Dragline dynamic modelling for efficient excavation

Overburden excavation is an integral component of the surface mine production chain. In large mines, the walking dragline is a dominant strip mining machine. Production engineers and operators must be guided by appropriate strategies to preserve the structural and operating performance of this equipment to justify its high capital investment. The dragline performance mainly depends on the spatial kinematics and dynamics of its front-end assembly. In this study, the authors developed the dynamic modelling of a dragline front-end assembly incorporating 2-D kinematics and bucket-formation interaction using numerical methods and dynamic simulation environment. Detailed analysis of the simulation results show that the maximum closure error from the model validation function is 4 x 10 E(-8). The angular accelerations of the drag and hoist ropes are close to zero. The respective maximum drag, cutting and hoist forces are 100 kN, 200 kN and 75 kN. The results indicate machine health and longevity within the simulated conditions