motors on each axle and an IGBT
electronic control system, led to new
orders until 2006, when
advancements in diesel particulate
filtering that surpassed MSHA
requirements became available,
eventually balancing demand to
nearly even between battery and
diesel powered carriers.
In 1999, one Brookville customer
wondered whether or not there was a
safer and possibly more efficient way
to rerail locomotives and personnel
carriers than the standard, yet
ergonomically taxing, jack-and-bar
method of the day. The design team
subsequently produced the
Jackwalker
TM
and Liftwalker
TM
patented hydraulic rerailing systems.
The Jackwalker is designed to
reposition locomotives weighing up
to 25 short t (22.7 t) and personnel
carriers back onto the tracks after a
derailment without requiring the
equipment operator to leave the
vehicle. With a special control panel
mounted in the operator’s
compartment, two hydraulic
cylinders lower a steel platform at
either end of the vehicle that then
allows horizontal movement of the
unit of up to 8 in. (20 cm) at a time
to reposition the vehicle back on the
rails. This more efficient system
eliminated the need for the
jack‑and‑bar method. It has become a
popular optional feature and today is
integrated into the majority of new
personnel carriers.
Mine environments can differ
greatly: there can be unique
dimensional features, such as low
clearance heights and tight turning
radiuses. This becomes a challenge
for engineers; designers therefore
need to accommodate it. In 2004, for
example, Brookville redesigned the
frame of its personnel carrier to
meet an extremely low height
requirement of 34 in. (86.3 cm) in the
form of a nine-person lay-down
personnel carrier for a customer in
Kentucky. This design allowed four
workers up to 6 ft (185 cm) tall to
lie down at each end of the vehicle
to be transported through a seam
that measured only 36 in.
(91.4 cm) high.
Brookville has also developed a
large portfolio of rubber-tyred
tractors with the capacity to haul up
to 20 workers featuring both diesel
and battery power packages. Ideal
for operation along steeper grades
and unique areas of the mine where
rail is not present, Brookville’s
rubber-tyred product line features
both coordinate and crab steering for
tighter turning and sideways
movement underground while
providing the towing capacity of up
to a 15 t locomotive.
The modern Brookville
personnel carrier
Today, the company's personnel
carriers have evolved to become one
of its most successful product lines
and the frame platform has given
mine operators a level of versatility
Figure 3. Brookville's 10-person diesel inspection vehicle seats four on either end
compartment, one operator, and includes a jump seat in the center section.
Figure 4. The 15-person personnel carrier's flexible design platform has allowed for
improved versatility for maintenance crews. This version features a 2 t crane and DC
welder/240VAC generator.
June 2015
|
World Coal
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29
