A new B3 crusher has been supplied to Heidelberg Materials UK’s Whatley Quarry. The Quarry Manufacturing & Supplies (QMS) designed, manufactured and supported cone crusher is now integral in producing aggregates at the Somerset, southwest England site. The B3 cone crusher has been designed and built to deliver class-leading cone-crushing performance, dependability, and ease of operation, all backed by market-leading QMS after-sales support.
Heidelberg Materials UK Aggregates produces and distributes aggregates – crushed rock, sand and gravel – from quarries, depots, and wharves. These aggregates are used for construction, including ready-mixed concrete production, pre-cast concrete, brick and block manufacture, and asphalt production. The company’s Whatley quarry has been operating since the 1930s. It supplies crushed limestone aggregate to local markets by road and to depots in London and South East England via its dedicated rail link.
Situated between the villages of Mells and Chantry, four miles west of Frome, Whatley is Heidelberg Materials UK’s biggest quarry, producing around six million tonnes of aggregate a year. There is also an on-site plant for making asphalt and ready-mixed concrete. The site extends to 173 hectares, of which 120 hectares comprise the limestone extraction site, with limestone reserves of around 100 million tonnes. As well as employing over 60 people, plus many more in a supply chain of contractors and support staff, the quarry actively supports local initiatives and programmes. Whatley quarry has also been included as a research site in Heidelberg Materials’ Quarry Life Awards, which aim to support and increase biodiversity at mineral extraction sites.
To continue to produce limestone aggregates at high tonnage rates, Whatley quarry management decided to update one of its cone crushers. To this end, QMS was contacted and fully briefed on the quarry’s requirements. “We spent a good deal of time at Whatley Quarry to fully understand the requirements in terms of production, how the cone would fit in with other elements of the production process, and environmental performance. Heidelberg Materials places a great emphasis on partnering with the community, and any new equipment must have a negligible effect on the locale,” explains QMS sales director George Close.
Following the site meetings and discussions, George and his team proposed installing a QMS B-Series B3 Cone Crusher. “The B3 is designed to work with a closed side setting of between 6mm and 38mm and can deliver over 200tph. As with all our cone crushers, the B3 is designed and manufactured by QMS in the UK, being designed and built to deliver class-leading cone-crushing performance, dependability, and ease of operation, all backed by market-leading after-sales support.
“QMS B-Series crushers combine robust design and high performance. A combination of high motor power, large throw, and higher speed gives these crushers capacities greater than those of other crushers of comparable size. We’ve built them to meet the exacting product quality demands of Heidelberg Materials [UK]. The management at Whatley Quarry has been pleased with the excellent product shape and high quality, with a setting adjustment that is easily made during production in seconds,” adds George.
QMS’s B-Series cone crushers have also been designed to generate downstream process savings in cost and efficiency thanks to enhanced reduction promoted by a new chamber design and the use of QMS’s C3 Complete Crusher Control. This PLC system controls all aspects of the crusher operation. Usability has also been intrinsic to the crusher design as the operation could not be simpler: the automatic start-up routine incorporates cavity calibration to compensate for liner wear; automatic adjustments are made to the crusher setting to give consistent and reliable product shape. Pressure and power concerning load are automatically adjusted to suit rock properties, moisture etc. Furthermore, C3 automatically monitors all health functions and provides the operator with information via a touch screen HMI (Human Machine Interface). This screen can be located at the side of the crusher or within a control room via an integrated ethernet connection.
“In designing the B3 Cone Crusher, operators’ feedback and QMS’ extensive experience of servicing other manufacturer’s crushers have been taken into consideration. Easy maintenance is an issue that has been taken particularly seriously, with hundreds of design details making servicing and installation simpler and more efficient,” explains George. “The change of wear and spare parts with minimum downtime have also been incorporated into the design. For example, the liners of the B3 crusher do not require any backing material like plastic epoxy or zinc. This saves the time usually spent mixing, pouring, and waiting for the curing to take place, whilst also increasing safety for maintenance staff.”
With its modern features, user-friendliness and high environmental performance, the QMS B3 Cone Crusher has ticked all the boxes at Heidelberg Materials UK’s Whatley Quarry, fitting in seamlessly. “It’s been a pleasure to work with the management and staff at Whatley Quarry. We look forward to continuing to assist and work with Whatley Quarry and other Heidelberg Materials operations,” concludes QMS sales director George Close.
