A fleet of blasthole drills were modified resulting in an increased probability of tipping over. The pneumatic dust collection systems were converted to water tank dust suppression and cooling systems which shifted the center of gravity.
After the conversion the mine operator found repeated occurrences of the drills tipping over. Tip-overs pose a severe hazard to operators and cause the mine costly damage, downtime, and repairs to the drills.
Utilizing a set of 100k lb. load cells each drill was weighed, the actual center of gravity (COG) was measured, and the safe operating grade for each drill, based upon its new operating configuration, was re-rated. This effort provided detailed safe operating grades and guidance, unique to each drill, to prevent future tip-overs.
