The Dynamic Hoist Brake is a drop-in replacement for the standard hoist brake, which was designed to be applied when the hoist motor was not rotating. The new brake offers a number of advantages including friction material that eliminates burnishing requirements and reduces variations in brake torque, increased thermal capacity, increased life, mechanical wear indication and simplified, on-machine rebuild procedures.
“The heavy-duty dynamic brake has undergone a rigorous design, development and validation process,” said Jim Ryan, new product introduction program lead, electric rope shovels. “We started with full bench testing to simulate the application, and we’ve proven its performance on our 7495 working at the Arizona Proving Grounds.”
Caterpillar also has developed a Smart Controller, available as an option, to continuously monitor the applied torque, energy input and wear of the Dynamic Hoist Brake. The controller also includes hardware that will apply additional brake torque if necessary via a secondary pneumatic piston.
The Smart Controller helps ensure that brake torque levels do not drop below specified levels even as a result of temperature extremes, improper maintenance or other abnormalities. The system also monitors brake energy levels to anticipate thermal overload. It is easily fitted to all 7495 and 7495HF shovels using the Cat Dynamic Hoist Brake.
