Pit & Quarry, November 2009

S P E C I A L S E C T I O N C R U S H I N G up the clay seams to yield a cleaner higher quality stone product He also felt the impactor would generate more manufactured fines injecting the clay with sand and lowering the PI plasticity index in the final base product He felt the improvement in the quality of the products would be worth the increased wear parts cost associated with using an impact crusher in abrasive sandstone To help control wear Capable of producing in excess of 800 tph Smith County Stone can quickly respond to customer demand costs the QuarryTrax TI6060 incorporates a hydraulic variable speed drive and push button apron adjustment so it is easy for operators to dial in and maintain optimum performance Niche market One of the unique advantages of the Lockesburg quarry is its location Local markets may have to reach as far as 100 miles to obtain quality stone One of the challenges for Smith County Stone was balancing sales with the different products the Lockesburg quarry could produce some of which contain clay Pankey felt there were three niche markets he could tap into to provide the balance he needed The state agencies of Louisiana Arkansas and Texas named Smith County Stone as a preferred supplier of aggregate to the surrounding areas and the company has been providing dense grade or flexible base for road repair The combination of good compaction from the small amount of clay low PI from sand and the durability from hard and angular stone has shown to work well Smith County Stone is also supplying aggregates to the Haynesville Shelf a natural gas reserve in Louisiana Each drilling site requires the creation of a 600 ft x 600 ft f lat pad around each drill Materials for the gas reserve drill pads include 15 minus and an assortment of riprap 3 to 6 in 6 to 12 in and 12 to 24 in Being the closest quarry to the gas reserve made economic sense for both parties involved Pankey said Reducing truck transportation costs is a big savings to the end user Utility companies also use stone products but the material specifications are more lenient than state specifications allowing Smith County Stone to maximize output With the growing need for utility rock in the surrounding areas being able to truck product from local sources versus using rail or other delivery means has increased sales for the quarry and saved customers money Maximizing the quarry A number of factors play a role in the success of Smith County Stone A prime location is certainly a key element Other factors include the utilization of track plant technology for flexibility in mining impact crushing technology to generate higher quality products and reducing costs with a rugged high production plant We are supplying base rock in the area where the stimulus money is coming into Louisiana and Im looking forward to begin work on the I 49 project We also do a lot of work for the Corps of Engineers Pankey said and with the QuarryTrax crushing plant Im now more flexible to work projects in a 150 mile radius of Texarkana www telsmith com Relocating within the pit to economically generate different products from different sources is a part of the mining strategy at Smith County Stone 26 PIT QUARRY November 2009 www pitandquarry com