Laing O’Rourke awaits report on broken Curragh cable

"The rope, which appears to have failed under normal operating loads, is being independently tested and we're waiting for the report,” said Bruce Gerard, principal engineer – applications, Laing O'Rourke, which designed and built the conveyor.
 “The rope exhibited a large number of broken strands and reduction in cross section.
 “Prudently the conveyor was returned to service with a new rope temporarily anchored remotely from the service winch.
 “The winch has been inspected by the manufacturer and pronounced suitable for reinstatement unaltered; it and other mechanical and structural components show no sign of duress from the incident.
 “The concrete damage referred to in last week’s announcement is superficial on the top edge of the concrete and will be repaired with some additional reinforcement."
 Wesfarmers had to briefly declare force majeur on 13th January when the cable failed. The conveyor was designed and built by Laing O’Rourke in association with design partner Conveyor Dynamics Inc of the USA.
 Since the cable failed speculation has turned to whether it was due to a fault in manufacture of the cable, or was related to the conveyor’s design or maintenance.
 At 20.02kms, the Curragh conveyor is the world’s longest conventional conveyor, surpassing Alcoa’s 19km conveyor at Rockdale in Texas. BHP Billiton’s Worsley conveyor, which includes a 31km section, utilizes an alternative cablebelt technology.
 The Curragh conveyor transports coal at multiple speeds of up to 2,500tph, using a belt fabricated from a specially formulated low rolling resistance rubber.
Contact: charles.macdonald@informa.com.au