Landslide forecasting based on hydrological process simulation for a dump slope in an open mining pit

There are concerns about the safety issues of dump slope in the open-cast mining pit because of the risk of catastrophic destruction caused by slope failures that are related to several factors, such as atmospheric conditions(especially precipitation), vegetation and some others. The aim of this study is to investigate the hydrological regime in a dump slope and the influence of the saturation degree on the stability of dump slopes with consideration of precipitation and vegetation using the program of PCSiWaPro~?. Based on the hydrological simulation conducted through PCSiWaPro~?, the calculation of the Factor of Safety(Fs) in the dump slope using Geo-slope Software was improved with further consideration of soil-water weight in the unsaturated dump slope and the influence of water content on the variation of soil property parameters(e.g. cohesion).

Reserve estimation of an open pit mine under price uncertainty by real option approach

Reserve estimation is a key to find the correct NPV in a mining project. The most important factor in reserve estimation is the metal price. Metal price fluctuations in recent years were exaggerated, and imposed a high degree of uncertainty to the reserve estimation, and in consequence to the whole mine planning procedure. Real option approach is an efficient method of decision making in the uncertain conditions. This approach has been used for evaluation of defined natural resources projects until now. This study considering the metal price uncertainty used real option approach to prepare a methodology for reserve estimation in open pit mines. This study was done on a copper cylindrical deposit, but the achieved methodology can be adjusted for all kinds of deposits. This methodology was comprehensively described through the examples in such a manner that can be used by the mine planners.

Cap rock blast caving of cavity under open pit bench

A laser technique based scanning system was employed to make a comprehensive scanning through borehole forunmapped cavity under open pit bench,then the three-dimensional data will be obtained,and these data were used for theoreticalanalysis and numerical simulation to analyze the stability of cap rock.Acoustic emission techniques were also adopted to carry outlong term real time rupture monitoring in cap rock.Therefore,a complete safety evaluation system for the cap rock was establishedto ensure safe operation of subsequent blasting processes.The ideal way of eliminating collapse hazard of such cavity is cap rockcaving through deep-hole blasting,thus,two deep-hole blasting schemes named as vertical deep-hole blasting scheme and one-timeraise driving integrated with deep-hole bench blasting scheme were proposed.The vertical deep-hole blasting scheme has moreexplosive consumption,but the relatively simple blasting net work structure can greatly reduce workloads.However,the one-timeraise driving integrated with deep-hole bench blasting scheme can obviously reduce explosive consumption,but the higher technicalrequirements on drilling,explosive charging and blasting network will increase workloads.

Dust Suppression on Open Pit Drill Rigs--Case Study from Skorpion Zinc Mine

Spotters and samplers around the drill rigs can be exposed to high dust concentrations. In this study it was found that individuals were exposed to as much as 14.2 mg/m3, which exceeds the OEL （Occupational Exposure Level） of 10 mg/m3 [1]. The work on which this paper is based included an extensive literature study, as well as field investigations. Number of additional dust suppression interventions was identified. These improvements, listed below, will assist in reducing dust concentrations arotmd the drill rigs： Increase maintenance frequency on the shroud, sealing ring, suction pipes and filters of the drill rigs. Design and install new overlapping rubber belts on the shroud of the DM45. Install an air-blocking shelf on the inside perimeter of the shroud of the DM45. Install an airflow meter to ensure that the Qc：QB ratio never drops below 3：1. Only allow wet drilling. Flush the dust collector system more regularly with compressed air to ensure that it does not become blocked. Introduce stricter supervision to ensure that the suction pipes are always connected to the shroud. Give drill rig operators more advanced training to ensure more effective drilling in order to reduce dust levels.

Kinetic energy and its applications in mining engineering

Reduction of energy consumption in comminution is of significant importance in mining industry. To reduce such energy consumption the energy efficiency in an individual operation such as blasting must be increased. By using both new investigations and previous experimental results, this paper demonstrates that (1) kinetic energy carried by moving fragments in rock fracture is notable and it increases with an increasing loading rate;(2) this kinetic energy can be well used in secondary fragmentation in crushing and blasting. Accordingly, part of the muck pile from previous blast should be left in front of new(bench) face in either open pit or underground blasting. If so, when new blast occurs, the fragments from the new blast will collide with the muck pile left from the previous blast, and the kinetic energy carried by the moving fragments will be partly used in their secondary fragmentation.

Rapid and robust slope failure appraisal using aerial photogrammetry and 3D slope stability models

Slope failures are an inevitable aspect of economic pit slope designs in the mining industry.Large open pit guidelines and industry standards accept up to 30%of benches in open pits to collapse provided that they are controlled and that no personnel are at risk.Rigorous ground control measures including real time monitoring systems at TARP(trigger-action-response-plan)protocols are widely utilized to prevent personnel from being exposed to slope failure risks.Technology and computing capability are rapidly evolving.Aerial photogrammetry techniques using UAV(unmanned aerial vehicle)enable geotechnical engineers and engineering geologists to work faster and more safely by removing themselves from potential line-of-fire near unstable slopes.Slope stability modelling software using limit equilibrium(LE)and finite element(FE)methods in three dimensions(3D)is also becoming more accessible,user-friendly and faster to operate.These key components enable geotechnical engineers to undertake site investigations,develop geotechnical models and assess slope stability faster and in more detail with less exposure to fall of ground hazards in the field.This paper describes the rapid and robust process utilized at BHP Limited for appraising a slope failure at an iron ore mine site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia using a combination of UAV photogrammetry and 3D slope stability models in less than a shift(i.e.less than 12 h).

A Quadratic Programming Model for Blast Scheduling

A quadratic programming model is established to choose the blocks to be blasted in a given period. The length of this period depends on the production planning requirements. During the given period, the blocks' parameters are available from the geological database of the mine. The objective is to minimize the deviation of the average ore grade of blasted blocks from the standard ore grade required by the mill. Transportation ability constraint. production quantity demand constraint. minimum safety bench constraint. block size constraint and block, bench precedence constraints are considered in forming the programming model. This model has more practical objective function and reasonable constraints compared with the existing model for this kind of problems.