One of the highlights at Wirtgen booth will be its 260 SX(i) cross application miner, which is the first model in a new machine category from the company. It is suitable for various applications such as construction of roads, tunnels or harbours, railway projects and pipeline laying. The machine is capable of cutting all types of rock.
Appropriate cutting drums for both hard and soft rock are available for the 260 SX(i). In most cases, the extracted material is offloaded directly to road-legal construction site trucks with the machine’s integrated discharge conveyor.
Aside from performance, Wirtgen said a particular focus in the development of the new cross application miner was set on assuring high machine utilisation rates, as infrastructure projects often have to fulfil critical deadlines.
The 260 SX(i) excavates stone and rock by means of a cutting process. The machine cuts, crushes and discharges the material in a single operation to a width of 2.75 m and a depth of up to 650 mm.
The process is almost vibration-free and causes only very little dust and noise pollution. Thus it can be employed in the immediate vicinity of buildings or buried utility pipes and cables.
The 260 SX(i) cuts routes with a final profile and therefore saves the costs otherwise required for the processing of additionally excavated material and levelling.
Powered by a 30-l, high-torque diesel engine with a rated power output of over 1,000 hp, the new machine always has sufficient reserves for the extraction of rock by cutting. The material can be directly offloaded into transport vehicles or deposited by either sidecasting or cut-to-ground.
The new Level Pro Active levelling system ensures a consistently precise cutting depth. Its functions have been expanded with ergonomically designed control panels that make controlling the system intuitive and simple. A turning radius of under 9 m and the good manoeuvrability enable rapid turning manoeuvres, even in confined spaces.
In addition, the 260 SX(i) is fitted with a dust-proofed positive pressure operator’s cabin with a fresh air filtering system, which effectively prevents dust from entering the operator’s workplace. For safety, the cabin features an integrated, certified ROPS/FOPS system.
At night, safe operation is also assured by bright illumination of all relevant working areas on and around the machine. The high-powered lighting system of the 260 SX(i) comprises LED floodlights for the working areas, lamps on the discharge conveyor and brightly illuminated access ladders and walkways.
The operator’s cabin with all-round glazing is swivel-mounted on the front left chassis column and provides an optimal all-round view of the working area and the material loading procedure.
During the cutting process, the 260 SX(i) produces precise, level surfaces that can be used directly as roads for construction vehicles or as foundations for routing work. Existing profiles copied by scanning the level of an existing surface using sensors installed on the side plate can serve as a reference for levelling.
New profiling is also possible with this new cross application miner, for example, on the basis of a 3D terrain model. Depending on the application, construction work can begin as soon as the desired profile has been produced.
In road construction, for instance, the surface cut by the machine provides an ideal base for the subsequent paving of surface layers. During the cutting process, the machine enables the production of stable embankments with a predefined bank sloping angle – improving safety and minimising the need for additional excavation.
As for tunnel construction, building new tunnels or lowering the floors of existing tunnels often involve working in confined spaces and parallel to continuing rail traffic. Blasting is rarely a viable option for loosening the rock.
Here, the cross application miner comes handy. It enables the precise removal of floors with minimal vibration and the lowering of the tunnel profile to the desired level.
The height of the miner can be reduced for working in tunnels by mounting the operator’s cabin directly above the front left track unit. In this configuration, the machine also works using the cut-to-ground method, without a discharge conveyor and conveyor frame. This means that the 260 SX(i) can be an excellent option for narrow tunnelling situations.
Bauma booth: FS.1011
