Setting reliability standards for underground mining equipment

摘要

In order to increase productivity and reduce the cost of mining operations, the equipment used should be highly dependable. This can be achieved through its higher reliability and better maintainability. Because these concepts are relatively newin the mining industry, many problems are encountered. In this paper, problems concerning basic ideas, their interpretation and data collection are exposed and discussed. The paper also presents some aspects of ongoing research aimed at the increase ofequipment dependability, conducted by Tamrock Technology Centre with the Universite Laval, and the VTT research centre. The overview of a proposed system for continuous product improvement is given. It is stressed that an adequate quantity of unbiased,credible data on equipment failures and maintenance and, consequently, a close collaboration between mines and manufacturers are the key factors to success.