DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF IMPROVED AIR BRAKE SYSTEM FOR MOTOR GRADERS

Motor graders are used in many applications in the mining and construction fields. Graders have to meet certain mandatory statutory regulations like a) Running in On-Road - CMVR Regulations and b) in the Mines(Off-Highway) - DGMS regulations. Motor grader having 16 Feet work blade length (used in Mines only) uses the air system for slow down and braking. The Study has been made to improve the reliability of the system and confidence among the operators by increasing the number of brake actuation frequency before the warning signal and also introduce the hand operated emergency brake to tackle unfavorable circumstances. The Modified air system has been implemented and tested as per the relevant ISO standard in the mines at customer site. The practical field tests reveal that the increase in number of actuations and emergency brake introduction brings more confidence in operators and ensures safety at the higher order. Based on the feedback, the modified air brake system is made as part of standard fitment in the present and future graders.