Many mine managers consider re-sheeting haul roads to be a necessary evil, a task that has to be performed on a yearly basis.
A lot of mines factor the cost of re-sheeting into their annual maintenance budgets, accepting it as a “normal” operational expense that affects the total cost of ownership of the asset.
In high rainfall areas such as northern Australia, re-sheeting the surface wearing course material– often seen as the ‘sacrificial’ course – has to take place even more regularly.
As you would well know, it’s a big outlay for very little return.
However, it doesn’t have to be that way; re-sheeting definitely does not ave to be an annual cost.
With over 45 years’ experience at mine sites throughout the world, Dust-A-Side Australia have perfected the art – and science – of creating superior haul roads.
Through our Road Management Services, we have the technology and know-how to produce low maintenance haul roads at the lowest possible cost.
Apart from the initial outlay, there are numerous problems associated with re-sheeting haul roads.
They include:
Different mines tackle this problem differently.
Some take a proactive approach, opting for full replacement of the wearing course annually to prepare for the wet season — especially in high rainfall environments.
Others feel that a better strategy is to re-sheet AFTER ‘the big wet’ when the road has been seriously degraded.
In either event, it is a substantial cost.
Re-sheeting costs will vary depending on a number of factors.
For example, if wearing course material has to be brought in from an offsite quarry or other source, costs can begin to mount up.
The costs of drilling, blasting, crushing, re-handling, placing, shaping, compacting and watering this material also needs to be factored in.
Furthermore, the argument some mines put forward is that they don’t want to pay top dollar for re-sheeting material as the expectation is that sooner or later it will be eroded and have to be replaced. The more they see their expensive material being washed away, the further this mindset is reinforced.
This thought process means that the cycle of needing to re-sheet roads will never change and mines will continue to incur high on-going operating expense.
But with the right approach to road management, it doesn’t need on-going replacement.
Imagine a waterproof binder that is slow to degrade, and retains the integrity of the wearing course so that fines are not washed out every time it rains.
That’s what Dust-A-Side Australia’s flagship road stabilisation product, DAS Product, does. Stabilising your haul roads with DAS Product can lessen the erosion of fines and protect the underlying structural layers of your haul road by providing a waterproof seal.
Also, there is the added benefit of;
The end result is that you reduce your haul road re-sheeting requirements by over 90%. Put simply, if you currently re-sheet your haul roads every year they can now be done as little as once in ten years.
The cost of incorporating the DAS Product may well be offset by the savings you’ll make on re-sheeting. And longer term, by:
Not only that, but there’s the improved productivity you will achieve through faster recovery times after wet weather, faster cycle times via improved rolling resistance, and reduced operational delays due to excessive dust.
Finally, you’ll enjoy enhanced safety and sustainability through lower:
For more information and advice about re-sheeting haul roads, haul road design and maintenance, DAS Product, or anything mentioned in this article, call 1800 662 387 and speak to one of our engineers. Alternatively, simply click here to contact us.