OPTIMISING BELT

Figure 1. As the centre of the blade wears unevenly, the outer edges create a “smiley face” or “mooning”.

OPTIMISING BELT CLEANER TENSION FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE

While conveyor belt cleaning may seem a tedious, mundane exercise for quarry personnel, if it is done correctly and with the right technologies at their disposal, it can have dividends for an operation’s productivity and cost of ownership.

Given the number of conveyor-related accidents that occur during routine maintenance and clean-up, every bulk materials handler has a vested interest in technologies to reduce hazards and prevent injuries.

Seemingly mundane tasks such as adjusting belt cleaners and removing spillage often require workers to be in close proximity to the moving conveyor, where even incidental contact can result in serious injury. Further, spillage can contribute to the risk of fire by interfering with pulleys and idlers and by providing potential fuel. Even worse, in confined spaces, airborne particles can create the right ingredients for an explosion. The build-up of fugitive material can occur with surprising speed. As Table 1 illustrates, spillage in an amount equal to just one sugar packet (about four grams) per hour will result in an accumulation of about 700 grams at the end of a week. If the rate of escape is four grams per minute, the accumulation will be more than 45 kilograms per week, or more than two tonnes per year.

If the spillage amounts to just one shovelful per hour (not an uncommon occurrence in some operations), personnel FUGITIVE MATERIAL RELEASED 60 MINUTES (1 HOUR) 24 HOURS (1 DAY) 7 DAYS (1 WEEK) 30 DAYS (1 MONTH) 360 DAYS (1 YEAR)

Packet of sugar (4g) per hour 4g 96g 672g 2.9kg 34.6kg

Packet of sugar (4g) per minute 240g 6.2kg 43.7kg 187.2kg 2.2t

Shovelful (9kg) per hour 9kg 216kg 1.5t 6.5t 77.8t

Bucketful (20kg) per hour 20kg 480kg 3.4t 134.4t 172.8t

Shovelful (9kg) per minute 540kg 13t 90.7t 388.8t 4665.6t

Table 1. Accumulation of fugitive material over time

can expect to have to deal with more than 225kg of fugitive material every day.

Although there are a number of belt cleaning technologies available to conveyor operators, most designs in use today are blade-type units, using a urethane- or metaltipped scraper to remove material from the belt’s surface. These devices typically require an energy source – such as a spring, a compressed air reservoir or a twisted elastomeric element – to hold the cleaning edge against the belt. Because the blade directly contacts the belt, it is subject to abrasive wear and must be regularly adjusted and periodically replaced to maintain effective cleaning performance. TENSIONING The ability to maintain the proper force required to keep the blade edge against the belt is a key factor in the performance of any cleaning system. Blade-to-belt pressure must be controlled to achieve optimal cleaning with a minimal rate of blade wear.

There is a popular misconception that the harder the cleaner is pressing against the belt, the better it will clean. However, research has shown there is actually an optimum range of blade pressure that will most effectively remove carryback material. Increasing tension beyond this range raises blade-to-belt friction, thus shortening blade life, increasing belt wear and increasing

power consumption – without improving cleaning performance.

Operating a belt cleaner below the optimum pressure range also delivers less effective cleaning and can actually accelerate blade wear. A belt cleaner lightly touching the belt may appear to be in working order from a distance, whereas in reality, excessive amounts of carryback are being forced between the blade and the belt at high velocity.

This passage of material between the belt and the blade creates channels of uneven wear on the face of the cleaner. As material continues to pass between the blade and the belt, these channels increase in size, rapidly wearing the blade to a jagged edge.

A common source of blade wear that often goes unnoticed – even with a properly installed and adjusted cleaner – is running the belt empty for long periods of time. Small particles embedded in the empty belt’s surface can create an effect like sandpaper, increasing the wear rate of both the blade

Figure 2. Constant cleaning angle and pressure (aka CARP).

and the belt. Even though the cargo may be abrasive, it often has moisture in it that serves as a lubricant and coolant.

