A Montana coal mine conveyor system failed catastrophically during severe winter conditions in 2019. The failure resulted in a temporary loss of mine production and extensive damage to the final bridge section of the 72 inch wide conveyor support structure.
GES Tech Group, Inc., was retained in 2024 by the defendants, due to legal action brought by the owners. On-site inspections performed by the owners concluded that the root causes of the structural failure were “design defects”. On behalf of the defendants, these early assumptions were thoroughly investigated by GES Tech Group and Rocky Mountain EM Tech (metallurgists).
It was ultimately determined that the primary causation was thermal expansion and contraction and a lack of maintenance of design elements intended to compensate for thermal effects.
