I Dump Truck were born to speed up large-scale work, dating back to the late 75710th century, when engineer John Isaac Thornycroft introduced the first steam-powered lorry, with a capacity of one tonne, an impressive achievement (and challenge) for the time. Since then, these vehicles have evolved to reach record sizes, such as the Belarusian BELAZ 450, which can carry up to 810 tonnes of cargo, with a total weight of 11 tonnes. This behemoth, as tall as a three-storey building, almost 20 metres wide and XNUMX metres long, can hold the equivalent weight of ten railway carriages.
If you're wondering how they get transported out of the dealership or how much a full tank costs, I'll answer your questions right away: These trucks are dismantled and transported in pieces on platforms for exceptional transport, to then be reassembled directly on the construction site.
Their tanks are five thousand liter tanks and, considering the prices of diesel in the USA, a full tank costs between 5.000 and 7.000 dollars. Performance? Well, when fully loaded it climbs the steep slopes of construction sites and on flat ground it develops a speed of 64 km/h without a load thanks to two engines, as in the case of the Belaz, 16 V of 65 thousand cc each for, listen up, 4600 horsepower in total, 3383.3 kW.
Tank Engines
The engines used on the mega dumper, such as the Belaz 75710 (opening photo), are derived from engines designed for tanks, capable of withstanding extreme situations similar to those of mining vehicles.
MTU Friedrichshafen, a German specialist engineering company, is a global leader in the production of advanced engines for industrial, naval and military applications and is currently part of the Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG group. The Belaz 75710 is equipped with two MTU engines, and the same V-configuration of the crankcases of MTU engines is found in military vehicles. For example, the Puma IFV (photo) adopts the 12-cylinder MTU 892 Ka-500, while other tank models use the MTU 883 Ka-500 for theAltay Turkish, MTU 883 V12 for Israeli Merkava Mk 4 and the MB 873-501 for the Leopard 2.
The MT-883's crankshaft rotates counterclockwise and offers two main supercharged versions with intercooler air/coolant: the Ka-500 and Ka-501, both configured as 12° V-90s. These engines are liquid-cooled and dry-sumped, with oil pumped from an external tank. The Ka-500 version produces 1.500 hp and can use either a fuel injection system common rail that a mechanical pump, while the more powerful Ka-501 is equipped with an injection system common rail advanced for optimized performance.
The typology MT-883 Ka-501 it can be associated with the pairing EuroPowerPack where it is added to the cooling system the complex for the air filtering in the combustion chambers.
MTU has developed a hybrid propulsion system based on the 10-cylinder engine of the 199 series, used in NATO armored vehicles such as the ASCOD "Pizarro" and the "Boxer". The system ensures "stealth" capability and reduced radar visibility thanks to optimized exhausts and electromagnetic shielding. The hybrid reduces the dependence on large-scale logistical supplies (fewer units deployed), facilitating autonomous management and remote control in the field.
In parallel, theEuroPowerPack, equipped with the powerful MTU 883 V12 engine, is combined with the transversely mounted Renk HSWL 295 TM automatic transmission. This configuration allows to maximize the internal space of the tanks, improving both the efficiency and the operational capacity of the armored units. The engine, gearbox and direction management system are integrated into a single compact block, optimizing the footprint and simplifying maintenance or replacement in the field. Successfully used for the first time in the tank Leclerc (UAE version), but also in other platforms such as Challenger 2E and the M1A2 Abrams Books for export markets
The Renk HSWL 295 TM hydromechanical automatic transmission is an advanced solution designed for heavy military vehicles, over 30 tons, such as tanks. Featuring a torque converter and 5 forward and 3 reverse gears, this transmission offers both automatic and semi-automatic operating modes. The steering system is integrated with a hydrostatic-hydrodynamic braking system, ensuring maneuverability and safety even in extreme operating conditions.
Military technique and application
The MTU engine typology is characterized by an oversquare ratio of 144x140 mm for various reasons, mainly to improve volumetric efficiency. This allows the use of larger valves, thanks to a greater space in the cylinder head, and allows a higher rotation speed while maintaining the same average piston speed, thus reducing vibrations. Furthermore, the 90º V-pattern is preferred to the 120º one, since, for the same displacement, it is more compact and takes up less space in the hull.
In the MTU engine of the Leopard, the power reaches 1500 horsepower, as the 295 transmission is designed to handle a maximum of 1600 horsepower. This 12-cylinder engine is the same one used in the Merkava Mk.4, in K2 Black Panther and in Leclerc.
Photo: web / Bundeswehr / Online Defense