Another potential source of wear is when the cleaner blade is wider than the material flow, causing the outside portion of the cleaning blade to hold the centre section of the blade away from the belt. As a result, carryback can flow between the belt and the worn area of the blade, accelerating wear on this centre section. Eventually, the process creates a curved wear pattern sometimes

Figure 3. Sensors can be used to back the blade away during stoppages or when running empty.

referred to as a “smiley face” or “mooning” (Figure 1, page 66).

As urethane cleaner blades wear, the surface area of the blade touching the belt increases. This causes a reduction in blade-to-belt pressure and a corresponding decline in cleaner efficiency. Therefore, most mechanically tensioned systems require periodic adjustment (re-tensioning) to deliver the consistent pressure needed for effective carryback removal.

To overcome the problem of the blade angle changing as the blade wears, a radial-adjusted belt cleaner can be designed with a specially engineered curved blade, known as “CARP”, for constant angle radial pressure (Figure 2, page 67). With this innovative design, changes in contact angle and surface area are minimised as the blade wears, helping to maintain its effectiveness throughout the cleaner’s service life.

AIR TENSIONING New air-powered tensioning systems are automated for precise monitoring

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and tensioning throughout all stages of blade life, reducing the labour typically required to maintain optimum blade pressure and extending the service life of both the belt and the cleaner.

Equipped with sensors to confirm the belt is loaded and running, the devices automatically back the blade away during stoppages or when the conveyor is running empty, minimising unnecessary wear to both the belt and cleaner (Figure 3, opposite). The result is consistently correct blade tension, with reduced power demand on start-up, all managed without operator intervention. For locations lacking convenient power access, one self-contained design uses the moving conveyor to generate its own electricity, which powers a small air compressor to maintain optimum blade pressure at all times.

Even the best designed and most efficient of mechanical belt cleaning systems require periodic maintenance and/or adjustment, or performance will deteriorate over time. Proper tensioning of belt cleaning systems minimises wear on the belt and cleaner blades, helping to prevent damage and ensure efficient cleaning action. Belt cleaners must be engineered for durability and simple maintenance, and conveyors should be designed to enable easy service, including required clearances for access (Figure 4). Service chores that are straightforward and “worker-friendly” are more likely to be performed on a consistent basis.

The use of factory-trained and certified specialty contractors can also help ensure belt cleaner maintenance is done properly, and on an appropriate schedule. Further, experienced service technicians often notice other developing system or component problems that can be avoided if they are addressed before a catastrophic failure occurs, helping conveyor operators avoid potential equipment damage and expensive unplanned downtime.

By setting the cleaning goal necessary for each individual operation and purchasing a system adequate for those conditions, it is possible to achieve carryback control and yet obtain long life from belt cleaners. The bottom line is that properly installed and adjusted belt cleaners help minimise carryback and spillage, reducing risk and overall operating costs. •

Source: Martin Engineering Australia

CALL THE EXPERTS IN VIBRATION

Lam Tei Quarry is the last active site in Hong Kong.

STUDY TOUR PROVIDES NEW INSIGHTS INTO SUSTAINABILITY, REPURPOSING

In 2017 Stephen Raines received the IQA’s Excellence in Innovation Award. This entitled him to further his professional development abroad. Raines recalls the highlights of his study tour earlier this year – from the last working site in Hong Kong to Shanghai’s ‘groundscraper’ hotel.

Iwas the recipient of the IQA’s 2017 Excellence in Innovation award. It was sponsored by Trimble Loadrite, which provided $5000 towards a study tour.

As I have participated in the extractive industries for most of my working life, my particular interest is in minimising the impact of mining activities on the host community and in the rehabilitation and reuse of end of life quarries. At the time of receiving the award I was working for Hanson Kulnura Quarry and I reside in the Mountain Districts, close to the site.

As an active member of my neighbourhood, I am often made aware of the impacts of mining on a community. My home is in an area with the highest concentration of quarries anywhere in Australia. The opportunity to visit sites with “industry best practice” in Hong Kong and southern China and the Shimao Wonderland InterContinental Hotel, which is exemplary of reuse and rehabilitation, is aligned with my particular areas of interest.

