From our September 2002 newsletter

The CDB Boom and 900 Breaker at work in the quarry's primary crusher.

Vulcan Materials Company, headquartered in Birmingham, AL, is one of the nation’s leaders in the production of construction aggregates–crushed stone, manufactured sand, and gravel. With over 10,000 employees nationwide, they own over 300 aggregate plants in 20 states, with 35 granite and limestone quarries in Georgia and South Carolina alone.

Vulcan projects that their new Villa Rica Quarry in Georgia will produce 1.4 million tons of granite annually. Most of the aggregate produced in this plant will be used for highway and bridge construction and maintenance. The remainder is used for residential and non-residential buildings, as road ballast, and in various agricultural and industrial applications.

CDB-60 Stationary Boom Teamed with 900 Breaker
Eliminates Downtime at Primary Crusher
With the help of Hugh McMichael, sales rep of NorX Inc., Lawrenceville, GA, Vulcan selected Tramac’s CDB-60 Stationary Boom and a 900 Breaker for Villa Rica’s primary jaw crusher, the first of four crushers that produce the final product.

Haul trucks deliver boulders from the pit and dump them into the primary crusher. The crusher is designed to handle rocks up to 48" in diameter, breaking them down to 8" or less in preparation for the next step in the operation. Frequently, oversized boulders get into the hopper, or rocks become piled in such a way as to cause jams. This is where the boom/hammer gets to work: it breaks through large pieces to release the jam and allows the crusher to begin operating again.

It’s a fast, safe and painless solution, greatly minimizing downtime. In quarries that have not installed stationary booms, workers have to go into the crushers with cables to maneuver heavy boulders and release the jam. This is difficult, time-consuming, and unsafe.

Why They Chose Tramac
The response from the field has been that the “boom and hammer are performing flawlessly”. Whether called upon once a day or once a week, the CDB boom and 900 hammer are quick to accomplish their task.

According to McMichael, the Villa Rica requirements were spec’d out and placed on bid. It was a competitive situation that required equipment powerful enough to handle the job within very specific guidelines. Vulcan chose the Tramac package suggested by NorX. A number of features appealed to them.

CDB booms are structurally reliable. Their heavy box section construction stands up to the demanding environment of the crusher, while the boom lift cylinder is protected inside the boom section. Hydraulic lines are likewise routed inside the boom and dipperstick. The Villa Rica CDB-60 is equipped with a remote joy stick control system, enabling the operator to work inside a protected enclosure.

The 900, like all Tramac breakers, has a superior power-to-weight ratio. Its slim profile and comparatively low weight allows it to reach into crevices and corners where others can’t. Competitors’ larger and bulkier models are less suited for tight situations like the inside of a jaw crusher. The 900 is powerful, fully able to handle hard material such as granite. Like the CDB booms, it is engineered to withstand a demanding environment, with tough, reinforced housing, shock absorbers, and front guards that protect against wear.