Residue Solutions MudMaster

The MudMaster is an amphibious machine built in Australia by Residue Solutions for working on very soft ground such as mineral tailings, dredge spoil, snow, mangroves and marshland. It moves on two counter-rotating Archimedes screws, which provide both traction and buoyancy on any surface.

Screw-propelled vehicles go back to concepts first developed in the United States in 1926 for reaching soft ground, but the maker says earlier designs aimed only at access. The MudMaster is designed to press deep into the material as it travels, squeezing out trapped water so the soil becomes denser and stronger. Repeated passes can turn a soft deposit into a surface firm enough for ordinary wheeled equipment.

Design

The machine has a steel box-tube chassis with steel plate panels and walkways, two abrasion-resistant steel screws, a rear-mounted diesel engine module and a protected cab at the front centre. Power comes from a Cummins M11 turbocharged six-cylinder diesel (a modified Caterpillar C11 is an option), driving Hägglunds hydraulic motors through Denison pumps. It is 8.5 m long, 4.15 m wide and 4.05 m high, and weighs 18.5 tonnes in operation.

Use

By 2010 the maker said MudMasters were handling more than a quarter of the world's alumina tailings, at sites run by BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Rusal and Alcoa. Faster dewatering means smaller tailings areas and less dust. Each machine is custom-built in about 18 weeks, to Australian engineering standards, and is also certified for use in the European Union.