MineTech's MT140 blows away mechanical performance barriers

MineTech's brand new medium flail, ground clearance and mechanical demining machine is heading out into the field bringing revolutionary new levels of reliability and performance to the company's mechanical mine clearance capabilities.

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The new MT140 is the culmination of a two-year development programme that has drawn on years of front line clearance expertise to produce a vehicle custom-designed for the rigours of demining in the field. Most radical of its innovations is a new radiator system that keeps the engine running in the sort of high temperature, dusty environments that have knocked out other machines, often within less than an hour of operation. The result is a mine clearance machine that won't fail due to dust or overheating, even when operating at temperatures reaching 50°C. Early field results predict a five to tenfold increase in productivity over traditional build technologies.

Andy Spearey, Engineering Manager at MineTech, headed the team that designed and built the new MT140. He explains, "Without a supply of cool air, the engine will overheat very quickly. It's one of the most frustrating operational difficulties in hot, dry conditions where the very nature of the flailing process, beating the earth with heavy chains, creates large volumes of fine dust ... and it's a problem that directly impacts on overall performance."

Repositioning the radiator away from the rest of the engine and introducing a fan with the strength to blow you over, has tackled much of the problem. Also key is the ability to run the fan in both directions, which effectively blows any dust accumulated over one period straight back out during the next. Added to this is MT140's air cleaning system, which, with the strength of 20 cyclones, spins the air at high speed with the result that 99% of the dirt falls out before it gets to the filter.

Adds Andy, "We've effectively extended the life of an air filter from one hour to 300 hours, which will have a huge impact on the contribution a mechanical demining machine can make in harsh, hot, dusty conditions."

In Afghanistan, where MineTech has been working to clear large areas of land at Bagram Airfield to enable the construction of a new runway, trials with the new MT140 have delivered significant productivity enhancements confirming predictions that, in the right circumstances, the MT140 is capable of clearing 12,000 square metres of ground in an eight hour day.

The new radiator design has proved so effective, it has now been applied to the MT325 heavy flail clearance machine, radically improving its performance in the field.

Safety considerations have been as important as performance targets in the design of MT140, which uses 10mm armour both underneath and to the front of the cab and 50mm glass. Although designed to deal with anti personnel mines, the strength of the structure will give protection even over an exploding tank mine. The cab breaks with tradition by introducing a solid sealed floor, an escape hatch and rusher valves, which will open should a blast penetrate the cab. Unlike many demining vehicles, the fuel tank has been moved from underneath the driver cab and repositioned in the middle of the vehicle, protected by the transmission and a conveyer belt, the movement of which will absorb shock waves.

The MT140 is designed for optimum safety and benefits from a cab position where the driver can exit to the rear of the vehicle and onto ground that has already been flailed. The cab, which has sound dampening and air conditioning, gives a driving position that's sufficiently high to give a clear view right over the top of the flail head as well as sight of all four wheels, which means the driver can be 100% sure that the wheels are only ever positioned on ground that has already been covered by the action of the flail.

The MT140's 140 horsepower engine delivers a maximum speed of 30 kph, but with 32 gears, can be brought to a very slow crawl, a perfect speed for the flail. Weighing in at just 11 tonnes, it trims 7.5 tonnes off the MT325, its heavy flail counterpart but has the same performance capability. Mechanically operated, it's been designed for easy and quick servicing in the field, manually dismantled and using parts that are easily accessible.

Ideal for heavy bush, steep slopes and restricted areas, the introduction of the MT140 will have a significant impact on MineTech's drive to improve efficiency and performance in modern mine clearance, handling the work of 30-40 people but with built-in reliability levels that will ensure it can complete a full day's work-even in the most testing environments.

Says MineTech MD Mike Jaques, "Maintaining our own in-house facility for design and build is a significant investment but it's one with that has delivered huge returns in the advancement of mine clearance techniques. MineTech continues to stay at the forefront, both in terms of safety and performance, in mine clearance. The innovations of the MT140, which have already been extended to other MineTech machines, will have a ground breaking impact on how efficiently we can deliver mine clearance solutions in some of the most challenging environments in the world."