Innovation Award Submission Remote tyre deflation system for hot or overpressure tyres
Mr Steven Amor
Zen Meerkat, Disruptive Mining Technologies, Brisbane, Australia
Biography:
Mining & Project Engineer with 25+ years experience across many mining operations, engineering projects and software / tech startups throughout Australia, UK, South Africa, Canada, USA and China. Passionate about helping people introduce disruptive technologies that will do good and breaking down the barriers of entry into the glacial-speed of the mining Corporate World!
The problem:
For decades, heavy mining equipment (HME) tyres on haul trucks, loaders and water carts have posed a significant risk when they become overheated or over-pressurised. Standard practice requires parking the machine, establishing an exclusion zone (often up to 300 metres), and waiting up to 48 hours for the tyre to cool before a tyre fitter can safely enter the zone to manually deflate it. In extreme cases, tyres have been deflated by shooting them with a rifle – and the end result is the tyre fitter still has to enter the exclusion zone and position themselves directly in the line of fire to manually deflate the tyre anyway.
This process exposes tyre fitters and other personnel to the risk of catastrophic tyre explosions or air- blasts, which have caused fatal and serious injuries in Australian mining operations. Recent Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) safety alerts have highlighted tyre explosions following lightning strikes, with fragments projected significant distances. Historical incidents, including fatalities at Queensland coal mines, underscore the ongoing danger. Beyond the human cost, these events cause major operational downtime, with single incidents reportedly costing millions in lost production.
As a truck driver, loader and shovel operator for 30 years James witnessed first-hand the problem, and set about finding a solution.