  The installation of truck turntables at above-ground crushers has the
potential to yield gains in efficiency and productivity by eliminating the need
for the trucks to turn around and reverse up to the crusher to dump their
loads. The benefits include savings in time, fuel consumption and tyre wear. In
addition, having a smaller area near the crushers dedicated to manoeuvring the
trucks can be a significant benefit at some sites. Safety is also enhanced
using turntables.
  This paper describes a project with the Australian Turntable Company (ATC) to
develop software that generates near-optimal layouts for the paths taken by the
trucks in the vicinity of the crushers when turntables are present or absent.
The geometry of the paths is constrained by the turning radius of the trucks
and by the boundary of the manoeuvring area. The software quantifies the
benefit of installing turntables by generating a design for paths with
turntables and comparing it with the layout in current or planned use by the
mining company. Through the use of this software tool, a mining company can
readily assess the benefits of using turntables at their site.

Optimization and Control