Modeling and Analysis of a Novel Priority Valve Controlled Cable Reeling Drum Drive of Load Haul Dump Vehicle

This paper presents the modeling and analysis of a novel priority valve controlled open-loop Cable Reeling Drum (CRD) drive of Load Haul Dump (LHD) vehicle. The LHD vehicle is basically a trackless loading machine having wide applications in underground mining operations. The CRD incorporated in the said machine performs the reeling/unreeling operation of the flexible trailing cables that supply electric power to the machine. In this respect, a novel hydraulic circuit is proposed that incorporates a priority valve for the operation of the hydro motor driving the CRD, unlike the existing LHD machines having a separate hydraulic arrangement for the CRD operation. In the present study, the flow through the bypass port of the priority flow divider (PFD) valve is utilized for driving the CRD. In analyzing the proposed hydraulic system, the detailed model is analytically solved in MATLAB/Simulink software, and the simulation results are validated experimentally. The effects of change of the critical parameters on the system's dynamic responses are analyzed using the validated simulation model. The investigations show that till the fluid flow metered to the PFD valve is higher than the priority flow demand, the machine's priority function is not affected by the operation of the CRD. However, with the actuation of the priority operation, the hydro-motor drive speed of the CRD decreases. The model proposed in this study may be considered as a basis for the re-design of the hydraulic arrangement of CRD drive incorporated in an LHD machine for its improved performance.