Construction Machine Blog

Cone crushers reduce large rocks into smaller sizes for further use in construction. Several types of crushers are used for this purpose, and the cone crusher is an important type that is efficient, stable, and safe.

Purpose Of A Crusher

A crusher is a mechanism that is intended to cut big rocks into small sizes, or rock powder. Crushers are also used to decrease the size and change the shape of waste substances for easy disposal or recycling. Size may also be reduced for easy identification and differentiating for further application. Crushing involves transfer of a force that is amplified considerably by the mechanical advantage obtained through materials whose molecules are bonded strongly. These molecules offer greater resistance to deformation, compared to the materials that are being crushed. Crushing tools hold the material to be crushed between two solid surfaces that are parallel. Force is applied to bring these surfaces close to each other. Sufficient energy is generated inside the material that is being crushed, and consequently the molecules are separated. The initial crushers were stones held by hands, and the stone weight amplified the human power.

Cone Crusher Functioning

The cone crusher is a machine used in the construction industry for crushing different varieties of rocks and ores of varying hardness. Cone crushers have a stable structure, an efficient and simple adjustment, and are used extensively. The crusher functions by pushing on substances held between the fixed cone and the movable cone. The cone crusher splits the rocks by clutching them between an eccentric rotating spindle that is enclosed by a tough layer, and a concave hopper. As the rocks enter the crusher, they are wedged between the layer and the concave hopper. Big pieces are broken, and then these are dropped to another position, where the breaking process is repeated. This procedure is continued until the rocks are small enough in size to descend through the restricted opening at the crusher bottom.

Cone Crusher Safety Mechanism

The cone crusher is fitted with a spring release safety system that performs as an overload safety device. It permits extremely hard materials to move through the chamber without damaging the crusher. The safety arrangement utilizes water and dry oil to produce plaster powder for preventing the movement of hard objects. Furthermore, to ensure reduction of the stresses on crusher parts, the loads are distributed equally over a big enduring area. Springs are incorporated as safety features to avoid damage during the cone crusher operation. These springs exert pressure on the top frame. If some pieces that cannot be crushed enter the system, the springs activate the liner to rise and prevent damage.

Terex Corporation (TEX), the world’s nr. 3 maker of heavy duty-moving equipment has agreed to sell its mining division to construction and mining equipment manufacturer Bucyrus Int’l Inc. (BUCY) for $1.3 billion in cash.
The transaction, which is structured to be an all-cash acquisition and doesn’t require shareholder approval, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2010, the companies said.
“Customers will reap benefits from this transaction as Bucyrus will be able to offer a broad, complementary product line that is driven by technology, quality, and first-class service,” said Tim Sullivan, Bucyrus CEO, in a statement late Sunday. ”
South Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Bucyrus said the Terex division being sold has 38 facilities around the world with approximately 2,150 employees. Bucyrus –a company with annual revenue of about $2.75 billion and 7,200 employees — also said that the acquisition would create a “premier supplier of mining equipment”, place a team of 10,000 people in nearly 100 locations around the world, and most importantly, double the co.’s addressable market from about $15 billion to $30 billion.
Under the terms of the agreement, which is subject to regulatory approvals, Westport, Conn.-based Terex may request to receive $300 million of the purchase price in the form of Bucyrus shares based on Bucyrus’ current trading price (BUCY closed on Friday down $1.42 at $50.84).
“This transaction accelerates the transformation of Terex Corporation as we move from a Construction and Mining Equipment Company to a Machinery and Industrial Products business,” said Ronald M. DeFeo, Terex Chairman and CEO. “The approximately $1 billion of after-tax proceeds will allow Terex to invest in its current, high return-on-capital businesses, or to look to add new, well positioned niche manufacturers with strong market presence to the company’s portfolio,” DeFeo said.
reenhill & Co (GHL) advised Bucyrus in the transaction, and Goldman Sachs (GS) advised Terex, which held a several-months auction of the unit.

A construction worker has been killed in a construction accident on Guemes Island.

The Anacortes Fire Department says a house fell off of its foundation Saturday afternoon and crushed a 57-year-old construction worker to death.

The department says workers were lowering the house to comply with building codes when it slipped. All of the workers except one was able to safely get away from the structure.

The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office says that the victim is an employee of the construction company involved in the accident.

Rescuers and equipment are being ferried over from Anacortes, which is just south of Guemes Island.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Kamal Nath, inaugurated, South Asia’s largest trade fair for Construction Equipment and Construction Technology. This year, in it’s 5th edition, the number of exhibitors increased by 55% and display area grew by 60% over 2007.

Delivering the inaugural address, Kamal Nath stressed on the need to focus on India-specific products, India-specific R&D and skill development to drive growth for the Indian Earthmoving and Construction Equipment Industry (ECE). He said that there is a need for huge capacity building across the entire spectrum of the infrastructure industry – from engineers, contractors, consultants, construction equipment manufacturers, etc, to enable the government achieve the target of constructing 7000 kms per annum.