LAST ACTIVE SITE We were hosted in Hong Kong by the Institute of Quarrying’s Hong Kong branch. On 26 February we attended the head office of K Wah Construction Materials Ltd at Skyline Tower, Kowloon. The meeting was attended by Chan Hong Man (Alliance Construction Materials Ltd), Raymond Ng (Multi-Way), Ross

Rehabilitation of Lam Tei is being rolled out sequentially and many people are being employed for the task.

Chow (Alliance Construction Materials Ltd) and Ng Heong Chen (K Wah Construction Materials). We enjoyed a dim sum (the Cantonese term for yum cha) lunch with our hosts and were provided with an itinerary for site visits prepared by Tracy Tsoi.

The next day, on 27 February, we toured the Lam Tei Quarry, the last working site in Hong Kong. No new quarries are permitted in Hong Kong. It produces 30 per cent of the aggregates for the Hong Kong market. Metso crushers are used to produce about one million tonnes (mt) of aggregate per year.

The site is also occupied by a batching plant and was very busy. Rehabilitation of the site is being rolled out sequentially. Due to the “no new mines” policy in Hong Kong, attracting a quarrying workforce has become problematic and a majority of the workforce is over the age of 50. The last active quarry also utilises Hong Kong’s scarce natural resources by receiving surplus rock from local construction sites and processing it into aggregates.

The rehabilitation at Lam Tei is extensive and many people are employed specifically for the task. A computerised warning system is used and the results are commendable. The quarry has three years left to run and the benefit of incurring the cost of rehabilitation during the revenue period was emphasised by our hosts.

As part of its rehabilitation plan, Lam Tei Quarry’s final landform will be lowered by 20 metres and will blend with the surrounding environment. It will have a selfsustaining ecosystem.

En route to Lam Tei, we passed the famous Anderson Road Quarry that is now a huge apartment precinct. A condition of its approval was that it was handed over as a site ready for development.

BEST PRACTICE INNOVATIONS On 28 February, we drove across the border to China to visit the Hui Dong Quarry, at Huizhou in the industrial Pearl River Delta region in central Guangdong province. The region is becoming gentrified with wealthy citizens from northern China purchasing holiday apartments to escape the winter.

A haul road snakes through the enormous pit at Hui Dong Quarry.

The sheer volume of construction materials consumed in China is impressive. The country respectively relies on 25mt of limestone and 18.7 billion tonnes of aggregate per annum, and constitutes about 65 per cent of the world’s cement production and 55 per cent of its steel production.

Hui Dong Quarry is exemplary of modern quarrying in China. The very onerous conditions now imposed on quarries in China are challenging. We were joined on the tour by Li Kuen (Bingyang County Fu Neng Mining Co Ltd), a quarry owner/operator who has been given a timeframe for compliance to the new

The hosts at Hui Dong Quarry provided an excellent overview of the quarry plan.

EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION AWARD

The IQA’s Excellence in Innovation Award, sponsored by Trimble Loadrite, recognises an individual’s contribution to excellence and innovation in the quarrying industry. The contribution can be for innovation in design, production, operations, automation, plant design, maintenance or processes as a single event, or for a longer-term contribution. Applications are judged for originality, consultation, personal involvement level, transferability, evidence of a measured outcome, impact or influence and costeffectiveness.

Stephen Raines and his team at Hanson Kulnura Quarry won the award for developing a solution - the Reverse Rite Laser Light - to improve the loadout practices in dim light and at night. The laser module was used to assist haul truck operators with aligning haul trucks to the face front-end loader. It would cast a bright green line on the ground that would enable the trucks to reverse along a clearly visible line, while reducing the need for the front-end loader operator to make movements to dump the bucket. The module helped to reduce the load and haul cycle from 18 to 16 minutes, enabled each haul driver to complete up to 3.5 round trip loads per hour and enabled Hanson Kulnura to meet its goal of crushing between 8000 and 10,000 tonnes of material every 24 hours. Dale Cameron, the Australian regional manager of Trimble Aggregates & Onboard Weighing, said his company was proud of

Stephen Raines (left) receives the Excellence in Innovation Award from Dale Cameron, the Australian regional manager of Trimble Aggregates & Onboard Weighing.

its long association with the IQA, its ongoing sponsorship of the Excellence in Innovation Award and the opportunity to further Stephen Raines’ professional development.

