Dynamic Modeling of Cable Shovel-Formation Interactions

Cable shovel excavation in the Athabasca oil sands is vital given the in-situ excavation of formation. Random occurrence of boulders in the oil sands formation results in varying mechanical energy input and stress loading of the shovel handle-dippertooth assembly. These problems pose significant failure threat to the shovel handledipper- teeth assembly resulting in unplanned downtimes, inefficiency and high production costs. A potential solution is the deployment of an intelligent shovel navigation technology. Currently, there are no prediction models, based on sound theory, for shovel navigation in this formation. This book covers a pioneering research effort toward developing dynamic models to accurately predict the formation resistances, optimal digging schemes and critical formation resistances on the dipper-teeth assembly.