NAME : ESRAEL HUNGWE

STDNT NO: G0190114H

MODULLE: UNDERGROUND MINING

Shaft inset

The point of contact between the levels & the shaft itself is known as the inset. In other words,
it is the place where a horizontal tunnel intersects a shaft. It can also be called a shaft station.
The surface over the shaft is occupied by a building called the head frame. Depending upon the
capacity of the device used.

Ore and waste bins

It is a storage facility of ore for further processing. The ore is put onto the storage area from
the top usually by a conveyor. The removal of the ore is from the bottom by more conveyors
and transported to the next processing unit e.g. crushers, mills etc. The bin has to protect the
ore from the elements such as rain and snow. The holding area has to be large enough to allow
the mill ample operating time. This usually is between sixteen to forty-eight hours depending
on the difference in tonnage between the through put of the crushing department and the
through put of the milling department.

Skip pockets

Skip hoisting now is employed commonly in metal mines after they have reached the regular
production stage. Storage pockets and loading chutes usually are provided at the shaft,
although where the output is small and the shaft is not overloaded, mine cars may be dumped
directly into the skips, a short chute or apron being used to direct the flow of the ore; the chute
can be hinged to fold up out of the shaft after the skip has been loaded.
Garage

This is where mining equipment like motor vehicles, LHD, and dumb trucks are kept and it can
be on surface or underground.

Ore pass

An ore pass is a vertical or near-vertical opening, which is created during underground mining
operations to transfer materials. It is designed based on the gravitational force between
different ground levels, in order to provide a convenient material handling system and reduce
haulage distances. If the ore pass is placed in a location with weak host rock, then the ore pass
may be more prone to hang-ups. Ore passes should be located at the opposite end from the
mining face.

Factors to consider when building an ore pass:

• Length: Longer ore passes are more susceptible to degradation and are more costly to
build. Typically short ore passes ranging from 10 to 100 meters will be built in mines, but
some underground passes can run as long as 300 meters.
• Dimension: Ore pass dimensions are directly influenced by the shape of the opening and
the size of materials that will pass through the underground passes.
• Shape: Ore passes can be square, rectangular, or circular. Underground passes that are
created using a raise borer are circular.
• Orientation: Ore passes are either vertical or set on an incline depending on the mine
layout, the materials, and the material fragmentation. Vertical ore passes tend to cause
more damage to the walls of an ore pass.
• Support: Ore passes can be supported by rebar and liners, like shotcrete.

Engine chamber

This is an underground structure where hoisting equipment is. It is also known as the hoist
room.

Grizzlies

Grizzlies are the most common type of screen used to prevent oversized rock from entering
the ore pass. These screens consist of several square-shaped slots for rock to pass through.

Chutes

Chutes are used to funnel materials from the ore pass to a rail car or loader for transport to
an underground stockpile. Chutes are typically the same size as the ore pass. Chutes are
usually used with a control gate.

Sump

Sump is a hole made in the floor of a level in a working, in the direction of a lower level
either for the purpose of testing the trend of an ore vein, or for the purpose of ventilation.
It can also be used to collect water, from which it is pumped to the surface or to another
sump nearer the surface. Sumps are placed at the bottom of a shaft, near the shaft on a
level, or at some interior.

Question 2. Conventional methods of raising and winzing.

A raise is a vertical or steeply-inclined opening that connects different levels in mine.

Conventional methods of raising practiced are open raising and two or three compartment
raising.
Open raising

It is the most common mining method adopted in most mines. The method is applied for
raises of moderate lengths up to 8m and inclination of 40-60 degrees with horizontal strata
and wall rock are strong enough to support themselves so that artificial supports are not
required. The workers stand on a platform made of timber planks supported by stulls fitted
into the footwall. The drilling of holes for blasting is done by jackhammers and generally
follows the wedge cut pattern. Air from the compressed air during drilling provides
ventilation. Access to the faces is by ladders. Broken ore falls down by gravity.

Disadvantages of open raising

• Lack of ventilation
• Damage to pipe and ladder from blasting
• Loss of efficiency when the raises go higher as the workers have to frequently go up and
down the ladders.
• Dismantling and shifting of platform is time consuming and laborious
 Two or three compartment raising

This method of raising adopted for vertical or very steep raises only. After initial
excavation from the lower level in the direction of the raise for 2 m the raise is divided
into 2 or 3 compartments and the method of further raising is similar to that of driving a
vertical shaft up-ward. This method of raising consumes a large quantity of timber and
has the disadvantage of sluggish ventilation. The efficient and direct handling of broken
rock by a chute for quick loading directly into tubs is its advantage. 15-20 m is generally
the limit for drivage by this method.

Disadvantages

• Sluggish ventilation
• Consumes more timber
• Maximum space occupied by compartments
Question 3. Prediction of dilution and oversize and the measures to contain the
problem.
Dilution refers to the material below the cut-off grade that is mixed with ore during
mining, thereby reducing the grade of the excavated material. Dilution can be classified
into two categories i.e., internal or external with regard to the ore. Internal dilution is
the waste material that is necessary to extract the ore and its separation during mining
is considered impossible. External dilution is the waste that is mined within the mining
block. External dilution varies based on the geology, shape of the orebody, drilling and
blasting techniques, scale of operation and equipment size. Dilution and ore loss are
important factors that can affect costs and profitability of a mining operation by
lowering the quantity of mineral or metal that can be produced from each ton of
processed ore.
Sources of dilution
Planned dilution
When stope failures are being experienced repeatedly and production is delayed by
handling of oversize and ore losses are being experienced, at some point there will be a
temptation on the part of the stope designer to drill beyond the ore contact into the
waste, thereby expanding the stope design with the intention of reducing oversize and
speeding up the mining cycle.
Unplanned dilution
Poor drill pattern, inadequate definition drilling, inadequate ground support, wrong
mining method and high powder factor.
Measures to minimize dilution

• Defining the contact surfaces of ore and waste

• Selection of the proper equipment to attain desired selectivity
• Mining along the contact surfaces
• Modelling the effects of unavoidable dilution
References
Whillans, P.T. (2018). Mining Dilution and Mineral Losses, An Underground Operator´s
Perspective. As presented at the following conferences: 2018-06 Mining Tech Santiago Chile;
Revised 2018-07-29
Whillans, P.T. (2016). Underground Mining. The Difference between Optimal and Real CIM
MEMO Sudbury 2016-10.
Elbrond, J. (1994). Economic effects of ore losses and rock dilution CIM 1994-03-01. 
Prinsloo, P Bulyanhulu 2001