Bin Feed Conveyor ——

Heated Bin-——

Rails-to-Track Ropes
Transition Zone —

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viet Haulage rope Haulage rope attachment socket

10" Diameter,
triple tread wheels

Polyethylene lining

3" Diameter axle

a

FIGURE 4—Cross sections of a 40-cu.-ft tramcar.

wheels. Experience to date indicates the useful life of
the original wheels (Fig. 5) to be about 2.5-3 x 10°
tons. At this stage, the wheels would either have to be
replaced with new units or built up and machined.
Because vf this, and in an effort to reduce track rope
wear, Cassiar has, over the last six months, been
experimenting with lined wheels.

The first type were made by machining out the
rope tread of the original wheels and moulding in a
polyurethene liner. Later, a split wheel of steel and
aluminum was designed which would take a removable
‘tire’. It is also fitted with a cartridge-type bearing
for ease of maintenance. This design has allowed the

Drive Wheel

New wheel with Polyurethane tread
__— Steel side plate
_—Polyurethane tire

Original cast steel or
Joy fabricated wheels

Axle bushing
Grooved treads for 2,

running on rope

External treads
for running on

Timken bearings

FIGURE 5 — The tramcar wheel assembly.

company to easily change tire materials in order to
test for the best compound. Present estimates show a
life expectancy of about 1 x 10° tons per tire.

Track Ropes and Towers

The tramline is divided into five rope sections, be-
tween anchor points: from the load terminal to Tower
3 is 2500 ft (762 m); Tower 3 to Tower 8 is 4000 ft
(1219 m); Tower 8 to Tower 11 is 2500 ft (762 m);
Tower 11 to Tower 14 is 2500 ft (762 m); and Tower
14 to the discharge is 4000 ft (1219 m). The original
installation was fitted with 2-in. locked-coil ropes for
the top (loaded) ropes and 15¢-in. ropes on the return
side. The ropes are held at either end in the anchor

=— 38h —