Between 2004 and 2007, India’s earthmoving and construction equipment industry’s revenue has grown at over 40% each year, reaching US $2.3 billion in 2007. This figure is expected to reach US $ 12-13 billion in 2015.

Mr Ranaveer Sinha, Chairman, Indian Earthmoving  & Construction Industry Association Ltd (IECIAL), said that the size of the global construction equipment (CE) industry is US$ 100 billion while that of India’s is US$ 4 to US$5 billion. He said that the size of the industry is expected to double in 4 to 5 years.

“There is a great opportunity in the area of export, where India, as a low-cost manufacturing base, can become the factory of the world. We should look at not only exporting equipments but also components, design and R&D. Indian construction equipment industry is expected to significantly change in the next decade and this will be driven by a few growth drivers – first of all it is the unprecedented infra spend, second is dominance of price-value focused customers, third is the broader engagement of global original equipment manufacturers,” Mr Ranaveer Sinha said.

C R Swaminathan, Chairman, CII-Southern Region said that the Indian construction industry is estimated to have a turnover of US$ 60 billion in the current year. This sector employs 31 million people, the second largest, next only to agriculture. It consumes 40-50% of national plan outlay and accounts for 20% of GDP.

Vipin Sondhi, Chairman of Excon 2009 and Managing Director of JCB India, said that factors including the stimulus given by the government for infrastructure development, presence of the stable and proactive government, continual articulation of government about the thrust given to infrastructure development and dynamism of ministers in the government are giving big boost to the growth of the Indian infrastructure and ECE industry.

He feels that the Indian ECE industry will be a US$15 billion industry by 2015 – however, to fully realize the potential, there should be concerted and well-coordinated efforts by the industry and the government. The key focus area of such an effort should be on increasing the availability of trained man power in the country.

Kamal Nath said that with it’s strong fundamentals, India is very well on the growth trajectory – the economy is set to achieve a 6.5% growth this year and aims to achieve 8% growth in 2010 and 9% in 2011. Though India felt the tremors of economic slowdown, it’s matured and strongly regulated financial system did not collapse.

He said that as the country grows, the biggest deficit in infrastructure will be in the road sector. India has 3.4 million kms of road, which is the second largest in the world. Over 40% of the road transport takes place on national highways, however out of the 70,000 kms of highways, 17,000 kms are one-lane highways.

A road grader is a large piece of road equipment which features a large steel blade located beneath the center of the vehicle. The blade is adjustable, allowing the road grader’s operator to be able to control the height and angle of the blade while the machine is in operation. Some road graders are equipped with a GPS function, which allows the operator to have very precise control over which areas they grade and which they don’t. The GPS technology allows the grader operator to grade specific lengths of road or soil instead of having to estimate the amount of ground that they grade.
Function
The blade of a road grader is designed to create a flat, level surface for the construction of new roads and the leveling of uneven ground. Though a road grader may seem at first to be a bulky and awkward piece of heavy equipment, it is actually used most often as a means of finishing the grade started by other construction equipment, such as bulldozers and scrapers. Some areas also use the blade of a road grader as a means to create better drainage when laying new asphalt roads, letting the blade create shallow drainage ditches beside the road or creating occasional small drainage paths along the edges of the road shoulder itself. Localities which receive a large amount of snowfall often use road graders to clear heavy snows from important roadways as well.
Process
A road grader lowers its blades to the height at which the grade is to be set, pushing dirt or asphalt that is higher than that level forward until it is smoothed down or is pushed off of the side of the blade. The angle that the blade is mounted at allows excess materials to eventually fall away from the blade, leaving a small ridge of dirt or other material beside the grader as it travels. Several passes will be made in order to successfully level the roadway or ground, improving the overall grade each time the road grader’s blade passes over the area. When being used to clear snow, the blade of the road grader will be set slightly higher than the surface of the road so as to prevent damaging the road itself in the event of dips or an uneven road surface beneath the snow.

Running an asphalt paver takes training and knowledge of how the controls on the paver work. Once you have been trained in the use of the paver, running it takes time and careful command. Running an asphalt paver is a three-person operation.

1. Start the asphalt paver and spray diesel fuel, or a soy- or citrus-based release agent, on every part of the paver that will be in contact with the asphalt. This will reduce the chances of the asphalt sticking to the paver.
2. Heat the screed, or leveling device. If the paver screed is electric, turn the screed on. If it is a propane screed, light the propane burners on the main screed and the extensions. Wait for the screed bottom to reach a minimum of 250 degrees.
3. Build a start pad with the asphalt or two-by-fours to determine the depth of your finished product. Put the paver screed to float, and it will drop down to your start pad.
4. Turn on the conveyors and augers. Have the paver truck or transfer machine dump the asphalt into the paver hop machine. The truck or transfer machine is controlled by the paver operator with hand signals. As the asphalt comes out of the truck and is conveyed back to the augers, the left or right-hand screed operator determines the width and the amount of material being run through the conveyors and augers. Tipping the paver screed backward will raise the depth, while tipping it forward will lower the depth. The paver pushes the transfer machine or truck as it paves.
5. At the end of an asphalt pull, stop the conveyor and auger a short distance before your stopping point.

