Oil sand cyclic load - deformation behaviour below surface mining equipment

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Operation of ultra class mining equipment in the Athabasca oil sands has proven more costly than anticipated by mining companies as end users. Maintenance of rapidly deteriorating oil sand operating surfaces, due to the cyclic motion of these units, has escalated with increase in size of machines. Conversely, damage to structural components of these tools, due to rapidly deteriorating ground profiles, is also costly. Increased fuel use and emissions, attributed to an increase in rolling resistance with deterioration in oil sand stiffness, continue to generate environmental concerns. Injury to operators is more frequent in the guise of whole body vibration (WBV) induced back issues, attributed to adverse equipment motions in response to poor operating surface conditions. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and oil sand mine operations realize that a lack of understanding of the oil sand surface operating conditions is a dominant root cause of all of the above issues.