Fidou’s Sharing Open pit design Mine planning engineer

I. GENERAL

The design of an open pit requires several data of which the main ones are:

• The pit shell design guide (defines acceptable limits) or optimization shell or pit design guide;

• The geological model is called the block model;

• Geotechnical parameters;

• The characteristics of the production equipment.

1. PIT SHELL

It is a pit model that is generated by WHITELL software using the block model, geotechnical and
economic parameters. It serves as a guide for open pit design. The process that generates the
design guide is called optimization. The process of optimization and open pit design is iterative
in that the optimization uses the total angle and does not consider ramps. This process is done
in the following steps:

1.1 On SURPAC:

• Validation of geological parameters (make a number of validation on the block)

• Add economic and geotechnical parameters to the block model

• Exporting it to WHITTLE

1.2 About WHITTLE:

• Import and validation of the geological model

• Optimization and creation of design guides

• Selection of the optimal guide and its export to SURPAC

About SURPAC

• Importing the optimal guide for open pit design;

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Fidou’s Sharing Open pit design Mine planning engineer

• Comparison of volumes and tonnages between the pit and the design guide. If these values are
approximately equal (+-10% to +-15%) then the design of the pit is complete, if not, the total angels
must be modified (default angle is 45°) and the process must be repeated starting with step 1.

2. BLOCK MODEL or GEOLOGICAL MODEL

It is a form of geospatial database that allows 3D modeling of a body from point or interval data
such as borehole sample data. The 3D coordinates define the spatial extent of the block model.

2.1 Block and assign

The centroid of each block defines its geometric dimensions on each axis which represent the
Y, X and Z coordinates. Each block contains attributes for each property to be modeled. The
attributes are characteristics of the properties of the block model. They can contain numerical
values or characters (oxidation, classification...). A block model can contain several attributes.
The main attributes are: grade, density, classification (measured, indicated, inferred), oxidation,
lithology.

2.2 Constraints

All functions of the block model can be applied with the help of a constraint. A constraint is a
logical combination of one or more objects and spatial operators on a selected block. The spatial
objects that can be used in a constraint are plane surfaces, topographic surfaces, solids and
block attribute values. The spatial operators, generally used in a constraint are: above, inside, =.
The spatial operator used depends on the nature of the spatial object. The word "not" implies the
opposition of an operation. Example: outside = (not inside) and bellow = not above The use of the
expression "and" implies that all conditions must be satisfied for the constraints to apply to a
block. The use of the word "or" implies that only one of the conditions must be met.

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Fidou’s Sharing Open pit design Mine planning engineer

3. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT

Ramp width and slope are dictated by the largest haul truck used in the pit. The rules of thumb
for ramp width and safety cord height are as follows:

• Each lane of traffic must be wide enough to allow ample visibility to the left and right of the
widest truck used on the site;

• The clearance must be equal to half the width of the widest truck;

• For a one way or single lane road, the traffic portion of the road is equal to twice the width of
the widest truck;

• For a two-way or double lane road, the required width of the traffic section is 3.5 times the
width of the widest truck;

Source: American Association of Highway Officials (AASHO)

The safety cord, usually made of crushed stone on a ramp, should be no higher than the rolling
radius of the widest truck tire. A rock wall bead should be approximately the same height as the
tire; Source: Kaufman and Ault Adopting these rules of thumb on a Caterpillar 777-F truck with
an operating width of 6.5m and a tire diameter of 2.7m, we obtain the following parameters for a
transport road:

• A single lane road; W=6.5*2=13m

• For a double lane road; W=6.5*3.5=23m

• Safety cord height H=2.7/2=1.3

4. GEOTECHNICAL PARAMETERS

The geotechnical parameters are derived from a geotechnical audit undertaken on site by either
a consultant or an employee. These parameters are generally defined by the lithological profile
and the geological structures that exist within the mining pit.

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Fidou’s Sharing Open pit design Mine planning engineer

II. THE DIFFERENTS STEPS OF OPEN PIT DESIGN

Last week we talked about the inputs for designing an open pit. Today, we will focus on the
different steps to design an open pit.

Step 1: Pit Shell Section (Surpac)

Surface – contouring – contour DTM in layer

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Fidou’s Sharing Open pit design Mine planning engineer

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Fidou’s Sharing Open pit design Mine planning engineer

Step 2: Block model section (Surpac)

To make the section of the model block, you must first make a constraint (inside_shell)

• Grade> 𝑐𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓𝑓 (Will be assumed that cut off is 0.6)

• Ressource category = measured or indicated
• Above pit shell
• Below topo

In surpac :

Block model - Sections

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Fidou’s Sharing Open pit design Mine planning engineer

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Fidou’s Sharing Open pit design Mine planning engineer

Step 3: Finding the ultimate depth

The base of the pit is chosen so that the production machines can operate. The width of this base
can be 25 to 30 meters.

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Fidou’s Sharing Open pit design Mine planning engineer

Step 3: Find the position of the ramp

We put the ramp in the sterile.

Properties of the database

✓ This polygon must be clockwise;

✓ Polygon clean;

✓ The points of the ramp must be adjacent.

Step 4: Define the ramp properties

Design-New Ramp

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Fidou’s Sharing Open pit design Mine planning engineer

Step 5: The pit is built up to the topographic surface. The berm is inserted according to the
geotechnical parameters. At the end of the design, a comparison of the volumes and tonnages
between the pit and the design guide is made. If these values are approximately equal (+-10% to
+-15%) then the design of the pit is completed, otherwise the total angles must be modified
(default angle is 45°) and the process resumed.

Note: We are open for your contribution to improve the document.

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