Stop Control Method of Electrically Driven Mining Dump Trucks

The trend in a drive system for dump trucks used in the mining industry is moving away from a mechanical drive system toward an electric drive system because of the increasing efficiency of mining operations. Therefore, an AC drive system for mining dump trucks has been developed. Dump trucks are decelerated by an electrical brake and stopped by a mechanical brake. Dump trucks should be decelerated to a low-speed range by the electrical brake to prevent wear of the mechanical brake. However, the motor torque of dump trucks has to be adjusted in accordance with traveling conditions because they affect the deceleration characteristics of dump trucks. Therefore, a method has been developed for estimating a torque that balances with the slope of a road and controlling the speed of dump trucks in a low-speed range by an electrical brake. The effects of the method have been evaluated using simulations.