CRITICAL ASSET PROTECTION – DAMAGE & BRINELLING RISK
The challenge was not only ensuring spare gearboxes remained protected and ready for deployment, but also enabling safe, efficient transport whenever a unit required repair or replacement. The client needed a solution that would safeguard these critical assets throughout storage, handling, and transport, while minimising delays when time was of the essence.
Preventing component damage and brinelling — caused by vibrations during storage or transport — was key in determining the correct solution, as repair and downtime costs were significant.
REPAIRS TAKING 2-3 MONTHS AT BEST
A gearbox is critical to the operation of a SAG (Semi-Autogenous Grinding) mill because it transfers and multiplies power from the mill’s drive motor to the rotating mill shell. Without a functioning gearbox, the mill cannot generate the torque required to turn the massive grinding load of ore, steel balls, and the mill itself.
In this instance, the SAG mill required two gearboxes to run, with one operating at each end of the mill. If one of these mammoth gearboxes broke down, the operations would literally grind to a half.
These critical components take time to repair or replace. In the best-case scenario, if one gearbox is out, it can still take 2-3 months for parts to be hot shotted out for repair.
Our client faced a critical challenge in keeping SAG mill gearboxes both operational and protected as high-value assets within the grinding circuit. When repairs were required, these units also needed to be rapidly and safely transported to minimise costly downtime. The solution demanded a balance between secure long-term protection and fast, efficient mobilisation when every hour of production mattered.
SAG mills for mining rely on uptime to keep productivity powering, but damaged components can bring operations to a halt.
With 3 gearboxes required to power the mill, the protection of components was essential. Any damage to gearboxes or delays in repair are costly.
The frame provided protection for the critical gearboxes, including vibration damping to prevent brinelling of the bearings.
DOWNTIME COSTS GRIND ON, $1 MILLION A DAY
The downtime impact on a SAG mill is significant — estimated at the cost of $1million a day in lost production. When you factor in the hot shotting of parts to take several months, that figure escalates to $56 million+.
PROTECTION FOR CRITICAL EQUIPMENT
For many mines, a SAG mill is the heart of the processing plant. Every hour the mill is offline can result in lost production revenue. This is why operators must invest in:
- Critical spare gearbox strategies
- Certified transport frames for gearbox movements
- Secure storage systems for spare components
- Long-term preservation programs to prevent corrosion and degradation during storage
FRAMES PROVIDE FAST SOLUTION
The solution for the gearbox storage and handling was a standard product from DAYWALK, specifically designed to prevent the risk of brinelling in high-value components. These pre-engineered solutions have a short lead-time of approximately 8 weeks. DAYWALK’s vibration damping transport frames, including the Transporta, are engineered to minimise these risks through integrated vibration isolation, secure load restraint and component-specific support. By protecting valuable assets throughout transport and handling, they help ensure critical equipment is transported and remains in optimum condition. This ensures that costly downtime is limited and mill operations keep moving.
