Research thrust 02

Productivity and Maintenance Optimisation of Mining Equipment

Optimising productivity and maintenance through simulation, reliability and asset-management models, including digital twins that connect equipment behaviour and long-term planning.

Mechanised mining performance depends on more than a single machine. This thrust studies the production cycle as a connected system and asks how maintenance, reliability, logistics and operating decisions influence throughput.

Current work includes mine-cycle simulation, maintenance-sourcing decisions, reliability studies for remote operations, predictive maintenance and condition monitoring of vibratory screens.

Digital twins provide a bridge between timescales in this thrust. Real-time twins of individual machines can supply better estimates of cycle time, condition and capability to wider production models, while mine-system simulations can identify which equipment states and interventions matter most.