“We are committed to supporting the Australian quarry sector through the development of technology to improve productivity, site visibility and ultimately, profitability,” he said.

“Innovation in our industry helps to define an evolving ‘best practice’ and remains an essential component to the long-term sustainability and profitability of the business in Australia.

“The Innovation Award seeks to recognise companies and individuals that continue to embrace innovation and challenge traditional methods of production, operation and

The Reverse Rite Laser Light casts a bright green line on the ground like a marked out parking spot, guiding new operators.

rehabilitation. We are excited to provide industry professionals like Stephen with the opportunity to travel the globe and gain first-hand experience of the industry and techniques used abroad.”

The next recipient of the Excellence in Innovation Award will be announced at the IQA’s annual conference in Geelong from 1 to 3 October.

The crushing process at Hui Dong Quarry is done under a dome with state of the art dust suppressants.

“Real time” monitoring could send data to regulatory authorities about dust and noise levels.

Construction materials are transported by barge from Huizou to Hong Kong daily.

The 377-room ‘groundscraper’ has been built within an 88m deep abandoned quarry.

conditions and was at Hui Dong Quarry to inspect the benchmark principles of new dust, noise and amenity regulations.

Hui Dong Quarry has “real time” monitoring that can directly notify the EPA in China of dust and noise levels. The quarry manager is informed via an app on his phone and responds immediately to remedy any elevated levels of dust and noise.

The crushing process at the quarry occurs

72 Quarry October 2019 The hotel structure is renowned for its defiance of gravity, positioned against the former quarry face.

under a dome with state of the art dust suppressant initiatives. Man-made trees of steel and polymer line the roadside to improve the amenity of the quarry. Ng Heong Chen (of K Wah Construction Materials) was very proud of this development and he admits that he has raised the bar high for other participants in the quarrying industry.

The dust suppression technique includes crushers under domes, misting on covered elevators, covered stockpiles and covered work areas. When you stand within metres of a working crusher, the dust is negligible and it is difficult to believe you are in a quarry. The noise was baffled and it successfully minimised the noise to comply with very stringent noise regulations.

Transportation of the construction materials is on an almost unimaginable scale. Barges with a 5000-tonne capacity, and carrying payloads of 3000 tonnes per hour, are used to transport the materials from Huizhou to Hong Kong. Thirteen barges, crewed by 10 to 12 people, run continuously every day, with each completing an eight- to 10-hour turnaround for the 80km trip from Huizou to Hong Kong.

The hosts at Hui Dong Quarry provided an excellent overview of the modern quarrying industry in China and were generous with their time.

‘QUARRY WONDERLAND’ We completed an inbound tour of China privately before undertaking the second stage of the study tour visiting an extreme quarry transformation. The Australian extractive industry sector is relatively young and I am certain the future will provide many opportunities for inventive reuse and rehabilitation.

I was privileged to visit a $USD555 million ($AUD818 million) project – the Shimao Wonderland InterContinental Hotel in Shanghai, which has been built within an 88m deep abandoned quarry. It was the highlight of the trip.

A documentary film of the vision, design and implementation of the project, which took 12 years to complete, is on a continuous loop in the foyer of the hotel and three of the ex-quarry workers provided some of the commentary. The 377-room hotel, aptly labelled a “groundscraper”, has healed a wound on the landscape and allowed closure on a sad period in history for the people of Shanghai. The quarry was mined during Japanese occupation in the 1930s and the work conditions were harsh.

The abandoned quarry was known as a scar, or an open wound, and the community has rejoiced at the transformation.

