LEC 5

Mining Systems
Lecturer Shaolin Jahan Eidee
Department of Petroleum and Mining Engineering
Military Institute of Science and Technology
 Continuation
Open pit mining
Sequence of development
• Land clearance
• Location of surface plant
• Equipment selection
• Scheduling
• Establishment of 1st bench
• Design of haul roads
• Slope stability
Sequence of development
• Land Clearance
After all permits are obtained, the land is cleared.
Sequence of development
• Location of surface plant
Development is the work necessary to bring a mine into full, scheduled
production. It includes planning, design, construction and other
phases. Development generally proceeds according to the plan
adopted during the feasibility study, but the plan may be altered as
more and better information becomes available during successive
phases of the project. Particularly important is the location of waste
dump along with topsoil stockpile, ore storage, processing and storage
facilities.
Sequence of development
• Equipment selection
Equipment is selected and acquired as needed.
• Scheduling
Stripping of overburden and exploitation of the ore must begin on
schedule. They are conducted in a carefully coordinated manner, in
keeping with short range and long range mining plans.
Sequence of development
• Establishment of first bench
Establishment of the 1st bench and each succeeding bench is a critical
operation to commence. The initial entry in a bench is referred to as
the box cut or drop cut, a wedge shaped volume of rock that must be
removed to establish a new bench face. The box cut is drilled, blasted
and excavated to ensure the opening of a proper ramp.
The excavator reach and other dimensions of the equipment used
generally determine the height and width of the working benches.
Sequence of development
• Design of Haul roads
A major concern in pit development is the proper design of haul roads
for both safety and efficiency. The best managed pits will have a proper
haul road width, banking, safety berms, curve designs to allow the
trucks to operate with the greatest safety and low rolling resistance.
Sequence of development
• Slope stability
Pits are often developed using a working slope, a slope angle with a
relatively high factor of safety so that the slopes are stable during the
exploitation of the deposit.
Sequence of development
Cycle of operation
Cycle of operation
• Drilling: The process of making a hole in hard materials such as rocks
and earth.
• Rock drilling: Rock drilling, in the field of blasting, is the first
operation carried out and its purpose is to Open holes, with the
adequate geometry and distribution within the rock masses, where the
explosive charges will be placed along with their initiating devices.
Cycle of operation
• Components
Drill- Type of tool which
holds the drill bit and
rotates it to provide axial
force to create a hole.
Drill bits- Cutting tools
used to create cylindrical
holes.
Cycle of operation
Drilling Types:
• Mechanical: Percussion, rotary, rotary-percussion.
• Thermal: Flame, plasma, hot fluid, Freezing.
• Sonic: High frequency vibration.
• Chemical: micro-blast, dissolution.
• Electrical: magnetic induction.
• Seismic: Laser ray.
• Nuclear: Fusion, fission.
Cycle of operation
Cycle of operation
• Rock Properties that effect Drilling
• Hardness
• Strength
• Elasticity
• Plasticity
• Abrasiveness
• Texture
• Structure
Cycle of operation
• Things to consider while drilling
• easiness of a rock medium for drilling
• available theories of drilling technologies
• types of drill machine and their components.
• drilling pattern
• the performance of a drill machine
• calculate the economics/financial appraisal
Cycle of operation
• Blasting
• Definition- The process of breaking rocks into smaller pieces by use
of explosives. In short, the controlled use of explosives to excavate
rock.
• Blasting is used for rock excavation on both small and large-scale
projects.
Cycle of operation
Cycle of operation
Drilling and blasting cycle
• Surveying
• Drilling
• Loading explosives
• Blasting
• Ventilation
• Loading and Hauling
• Scaling and Cleaning
• Rock Bolting
Cycle of operation
Cycle of operation
Cycle of operation
Cycle of operation
Cycle of operation
Hoisting
• High angle conveyor
• Skip hoist
• Hydraulic Pipelines
Auxiliary operation
Conditions
Advantages
Disadvantages