tyred dozers and Wabco self-loading scrapers (32 cu.yd. capacity) which move the material over short cycles and dump it down the immediate em- bankments.
Many of the box cuts have slopes 75 metres (246 ft.) high, with slopes ranging around one half to one.
Ingersoll Rand portable air com- pressors and crawler drills are being used on this project for blasting pre- parations. One of the largest blasts to date utilized 1.7 tons of ammonium nitrate. A total of over 2 tons of ex- plosive was used including gelignite. This produced over 20,000 cu.metres of loosened material for dozer and scraper handling. Three inch diameter holes are drilled with 3 rods down to 11 metres (36 feet.)
Pre-splitting and post-splitting tech- niques incorporating millisecond delay detonators are used to protect the slope faces and give the best possible appearance.
Some of the quarry work will be carried out with two Cat, 6 cu.yd., rub- ber tyred rock shovels and 10 units of 22-ton Wabco rear dump trucks. These are currently being delivered to the site.
Ahead of schedule
With only 50 per cent of the con- struction equipment on the job pro- ducing approximately 300,000 cu. metres a month the project is proudly ahead of schedule. At full production, later this year the team is expected to attain one half million cu. metres per month. At this stage it is expected to
Most of the excavated rock is ripped by Caterpillar D9G tractors with simple shank ripper attachments. Though maintenance costs are high, this is the cheapest method
have 800 people from civil engineers to plant operators doing the work; this includes 31 Australians in advisory capacities.
The team's primary objective is to build a first class road system through the less developed parts of the coun- try, however running a close second is the agreement to train personnel in all phases of road construction.
Heavy plant is depreciated over a five-year life at maximum usage. Work- ing two shifts per day with trainee operators at the controls is already showing signs of wear and tear on equipment brought in from the com- mencement in August 1970. But work- shop back-up and field maintenance and inspection is being upgraded pro- rata to ensure the best availability.
Rubber-tyred dozers speedily push fractured and ripped rock over the nearest embankment
Far East BUILDER, May 1971
This includes some lecture room dis- cussion and visits from manufacturer's representatives to instruct mechanical staff.
The Australian Government has supplied some of the plant required for the project which includes most of the heavy tractors. Other equipment was supplied by the Government of Thailand which also absorbs the basic running costs (fuels etc.), the work shops and other buildings at Lom Sak.
Plant employed
Plant presently being used on the Lomsak project includes:
12 heavy tractors, Cat. Model D9G (with dozer blades & 9D rippers)
8 medium tractors, Cat. D6 dozers 2 rubber tyred dozers, Cat. 824 10 rear dump trucks, Wabco Haul- pack (22 tons)
8 elevating scrapers (inc. 4 Wabco B70 - 32 cu. yd. models)
8 graders, Cat. 12E (with Arm- strong compactor attachments)
2 rubber tyred rock shovels, Cat. 988 (6 cu. yd. buckets)
2 front end loaders, Allis Chalmers Model 645 (3 cu. yd. bucket)
5 air compressors (portable), Inger- soll Rand
2 crawler drills, Ingersoll Rand 5 pneumatic tyred rollers (15 ton)
2 steel tandem road rollers (10 ton)
60 tip trucks, Nissan 7 ton 33 electric generator plants (total cap, 750 kilowatts)
Other equipment includes vibra- tory rollers, sheepsfoot and grid rollers (drawn by John Deere tractors), pav- ing equipment and 50 light vehicles.
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