Interview Questions for Mining Engineer

Note:
Where possible show a drawing or situation plan.
Always show assumptions, formulas used followed by calculations.
Demonstrate step by step logic used to arrive at solution. No complex
formulas!
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1A. Calculate the number of drill holes required for the following volume and drill
pattern:
Volume: 50,000 bcm
Pattern: Spacing S = 7.0 m
Burden B = 5.0 m
Bench height H = 10.0m
Sub drill SD = 1.5m

Powder Factor: PF = 0.20 kg/bcm

1B. Calculate drill hours required if penetration rate is 25 meters/hour, moving

between holes is 10 minutes.

1C. Calculate the amount of explosives required for the blast

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2. Calculate number of trucks required to match excavator loading capacity:
Excavator bucket capacity 10.0 cum
Swing time 25 sec
Truck capacity 40.0 cum
Truck full travel time time: 4min 30 sec
Dumping time 30 sec
Waiting at the excavator 30 sec
Reversing into under the
Excavator 30 sec

Round the number of trucks required

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3. What is the length of an in pit ramp at 10% from the bottom of a pit 175 meters
deep?
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4. What is the maximum volume of stockpile you can fit into an area 10 m wide and
50 m long? Assume that the material is being dropped from an overhanging
conveyor belt and there will be no double handling and reshaping of the stockpile.
Use natural angle of repose. Draw the shape of the stockpile on the top view plan.
Refer to plan below.
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 Top View

50 m

10 m

Left View

10 m

Prepare a drawing to show the method of calculation.

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5. How many operators you need to employ for each working day to operate a fleet
of 20 dump trucks on 3 shifts a day?
What is the total number of operators you need to employ if each operator can
only work 13 days for each fortnight (2 weeks) and has 2 weeks per year annual
leave?

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6. Two vehicles are 100 kilometers apart and start moving towards each other.
Vehicle number 1 is traveling at a speed of 100 km per hour, while vehicle
number 2 is traveling at a speed of 50 km per hour.
How long will it take for the two vehicles to meet and what distance would each
of them have covered?
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7. Mine Stripping Ratio

How would you position the mining limit for a situation shown o the attached
section? The value of coal is the selling price of the coal after all deductions, the
mining cost is the cost of removing all of the overburden to access and mine the
coal in the given strip.
Explain your selection. Calculate the profit for both cases.

Case - 1

STRIP- 1 2
3 4 5

STRIP VALUE OF COAL MINING COST

1 30,000 23,000
2 10,000 7,000
3 10,000 9,000
4 10,000 12,000
5 10,000 14,000

Case - 2

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 STRIP- 1 2
3 4 5
Seam 1

Seam 2
1A

2A
3A
4A
5A

STRIP VALUE OF COAL MINING COST

1 10,000 3,000
2 10,000 7,000
3 10,000 9,000
4 10,000 10,000
5 10,000 14,000
1A 20,000 15,000
2A 8,000 5,000
3A 8,000 5,000
4A 8,000 5,000
5A 8,000 6,000

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8. How many accidents are you permitted to have on a mine site each week, each
month, and each year?
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9. Does a vehicle roll over without any casualties classify as accident?
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10. How many vehicles are you allowed to overtake at any one time, on a wide road
with a no overtaking sign?
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