DURATRAY says that in most mining and quarrying operations, the mine vehicle operator works an 8-hour shift where they are exposed to a high noise in a confined space.
The noise generated from lading and unloading tasks can be detrimental to the worker’s hearing as well as distracting which can jeopardise the safety of the operator and those around them.
Duratray has investigated the noise produced when hard rock is dumped into a steel tray, in comparison to noise emitted by dumping hard rock into a rubber suspension system such as the Duratray Suspended Dump Body System (SDBS) which promotes considerable noise reductions.
The results showed that the Duratray Suspended Dump Body System significantly reduced noise. The reduction in noise is attributed to the fact that rubber flexes on impact and acts as a dampener which absorbs impact shock and vibration.
Studies conducted in the 1980s and 1990s by Dunlop and Skega illustrated the properties that rubber possesses to abate noise.
So why not simply use rubber liners which produce a reduction in perceived noise level? Duntray says that by applying rubber-on-steel wear liners adds significant weight to the dump body, resulting in reductions in payload performance, fuel economy, and tire life.
A proven solution against noise produced through loading and unloading of dump trucks is the Duratray Suspended Dump Body System (SDBS). The Duratray SDBS significantly reduces noise levels generated by load impact and vibration, without applying any additional weight or maintenance penalties.
In use for over 30 years, the Duratray SDBS is a “frame-and-hammock” system that entirely replaces the traditional steel dump body.
In the Duratray SDBS the usual steel floor of the dump body is replaced entirely by a rubber wear mat, an innovative rubber undermat and an elastomeric suspension rope system. This system allows the loading impact to be taken by a 100mm-135mm thick suspended rubber wear mat. The ability of the puncture and abrasion resistant wear mat to stretch in three dimensions means that the sound and vibrations that typically occur during loading, transport, and unloading are attenuated before they ever reach the steel components.
Additionally, studies show that the Duratray SDBS provides a reduction of up to 10dBA exposure for the truck operator and up to 17 dBA exposure for the excavator operator. Environmental noise is reduced as much as 14dBA during the loading operation. All of these readings fall within the Australian WORKSAFE standard for noise exposure over an 8-hour work shift.
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