The Mine

The mine mechanical department is responsible for
the maintenance of 19 trucks in the 50- to 85-ton class,
two 11-cu.-yd shovels, and two electric and two diesel-
driven blast hole drills. Until 1974, the garage con-
sisted of a 32-ft (9.l-m) by 40-ft (12.1-m) building
in the mine area. Most maintenance was done in the

a

FIGURE 3—New manifold design for hydraulic packers.

TABLE 1 — Diesel Generating Units

Rated Output (kw)
Engine No. Engine Type @ 0.8 Pf
Mirrless KISS 5 972
Ruston 8ATC 900
Ruston Hornsby 9ATC 1400

My 1400
1400
1400
1400
1400
1400

field; consequently, there was poor maintenance in
cold, especially 40°C below, weather.

In 1974, a new two-bay garage was opened and two
years later was expanded to a five-bay unit with a
separate steam bay and welding area. The garage is
fitted with a 10-ton crane, centralized lubrication sys-
tem for the service bay and underfloor, and infra-red
heating systems to give better working conditions. In
1977, a new lunchroom, changeroom and office were
constructed on a mezzanine floor.

In-field servicing is done using a specially fitted
lube van complete with hose reels, compressor, ete.
(Fig. 2).

The graders, front-end loaders and bulldozers are
maintained under a separate lease and maintenance
contract with Finning Tractor and Equipment Co.
Ltd., Caterpillar distributor for British Columbia
and Yukon.

Winter conditions dictate that major work on shovels
and drills be accomplished between June and Septem-
ber. As can be imagined, the intense cold weather
provides its own problems. Freezing of water and air
lines, brakes, etc., are frequent problems, especially if
a heater fails or if there is a power outage. Trucks
are left with their engines running when not being
driven to keep them warm.

The better facilities have naturally led to greater
efficiency, but an added help has been the many in-
novative and progressive ideas put into practice by
Cassiar’s employees. These range from the centralized
lubrication and transmission oil empty-and-fill fittings
on each truck to the modified hydraulic deck drive on
a hydraulic-electric drill.

Crusher and Tramline

The crusher and tramline are maintained by a spe-
cial crew under an assistant superintendent, because
of the amount of work which has to be done to im-
prove the tramline and bring unit costs within reason-
able limits. (Maintenance of the tramline is dealt with
in a separate paper.)

Mill and Concentrator

Asbestos milling consists essentially of separation
and fiberization using screens, crushers, fiberizers and
other specialized equipment peculiar to asbestos. A
major project in recent years has been the concerted
effort to reduce respirable dust. A separate crew,
within the maintenance department, is responsible for
this project within the mill.

Because of the age of some parts of the mill,
changing circuits, and lack of room, the accessibility
for maintenance in some areas leaves much to be de-
sired. Compounding this problem is the lack of parallel
circuits in some areas, which means that the total mill
has to be shut down to perform maintenance. Addition-
ally, the breakdown of any one of a large number
of machines may drastically reduce or even stop pro-
duction.

Good planning and a close working relationship with
operating personnel are necessary to maintain a high
degree of availability. Communications between super-
visors and key personnel are maintained by using two-
way FM radios.

In the mill, as in other areas of the operation,
modification to the existing machinery made by main-
tenance and operating personnel is helping to increase
availability and efficiency.

AGe—