Abstract:
A method, apparatus and computer program for pit mining with waste dumping is disclosed, in which material is extracted from an open pit and some of that material is sent to waste. The method optimises a joint extraction and waste refill schedule.
Abstract:
A method for measuring the movement of boundaries between different portions of a heterogeneous rock body is disclosed. The method comprises placing a plurality of blast movement monitors 109 in a rock body prior to blasting and noting the position of each blast movement monitor. The rock body is then blasted to break it up into a plurality of pieces. Thereafter the position of the blast movement monitors 109 is located and based on this the boundaries of rock portions can be adjusted to account for the blast. This leads to a more accurate reporting of different ore bodies to the appropriate processor in a heterogeneous rock body. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed. The apparatus comprises broadly a said monitor 109 and a receiver. The monitor 1 comprises a transmitter 109 received within a casing 111 that in turn is received within a housing 126. Further the casing 111 can move within the housing 126 and self right so that it always transmits its signal in an upright direction.
Abstract:
A mining system for removing overburden from a valuable mineral or coal deposit from a pit (9) is disclosed. The mining system comprises a dragline (600) for removing overburden from a high wall side (3) of the pit (9) to produce a properly formed high wall face. The mining system further comprises a cross-pit transport assembly which comprises a cross-pit vehicle (13) for dislodging and transporting overburden that is located between the high wall side (3) and a low wall side (7) of the pit (9) towards the low wall side (7).
Abstract:
Coal and other mineral seams are uncovered to a desired width or "cut" by blast casting a portion of the overburden material above the seam into an adjacent pit portion followed by moving a dragline or other excavating apparatus onto a bench surface below the bench height of the unblasted overburden and building an extended bench portion with overburden material from above the seam to be uncovered. The excavating apparatus then moves onto the extended bench and removes overburden material from directly above the seam to a final spoil pile. The excavating apparatus may be returned to the start of the next cut by a return road, by building a return road along the spoil pile or by reversing its direction over the extended bench to uncover the seam.
Abstract:
This invention relates to an automatic stone cutter having a construction in which a base can slide on right and left rails, a cylinder main body having a drill is mounted to the base so as to be capable of elevating in the longitudinal direction and the base moves on the rails in the interlocking arrangement with elevation of the cylinder main body. Moreover, the drill can always bore a hole in a predetermined depth from the surface of a mass of stone even if unevenness exists on the surface of the mass of stone.
Abstract:
Method of operating a quarry area comprises the steps of advancement of excavation such that a central trench is first provided for receiving overburden from adjacent strips to both sides of such trench. When the operation in the quarry is completed, a plurality of elongated spoil ridges are left with the valleys between the ridges providing solid ground for access roads to a further quarry area subsequently opened to one end of the depleted area. The method also facilitates the handling of overburden and transportation of the excavated rock in the existing quarry.
Abstract:
An aerial conveyor system comprises a pair of spaced apart cables extending from a first vehicle including material delivery apparatus across a material receiving zone, across an open area, and across a material discharge zone to a second vehicle. The cables support a plurality of conveyor support frames each comprising a pair of tubular members extending substantially parallel to the cables, a plurality of hook rollers for supporting the tubular members on the cables, and a plurality of transversely disposed conveyor support rollers. An endless conveyor belt is mounted for movement around a course defined by the conveyor support rollers of the conveyor support frames and functions to transport material received from the delivery apparatus of the first vehicle in the receiving zone across the open area to the discharge zone. The conveyor is driven by apparatus including a drive roller mounted at the discharge zone end of the conveyor support frame which is actuated by hydraulic fluid supplied through the tubular elongate members thereof.In the use of the aerial conveyor system, overburden is preferably removed in accordance with a series of vertically stacked zones. The aerial conveyor system is then employed to discharge the excavated material into a previously mined portion of the excavation in accordance with the same vertical sequence. By this means the original vertical configuration of the excavation is restored, thereby facilitating return of the mined area to productive usage.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a method for mining minerals at depths where strip and deep mining methods are not practical or economical. After site layout, a plurality of generally parallel-spaced, elongated trenches are formed to expose the mineral bed. Continuous mining equipment is used to mine the minerals from the base of the trench. A conveyor is disposed in each trench to convey the mined minerals to one end of the site to a collection conveyor. After the minerals are mined from the base of the trench, mining tunnels are formed to the opposite sides of and generally perpendicular to each trench and adjacent one end thereof. The tunnels are extended distances at least several times the width of the trench and thereby form longwall mining surfaces. Longwall mining equipment is disposed in each tunnel and the minerals are mined by advancing the longwall mining equipment in a direction parallel to the trench and toward its opposite end. As the longwall mining equipment advances, the overburden caves behind the equipment. The minerals mined from the tunnels are conveyed to the trench conveyor and then lengthwise along the trench to the collection conveyor. After the longwall equipment has advanced the length of each trench completing the underground mining operation, the equipment is withdrawn, the trench is backfilled, and the surface is restored.
Abstract:
In an open-pit mine with several excavation sites and a fleet of trucks carrying ore from loading stations near these sites to a number of unloading stations, data concerning production schedules are manually fed into a programmer together with information on the yield of each loading station as determined by local ore analyzers, on the identity and location of vehicles as ascertained by roadside monitoring units, and on the loading and unloading rates as detected by sensing elements at the various stations. The programmer classifies the several loading stations in two groups, i.e. one group with a below-average content and another group with an above-average content of valuable material (ore) in the excavated mass, and determines the number of vehicles to be routed to the stations of either group on the basis of the ratios of unloaded ore and overburden to their respective production quotas, taking into account the number of vehicles waiting at the loading stations and the travel times of available vehicles to their assigned stations as displayed by a traffic simulator. Routing instructions are supplied to the drivers of empty vehicles by address boards located on the approaches to road junctions giving access to the various loading stations.
Abstract:
Method and apparatus for excavating and removing a settled body of discrete mineral solids (e.g., a tailings pond from a mining operation) by procedures which progress downwardly from the surface of the body. High pressure streams of liquid are traversed along a path in a pulping zone lowermost in first region of the body. The liquid forms a pumpable slurry with the mineral solids in the zone, and the slurry is then pumped from the zone leaving an undercut cavity sufficient to cause collapse of the overburden of solids. The collapsed overburden is then formed into additional pumpable slurry which is removed by pumping. Successive stages of excavation are carried out by moving the streams of liquid downwardly to a second region where the foregoing steps are repeated. In the apparatus a caisson is disposed vertically in the body and stabilized by means of a plurality of circumferentially positioned pilings. A plurality of high velocity nozzles are mounted in the caisson to direct liquid streams into a pulping zone surrounding the caisson. The slurry which is formed in the pulping zone flows through portals in the caisson into a slurry sump in the lower end of the caisson where a pump removes the slurry through a discharge line leading from the caisson. In one embodiment the caisson is fixedly secured to the caisson and jets are provided to direct liquid streams into regions below the lower ends of the caisson and pilings to sink the apparatus downwardly to the next lower region for additional stages of excavation. In another embodiment, the caisson is mounted for relative vertical movement with respect to stationary pilings.