The hotel structure is renowned for being a “fight against gravity”. It is also purported to be the world’s first underground hotel, although I would challenge that assertion, as there is an underground hotel in Coober Pedy, South Australia.

The Shimao Wonderland InterContinental Hotel generates its own power using

geothermal and solar energy and is the “greenest” hotel ever built. It is a destination hotel and has an amusement park included in the precinct.

Two levels of the hotel are underwater and all the rooms have artificial intelligence so you can ask for the curtains to be opened or the lights to be turned on – provided you are fluent in the local language!

The resort had only been open for two months at the time of our visit and the general manager told us it was enjoying 80 per cent occupancy. Room prices range from $USD600 to $USD1000 ($AUD884 to $AUD1473 per night) – more than four times the rates of other six-star hotels in China.

It seems the quote from the famous movie Field of Dreams – “If you build it, they will come!” - has validated the concept of The Law of Attraction.

China’s construction industry seems limitless and it was heartening to see that it can be progressed in a manner that has positive impacts for the community but treats the environment seriously. •

The entrance to Shimao Wonderland – effectively the roof of a six-star hotel in a quarry void.

The Shimao Wonderland InterContinental Hotel, outside of Shanghai, is a spectacular sight by night.

UNRAVELLING THE ESSENTIALS OF CONVERSATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

In this third feature on modern leadership – in which he has explored management and emotional intelligence – Mike Cameron explains why conversational intelligence is vital to the way you successfully run your operations and conduct business with internal and external stakeholders.

Conversational intelligence (C-IQ) is the key to success in life and business. It’s not about how smart you are, but how open you are to learn new and effective powerful conversational rituals that prime the brain for trust, partnership, and mutual success.

C-IQ is the hardwired ability in all humans to connect, engage and navigate with others. It is the most important intelligence that gets better when we do it together. While the other types of intelligence are more I-centric in nature, C-IQ is a co-creative effort that is all about closing the gaps between your reality and mine. As such, it can yield improved business results and create a framework for enhancing relationships and partnerships, releasing new energy for growth and transformation. For many, it may be a new concept to think that what we hold in our head – as our reality – is not necessarily what others see.

Each of us maps the world through our experiences, which creates our unique meaning and the one we share with others. Proficiency in C-IQ is an organisation’s ability to communicate in ways that create a shared concept of reality.

The following tips are “conversational essentials” from author and organisational anthropologist Judith E Glaser’s amazing body of work and her book Conversational Intelligence . 1

OPEN TO INFLUENCE Being open to influence is to connect without judgment, to engage and listen to what others are saying and even thinking, rather than preparing for what we want to say next (Figure 1).

Think of this “essential” as the overarching mindset and attitude we cultivate to really utilise the other conversational essentials in a masterful and consistent way. When we are open to influence, we are connecting without judgment. We are engaging and listening

1. Transparency 2. Relationship 3. Understanding 4. Shared success 5. Truth telling

= TRUST

Figure 1. The C-IQ dashboard shows the levels of trust that must be earned between parties if they are to successfully work as co-creators.

to what others are saying and even thinking rather than preparing for what we want to say next. When coaching or working with others, we cultivate an open mindset. We embody curiosity and we are open to deeply hearing what others are saying without filtering it through our own agenda. Most of all we are open to changing our mind.

PRIME FOR TRUST Priming for trust is to create a healthy mental, emotional and conversational environment that activates higher levels of partnering.

Think of this “essential” as the foundation of C-IQ. Trust occurs when we believe others will deliver on their promises. Distrust occurs when we doubt others are telling the truth and assume they will not deliver on their promises.

When we trust others, we experience higher levels of oxytocin, a neurotransmitter that creates higher levels of bonding and mutual success. When we distrust others, we experience higher levels of cortisol, which closes down our brain and relationship with others. Priming for trust enables us to work as partners and opens us up to achieve higher levels of success with others. Trust involves actively bringing the numerous behaviours into your interactions with others.

