Dragline loses its gears

The world`s first gearless drive system for dragline excavators is being installed at a mine in Inner Mongolia, China. The system, developed jointly by Siemens and a US dragline specialist, Bucyrus International, is expected to boost productivity and cut operating costs.

Until now, draglines have relied on geared motors. The 9.7MW gearless three-phase drive (above) being installed at the Zhungeer mine will be about 20% more efficient, resulting in significant energy savings. It is also expected to be more reliable, with longer service intervals, thus increasing the dragline`s availability.

The technology can be retrofitted to existing dragline excavators.