The Design of the Comalco Ore Trailer
Abstract
Comalco Aluminium Limited (CAL), as part of the Weipa/Andoom bauxite mine expansion project appointed a combined team of Sinclair Knight Merz and Mechatronix3 to design a new bottom dump trailer.
The Andoom bauxite deposit at Weipa contains significant clay content and is physically difficult to handle with carry back problems experienced by the existing trailers.
An efficient trailer structure was required to optimise the productivity of the new fleet.
A short production schedule was required to ensure that the fleet of nine trailers was available in time for the expansion project.
The hopper of the new ore trailer was conceived as a single compartment, with no internal buttresses or horizontal seams to prevent hang-up and to ensure that the bulk material would flow from the hopper and out through the belly dump doors.
The doors were extremely wide and extremely stiff to withstand the loads imposed by the high friction coefficient between the material in the hopper and the steel walls or doors.
The trailer structure was optimised for the allowable fatigue stresses with special attention to the form, use of materials and the structural detailing.
Through the use of 3D CAD and FEA the structure was quickly developed, designed and detailed. Thus the requirement for an accelerated design and fabrication program was achieved. The fabrication of the first trailer was completed just nine months after the award of the contract for design.