Serious business - with building project worth billions of dollars under way, the Big 5 PMV is a key event for the regional construction industry.

With billions of dollars worth of building projects under way in the Middle East, the construction industry is putting on a huge show of resilience in Dubai this week – helped by some of the best movers and shakers in the business.

Worldwide suppliers of plant, construction vehicles, machinery and equipment were locked in serious discussions with buyers as the Big 5 PMV entered its second day today, with the international trade event also showing a “lighter” side.

The UK-based Diggerland JCB Stunt Team – better known as the “Dancing Diggers” – have quickly become show favorites at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre with their expertly choreographed “formation dancing” to music.

Comprising five giant JCB diggers and a mini Bobcat loader, this powerful line-up of mechanical muscle display the kind of versatility which makes them vital to operations on building sites across the region, and around the world.

With almost 3,400 civil building projects worth around US$1.35 trillion in progress in the Middle East, major orders are expected for much of the massive plant, vehicles, machinery and equipment on show at the Big 5 PMV before the curtain comes down on Thursday evening.

A forklift is an industrial vehicle that has a pronged platform that can be raised and lowered. Forklifts are ideal for moving heavy loads. Whether you use one on your job or have one at home for occasional jobs, maintain it well and prolong its life.

1. Check the hydraulic fluid, motor oil and transmission fluid regularly in order to maintain a forklift properly. How often you check fluid levels will depend on how often the forklift is used. If used daily, then check daily. For occasional forklift use, weekly or monthly checks are sufficient.
2. Make sure that all grease fittings are greased regularly. On a forklift, this mainly includes all of the moving joints.
3. Keep the battery fully charged on an electric forklift. If your forklift runs on LP gas, make sure the tank stays full in order to maintain it efficiently.
4. Pay attention to the gauges and warning lights on the forklift. Any light or gauge that indicates a problem should be checked out immediately. Failure to do so could result in more costly repairs.
5. Inspect controls regularly. If the controls feel slack or loose, the forklift could need hydraulic fluid or there could be a leak in one of the lines.
6. Look at the tires daily. Some forklift tires require air. Others are just solid pieces of rubber. If the forklift tires require air, make sure the air pressure in the tires is correct. If your tires are just solid rubber, check for gashes in the tire. This could cause an unstable ride and possibly damage whatever you are moving.

Forklifts are generally used in engaging, lifting and transferring loads for warehousing, construction operations, material handling and other manufacturing factories. In choosing forklifts, you have to understand the different kinds of forklifts to determine the most appropriate truck for your needs.

The two main types of forklifts are electric and internal combustion forklifts. Electric forklifts are usually used for indoor operations. It is the most recommended forklift for heavy lifting and for low operating costs.

On the other hand, IT (internal combustion) forklifts are used for outdoor operations. They are particularly valuable for businesses that require forklifts with ease of refueling. The subcategories of forklifts are fork truck, motorized drive and manual drive.

• Fork trucks: These kinds of forklifts are motorized. However, they also include extra features such as backup alarms and cabs.
• Motorized-drive forklifts: These kinds of trucks, as its name suggests, have a motorized drive and usually have a protected seat for the forklift operator.
• Manual drive forklifts: With these kinds of forklifts, the movement of load is manually powered.

Other forklifts are designed counterbalanced to avoid the truck from possible overturning. Some forklifts include safety handrails or turntables. For specified applications, your can choose specialty forklifts based on your preferences.

For instance, if space is your major issue, you could purchase 6’-wide narrow aisle forklifts to allow smooth operations even in small spaces. On the other hand, if your operation is normally outdoors with uneven surfaces, you should consider rough-terrain forklifts.

Other variations of forklifts include:

1. Stand-up rider forklifts – Have counterbalance weights in their body. Usually designed with the rider inside the body of the truck, these forklifts are electric counterbalanced riders.
2. Stand-up, narrow aisle rider – This forklift have straddle legs located on both sides, which provide extra stability even without counterweight in its body. These kinds of forklifts are electric and are recommended for areas with minimal spaces.
3. Sit-down rider – For these forklifts, the counterbalance is located at the rear part.
4. Motorized hand-pallet jacks – These models are low-lift trucks that have forks. While some allows the forklift operators to stand on the back, others are walked.
5. Reach forklift – These kinds of forklifts have big, pneumatic tires. They also include a boom that extends and raises. Reach forklifts outriggers at the front, which allows the forklift to be stabilized on uneven grounds.

Usually, people new to forklifts can find it difficult to differentiate one truck from the other. With this brief guideline, you can narrow down your choices and be able to purchase the forklift that fits your needs.