RELIABILITY-BASED RISK ASSESSMENT OF AUXILIARY MACHINERY IN OPEN-PIT MINES: CASE STUDY OF A HYDRAULIC EXCAVATOR

Abstract

Risk based approach has been proven in generating utility in the mining industry by multiple authors. However, most of the previous research has focused on heavy machinery, neglecting the impact that auxiliary machines have in overall risk management. The following study aims to propose a risk assessment methodology for auxiliary machinery in open-pit mines based on the analysis of a hydraulic excavator maintenance data. The overall risk was defined in accordance with the FMEA method, as a product of three partial indicators: severity, occurrence and detection of failures. Failure type distribution and distinction were illustrated via Pareto chart with the goal to rate the detection indicator. The chi-square tests of downtime and time between failure data were following and enabled analytical determination of the system’s reliability and mean downtime, which led to evaluating the severity and occurrence of failures. Accordingly, framework for evaluation was proposed with a three dimensional risk assessment matrix as a result and proved on collected data.