have to put a wrench on a bolt to see if it's tight. It's not like a scheduled main- tenance examination. That's when you don't just look at things," Burgee says. When bolts do need tightening, techni- cians are advised to use torque standards recommended by a manufacturer. Longer-term maintenance proto- cols are no less critical for being less frequent. Components simply wear out over time and must be replaced. A new bushing that tightly guides a drill shaft in the beginning may have 15-20 degrees of play in it at the end of a year of drilling. If so, it needs to be replaced. Depending upon a manufacturer's recommendation, coolant may need replacing after 600 hours or it might be good for 2,000 hours. Change out the fuel filter after 600 hours? Check the oil level in the tramming gear after 250 hours? Yes, if the maintenance manual says to do so. Be safety conscious Note that among Burgee's recommended pre-drill daily examinations are safety checks, such as checking the fire extin- guisher. Instilling in operators the habit of being safety conscious is a reminder that a heavy drilling rig has the capacity to do harm. "We are pretty adamant about safety," Burgee says. "We promote it. In initial training, we go over all the safety features in a rig and make sure the operator is fully aware of the do's and don'ts with the machine. We don't try to create safety procedures. It all is in the manual, and we thoroughly review that with them." Safety in maintenance actually begins in factories. To reduce or eliminate falls by someone clambering over a machine to inspect or service it, manufacturers try to give ground-level access to service points. They try to organize electrical and hydraulic systems so technicians can reach and service the systems without putting themselves in slip-and-fall situ- ations. Some manufacturers clearly route hoses with technicians in mind — spac- ing the hoses for unencumbered access with a wrench and labeling them for easier identification. These attempts to provide access to service areas and to lessen the burden of maintenance have the effect of encour- aging technicians and operators to look after their machinery. This, in turn, con- tributes to optimum hours of production. Still, modern drills can seem over- Daily maintenance is the most important way to keep a drill running.