Trust lives in the pre-frontal cortex, and distrust lives in the primitive and limbic brain. When you prime for “TRUST”, you create a healthy mental, emotional and conversational environment that activates higher levels of partnering. When trust exists, your conversations with others produce more openness, candour, courage and caring. Reflect on the following ways you can evaluate trust and co-creation: • How can I create a safe environment? • Can I be more transparent about desired outcomes and shared threats that may stand in the way? • What actions, thoughts or words will enable the other person to shift from protect to partner? • How can I establish rapport? • How can I establish a “power with others” context? • What can we say to reduce conflict and open a view of what mutual success looks like? • How can I approach my client (colleague or employee) with caring, courage and candour? • Can we identify “reality gaps”, and stay open to test assumptions? • Can I/we stay in “share and discover” – ie listen to connect and be open to change our minds?

ASKING INQUISITIVE QUESTIONS To ask questions for which you/we have no answers is to be in a mindset of discovery, and to co-create a space of sharing and discovering.

Think of asking questions for which you have no answers as a way of exploring beyond what you already know to what you

don’t know. Too often we ask questions for which we think we already have answers, guiding people towards where we want them to go. Others may consider this as “asking leading questions” – and this can be interpreted as manipulation, which puts people on guard, and activates our distrust networks. When we ask questions for which we have no answer, we are in a mindset of discovery and others perceive this as inquisitive, curious and even caring, which puts people in a co-creating, trusting and receptive state of mind. When you and others ask questions for which you have no answers, you are co-creating a space for “sharing and discovering”, which elevates your ability to co-create and partner with others.

LISTENING TO CONNECT Listening to connect, not judge, confirm or reject is to focus attention on the other person, ie opening yourself up to connect to the other person’s aspiration and “view of the world” in a non-judgmental way.

Listening to connect – not judge, confirm or reject – activates partnering. Too often we listen to understand, which is more about listening to confirm what you already know. Listening to connect is about focusing your attention on the other person: what are they trying to say? What are they thinking? What are they hoping you will help them explore? Listening to connect is about opening yourself up to connect to the other person’s aspirations and “view of the world” in a non-judgmental way. What are their needs and interests? How can you connect to their world?

SUSTAINING CONVERSATIONAL AGILITY To sustain conversational agility is to move in and out of conversations with ease and agility. It creates a new “conversational space” that elevates trust and invites wisdom and insight to emerge.

Conversational agility enables us to move in and out of conversations with ease and agility. When a conflict is brewing, or you see a better way to frame the conversation, you can interrupt the pattern by reframing, refocusing and redirecting. Conversational agility enables people to create a new “conversational space” that facilitates wisdom and insight to emerge.

For example, you can use reframing to set a new context for a situation from “difficult to different”. For refocusing, you can move a conversation from “looking at the situation as a problem, to looking at it as an opportunity”. For redirecting, you can direct people to “aspirations, instead of problems”. Each one of these agility skills can totally change a conversation from “low trust to elevated trust”.

‘DOUBLE CLICKING’ To uncover and explore what is in the other person’s mind is to gain clarity and a deeper understanding of others’ perspectives, their deeply held beliefs and their unique points of view.

“Double clicking” is a great tool to use with all the other essentials. When we double click, we are uncovering and exploring what is in the other person’s mind. Double clicking is about “opening the deeper connections” that are linked deeply in others’ minds. Asking “What does that mean to you?” or “How do you envision the next steps?” are very powerful questions to deepen your conversation.

By double clicking you can better understand how others see the world. You gain clarity and understanding of what triggers others and also gain a deeper understanding of others’ perspectives, their deeply held beliefs, and their unique points of view.

Understanding the importance of effective communication – as a key management competency – is crucial, but mastering and applying the essential fundamentals of C-IQ is the key to success in the leadership role. •

Mike Cameron is an IQA member and an executive coach for Strategically Yours. Email mike@strategically.com.au or visit strategically.com.au

Endnote 1. Glaser JE. Conversational intelligence: How great leaders build trust and get extraordinary results. Routledge, First Edition, 2016. ISBN-10: 1629561436; ISBN-13: 978-1629561431.

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