Fixed Type Hydraulic Rockbreakers Boom System

The ore chunks that are too large to go through the grizzly are piled next to, or on top of the grizzly, where excavators equipped with a hydraulic hammer break them down. Other mines choose to employ a stationary boom that can move the rocks around and break them so they can fall through the grizzly grates.

The boom chosen to carry the selected breaker depends on its ability to provide full coverage of the area where material will require breaking, racking or clearing. The choice also depends on ore size, the production rate the mine wants to achieve, and rock hardness. The most powerful breakers will be used to break the hardest rock, such as iron ore or granite, while less-powerful breakers will be needed to bust medium-hardness rock like limestone or dolomite, or soft minerals like talc, slate or asbestos.

YZH is an Ontario-based manufacturer of rockbreaker systems – including stationary and mobile rockbreakers, hydraulic breakers, attachments and mobile equipment – offers hydraulic breakers in its YZH Series that range from 400 to 4,000 foot-pounds.

According to data, mine operators are looking for reliability in their rockbreakers – like all mining equipment downtime cost money – as well as a smooth operation of the boom both for productivity and operator comfort.

About 20 to 30 percent of stationary rockbreakers are remote-controlled, useful for breaking rocks outside the sight range of the operator’s cabin; the remotes have a range of between 300 and 1,000 feet.

Right now YZH offers automation on some of its stationary rockbreaker models, including sensors on the boom that can control its position, program the boom to avoid hitting structures, and do automated movements like tell the boom to go to a certain position at the beginning of the shift and end the shift at a park position.