Massive Machinery: Part 1
Here at Kompakt we sell, rent and lease small, medium and large bits of recycling machinery, but what we call large machinery, others might disagree. Those others are likely to be aware of some of the massive bits of machinery that are dotted around the world. In this series, we will take a look at such machines and tell you a little bit more about them.
Starting with…
The Strata 950 Drill.
While the name might not ring any bells, the incredible story behind its most famous application might. The 2010 Copiapó mining accident occurred when one of the spiralling shafts collapsed and trapped 33 miners, 32 Chileans and 1 Bolivian, 700 meters underground.
Initially it was thought that the men must have been killed, but once it was discovered that they were alive, a plan was put together to save the men. This is where the Strata 950 came in. Three teams assembled, all with different drills, attempting to reach the miners in a way that would not collapse the area that they had miraculously survived in.
The Strata 950 only made it 85% of the way before a different team reached the miners first. So whilst this story has a bit of an anti-climax, at one point it was involved in a heroic mission to save lives. Had another drill not reached the miners first, the Strata 950 would have got there.
Differing sources claim that the Strata 950 weighs between 31 and 40 tonnes, and had to be disassembled in a different project in Chile, placed into convoy and transported to the San José mine where the collapse had taken place. In its parts, it took 42 vehicles to move. It was provided by South African mining company Murray & Roberts.
Overburden Conveyor Bridge F60
The last machine weighed 40 tonnes, which even by machinery standard is pretty small, especially when you look at this hefty bit of machinery. The Overburden Conveyor Bridge F60 weighs a staggering 13,600 tonnes, it 500m long, 200m wide and 80m tall. They were built in 1991 by Volkseigener Betrieb TAKRAF in Lauchhammer and are the largest movable technical industrial machines in the world. There were only 5 ever made.
Of the 5 made, 4 are still operational, all as part of power and mining set-ups across Germany. The remaining OCB F60 lays redundant, in Lichterfeld-Schacksdorf and can be visited by the general public. It is known as the ‘lying Eiffel Tower’. This machine was turned off because of power concerns back in 1992, with it requires 27,000kw/h to operate. This is the equivalent of the annual consumptions of a large home (like a mansion), but each hour.
Various sound and light installations have been fitted to the ‘lying Eiffel Tower’ since 2,000, once it had been declared safe to visit and non-harmful to the environment. The idea to invite the public to come along was hoped to boost tourism and interest in large machinery in the region.
Drachenstich
Drachenstich is the creation of Germany’s ‘Zollner Elektronic AG’, a team of 15 people who made the world’s largest walking robot ever. It took six years, stands 51ft tall, weighs over 11 tonnes, and breathes fire. It’s a dragon.
It has 140hp (that’s horsepower, not health points, sadly), a 2.0l engine and a wingspan of 39ft. Amazingly, Drachenstich, which is used as a performance piece, contains 80l of stage blood and pumping veins! The robot replaced a 35 year old mechanical beast which had previously been the star of Germany’s favourite play, but the new dragon, which has 238 sensors for determining its environment is far more impressive.
The theatre, at Furth im Wald, in Bavaria, is the oldest popular theatre in Germany, dating back to 1590, but the legend has it that Fanny (the dragon’s first name) is much, much older than that…