Vertical crater retreat

 Is an open stopping, bottom-up mining method that involves vertically drilling large-diameter
holes into the orebody from the top, and then blasting horizontal slices of the orebody into an
undercut. VCR is a suitable mining method for orebodies that exhibit the following
characteristics:
Characteristics Requirements

 Steeply-dipping orebodies (>45º), with widths of no less than 12-15m.

'    'Orebody Dimensions                                           
 Very large both vertically and horizontally.

 The strength of the waste rock must be competent in order to blast against it
   Ore and Rock Strength           without having excessive amounts of dilution.
 The ore deposit is to be of medium to competent strength.

 VCR is not a selective mining method, therefore the ore grade should be low to
                Grade
medium, and it should be relatively uniform throughout the entire orebody.

 VCR mining can occur at any depth.  Work is carried out in reinforced, small drifts;
and given the nature of the mining method, no personnel has to work directly
                Depth
within the drift.  Therefore, safe execution of VCR mining can be carried out in deep
mines.

 Given the small, localized stope size in VCR mining, ore can be recovered very soon
         Oxidizing Ores after blasting occurs.  Therefore, oxidizing and self-cementing ores such as
pyrrhotite can be mined using this method.
Planning steps
• The first characteristics to evaluate are the size, dip, and plunge of the
orebody, which is important because the installations of draw points
are essential to the gravity flow of the blasted ore for collection. The
second element to assess is the shape and consistency of the
orebody. Two horizontal drifts are required before mining can take
place, which are to have a very large vertical separation. The distance
between the two drifts depends on the consistency of the ore, the
drilling accuracy, and accessibility.
Development infrastructure
• Once the essential planning is complete, the development of the pre-mining
infrastructure begins. All working drifts are reinforced with the necessary ground
support. The pre-mining development for VCR mining includes:

1. Haulage drift along the orebody, at the draw point level

2. Draw point loading arrangement below the stope

3. Undercut of the stope

4. Overcut i.e., as access for drilling and blast, charging

•  
VERTICAL CRATER RETREAT
Mining process
 Vertical Long-holes are drilled from drives developed in the ore between two levels.
 Ore is then blasted using a charge that occupies a relatively short length of the hole, some distance from
the bottom face.
 The blast creates downward-facing craters and the broken ore is drawn from the stope at the lower level.
 The stope is then backfilled.
 The method has a low explosive consumption.
 It uses a different blasting technique breaking the rock with heavy, concentrated charges placed in holes
(“craters”) with very large diameter (~165 mm) about 3 m away from a free rock surface.
 Blasting breaks a cone-shaped opening in the rock mass around the hole and allows the blasted material to
remain in the stope during the production phase so that the rock fill can assist in supporting the stope
walls.
Mining process
 The need for rock stability is less than in sublevel stopping.
 VCR stopping is applicable to mineralization in steeply dipping strata.
 The development of VCR mining is requiring both over-cut and under-cut excavations.
 The over-cut is needed in the first stage to accommodate the rig drilling the large-diameter (~165 mm) blast
holes and for access while charging the holes and blasting.
 The under-cut excavation provided the free surface necessary for VCR blasting.
 It may also provide access for an LHD vehicle (operated by remote control with the operator remaining
outside the stope) to recover the blasted ore from the draw-points beneath the stope.
Mining process
 The usual VCR blast uses holes in a 4 m x 4 m pattern directed vertically or steeply inclined with charges carefully placed at
calculated distances to free the surface beneath.
 The charges cooperate to break off a horizontal ore slice ~3 m thick.
 The blasted rock falls into the stope underneath.
 By controlling the rate of mucking out, the stope remains partly filled so that the rock fill assists in stabilizing the stope
walls during the production phase.
 The last blast breaks the over-cut into the stope, after which the stope is mucked clean and prepared for backfilling.
 VCR mines often use a system of primary and secondary stops to the orebody.
 Primary stopes are mined in the first stage, then backfilled with cemented fill.
 The stope is left for the fill to consolidate.
 Miners then return and recover the ore in the pillars between the primary stopes, and the secondary stopes.
 This system, in combination with the cemented backfill, results in close to a 100% recovery of the ore reserves.
•  
MACHINERY USED
• ITH Drill
• machine remote control LHD
• Small wagon
• Jumbo drills
Advantages
• Safety: Miners are working in drifts that are adequately ventilated and have fully supported roofs. 
Furthermore, no workers are required to work inside the stope, minimizing the risk of unexpected injuries. 
VCR mining also allows for the use of automated machinery, in which case workers are not at risk of
equipment-related injuries.
• Good Recoveries: Continuous mucking from the draw points can take place after blasting.  Furthermore,
VCR mining can be used with a high degree of mechanization, generating a high level of productivity
• Cost: Once the pre-mining development is in place, mining has a low operating cost, as it is a bulk mining
technique and employees are not required to manually operate the mucking machinery
• Wall Support: VCR stopping shares some great features with sublevel open and shrinkage stopping.  Good
wall support is offered during the VCR stopping phase, using shrinkage.
Disadvantages
 Dilution of the ore can result if the waste rock is less than competent in strength, or improper blasting
techniques are carried out.  In addition, sorting is not possible.
 Risk of draw point blockage: If improper blasting techniques are carried out, large rocks can get lodged in
the draw point and arrest the movement of material through them.  This results in lost production.
 A Large capital investment is required to establish the essential drift infrastructure required for proper
VCR mining to take place.  Furthermore, the acquisition of equipment is necessary before mining can occur.
 Subsidence of overlying stope zones can be a problem as open stope expanses are left after mucking.  This
can be avoided by using a backfill, which comes with additional costs.