Travel and haulage tracks in underground potash mines become longer and longer since the mining areas depart more and more from the shaft. So good hual roads are necessary to transport personal and equipment between shaft and mining area safety and fast.
Also fast transportation of the mined material from the faces to the conveyor loading points by means of load-hual-dump-vehicles requires even ground and sufficiant headroom.
Since paving of the roads is not possible, salt and water has been used to patch holes and wheel ruts. However, the so prepared floor could floor could not withstand the high loads of the heavy vehicles for a long time.
Furthermore, the headroom was reduced by this methods and floor heaves could not be removed. A preparation of the hauling areas between mining faces and loading points was impossible.
The results :
- Slow traveling speed.
- Accidents.
- Damages on tyres and mechanical and structural parts of the vehicles.
WIRTGEN developped the Dinting Machine to overcome these problems. In 1989 the first Dinting Machine was delivered to the Wintershall potashmine of Kali and Salz GmbH.
In the meantime ten WIRTGEN Dinting Machines are in operation in German potash=and saltmines.
With the simple cutting process the WIRTGEN Dinting Machine produces a clean, even and solid surface and increases the headroom and therefore allows :
- Safer driving,
- Reduced driving time,
- Reduced damages of tyres, mechamical and structural elements of the loading and transportation vehicles.
So WIRTGEN Dinting Machines have become significant elements for the improvement of the mine's productivity in Germany's potash- and salt mines.