DRAGLINES

DRAGLINES
DRAGLINES
The draglines are the largest cyclic excavation

units available (in terms of bucket capacity) and
they are, except for the largest series of BWE’s
and the Saturn V rocket, the largest machines on
earth.
 They are used where material that is excavated,
must be transported over a short distance only
(maximum approximately 100m).
 The machine is thus ideal for strip mining
applications where the width of strip is adequate.
 Application of dragline
Draglines are the lowest cost overburden removal
equipment in common use. However, they are generally
restricted to; (Westcott et al., 2009):
1. Large deposits to ensure adequate strip length and
sufficient reserves to justify the capital expenditure.
2. Gently dipping deposits, due to spoil instability on
steep dips.
3. Shallow deposits, as draglines can only excavate a
maximum of 50 to 80 m of overburden due to reach
and dump height limitations.
4. At greater overburden thicknesses draglines may be
supported by pre-strip with alternative equipment, but
the compromises this entails usually adversely affects
the cost effectiveness of the pre strip .
Cont…
 Draglines have different cutting sequences.
1. The first is the side cast method using offset benches;
this involves throwing the overburden sideways onto
blasted material to make a bench.
2. The second is a key pass. This pass cuts a key at the toe
of the new high wall and also shifts the bench further
towards the low-wall. This may also require a chop pass if
the wall is blocky. A chop pass involves the bucket being
dropped down onto an angled high wall to scale the
surface.
3. The next sequence is the slowest operation, the blocks
pass. However, this pass moves most of the material. It
involves using the key to access to bottom of the material
to lift it up to spoil or to an elevated bench level.
4. The final cut if required is a pull back, pulling material
back further to the low-wall side.
Classification of loading equipments
 The operating cycle of the dragline consists of
five basic steps:
1. The empty bucket is positioned, ready to be
filled.
2. The bucket is dragged toward the dragline to
fill it.
3. The filled bucket is simultaneously hoisted
and swung over to the spoil pile. If the swing
motion must be slowed to permit hoisting,
the dragline is said to be hoist critical. When
hoisting to the dump position is completed
before the boom is in position to dump, the
dragline is said to be swing critical.
4. The material is dumped on the spoil.
5. The bucket is swung back to the cut while
simultaneously being lowered and retrieved
to the digging position.
Draglines in mining
 Draglines are by far the most commonly used overburden-removal
equipment in surface coal mining. A dragline sits on the top of the
overburden, digs the overburden material directly in front of it, and
disperses the material over greater distances than a shovel. Compared
with shovels, draglines provide greater flexibility, work on higher
benches, and move more material per hour. The largest dragline in
operation has a bucket capacity of 170 cubic metres.
 A large dragline system used in the open pit mining industry costs
approximately US$50–100 million.
 A typical bucket has a volume ranging from 40 to 80 cubic yards (30 to 60
cubic metres), though extremely large buckets have ranged up to 168
cubic metres (5,900 cu ft).The length of the boom ranges from 45 to 100
metres (148 to 330 ft). In a single cycle, it can move up to 450 metric
tonnes of material.
 Most mining draglines are not diesel-powered like most other mining
equipment.
 Their power consumption is so great that they have a direct connection
to the high-voltage grid at voltages of between 6.6 and 22 kV. A typical
dragline, with a 55-cubic-metre bucket, can use up to 6 megawatts
during normal digging operations.
Type of Dragline
1. Crawler Mounted
2. Walking dragline
3. Truck-mounted
Walking dragline
 A dragline that is equipped with
apparatus that permits it to
"walk" by the alternate power
movement of vertical booms
fastened to large outrigger
platforms so arranged as to
push the equipment forward as
work progresses.
 An excavator of very large
capacity, equipped with walking
beams operated by eccentrics in
place of crawler tracks. Such
machines can excavate 1,650
st/h (1,500 t/h) of overburden
to a depth of 100 ft (30 m).
(bunk cubic meter per hour)
Limitations
• The primary limitations of draglines are their boom height and boom
length, which limits where the dragline can dump the waste material.
• Another primary limitation is their dig depth, which is limited by the
length of rope the dragline can utilize. Inherent with their construction, a
dragline is most efficient excavating material below the level of their
base. While a dragline can dig above itself, it does so inefficiently and is
not suitable to load piled up material (as a rope shovel or wheel loader
can).
• Despite their limitations, and their extremely high capital cost, draglines
remain popular with many mines, due to their reliability, and extremely
low waste removal cost.
Safety
• Keep personnel away from the swing area of draglines
• The cranes operator must not swing the boom and bucket, whether
loaded or empty , over the top of trucks and drives
• Another common accident, with cranes equipped as draglines is where a
machine falls into the excavation it is digging. These accidents often
happen when ground conditions deteriorate after a rain. Before working
ground conditions need to be checked.

DRAGLINES

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The draglines are the largest cyclic excavation

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