TMS, the direct tyre pressure and temperature monitoring system for the OTR tyre market has been tested on chained tyres by Chilean mining service company Bailac. The results prove that TMS will work within chained tyres and the system will continue to deliver tyre pressure and temperature data irrespective of the presence of the chains.
Mandy Bromley, director of TMS manufacturer AM Bromley said, “Maintaining the correct inflation pressure for a working earthmover tyre is the single most important means of maximising tyre life. Loader front tyres have been chained to reduce damage to the tyres, the environment means that valve mounted pressure sensors are exposed and risk damage. Until these tests it had been thought that the chains would act in a similar way to a Faraday cage and prevent the sensor from transmitting the readings to the operator interface inside the cab. The tests prove that TMS can now be used with chained tyres.”
The proof that TMS can be used with chained tyres is particularly important to operations running radial tyres. Good pressure control is particularly critical for radials, under inflated radials are prone to bead turn-up and belt edge separations leading to early tyre failure. Bead damage due to under inflation means that a re-tread will not be possible nor would a major repair. Tyres typically account for 25-30% of haulage operating costs in quarries and open pit mines and site tyre life can vary by 30% or more depending on pressure maintenance.