Mining Digital September 2021 | Page 26

‘ Reinventing the wheel ’ has been a great motivation for GACW . The company ’ s Air Suspension Wheels reach optimum levels of performance and last for decades
GACW

‘ Reinventing the wheel ’ has been a great motivation for GACW . The company ’ s Air Suspension Wheels reach optimum levels of performance and last for decades

Global Air Cylinder Wheels ( GACW ) is a company driven by a steel will to transform the mining industry through its pioneering Air Suspension Wheels . Its emergence in the industry is a response to a conundrum which has remained unsolved for decades – how do you reinvent the wheel ?

Mining is almost as old as time itself and while the industry has moved with the times , some things have remained the same . For the wheels typically used in global mining operations , time has stood still . Even in the digital era , wheels have remained strangely , almost defiantly , antiquated .
Too often sophisticated mining operations have persevered with the old-fashioned inflatable tyres . These have been prone to combustion , skidding , blowouts , and lateral sway , while also being completely unsustainable , impossible to dispose off , and responsible for polluting oceans throughout the world . Indeed , a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , estimated that tyres account for as much as 10 % of overall microplastic waste in the world ’ s oceans .
In contrast , Air Suspension Wheels ( ASW ) uses a complex combination of long-lasting steel , inwheel suspension , pneumatic wizardry , energy efficiency , and replaceable treads to optimise performance and provide mining systems – from gold to coal – with