Crushing It

Situated between the villages of Mells and Chantry, four miles west of Frome, Somerset, Whatley is Heidelberg Materials’ biggest quarry, producing around 6 million tpy of aggregate. Also located there is an on-site plant for making asphalt and ready-mixed concrete. The materials found at the quarry are vital to the UK construction industry, with the site extending to 173 ha., of which 120 ha. comprise the limestone extraction site, with limestone reserves of around 100 million t. The quarry has been operating since the 1930s and supplies crushed limestone aggregate to local markets by road and to depots in London and South East England via its dedicated rail link. These aggregates are used for a variety of construction uses, including ready-mixed concrete production, pre-cast concrete, brick and block manufacture, and asphalt production.

Boosting quarry performance

In order to continue to produce limestone aggregates at high tonnage rates, the Whatley Quarry management decided to update one of its cone crushers. To this end, QMS was contacted and fully briefed on the quarry’s requirements. “We spent a good deal of time at Whatley Quarry to fully understand the requirements in terms of production, how the new cone crusher would fit in with other elements of the production process as well as environmental performance. Heidelberg Materials places a great emphasis on partnering with the community and any new equipment must have a negligible effect on the locale,” explains QMS Sales Director, George Close.

Following site meetings and discussions, George and his team proposed installing a QMS B-Series B3 Cone Crusher. “The B3 is designed to work with a closed side setting of between 6 mm and 38 mm and is capable of delivering over 200 tph. As with all our cone crushers, the B3 is designed and manufactured by QMS in the UK, being designed and built to deliver class leading cone crushing performance, dependability, and ease of operation, all backed by market leading after sales support,” says George.

Cost effectiveness, improved environmental performance, and output were all factors that Whatley Quarry wished to see improved. “The situation we encountered at the quarry was one that was well suited for the B3 cone crushers. Now fully operational, it has improved production, improved the shape of the finished product, and has fitted in seamlessly with the existing plant. Due to its modern design, it uses less power to deliver the improved rates of production.” adds George.

QMS B-Series crushers combine robust design and high performance. A combination of high motor power, large throw, and higher speed give the crushers capacities greater than other crushers of comparable size. “In effect we’ve built them (B3 cone crushers) to meet the exacting product quality Heidelberg Materials demands. The management at Whatley Quarry have been pleased with the product shape and high quality with setting adjustment being easily made during production in seconds,” states George.

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