Research aim is to develop the method of assessing and systematizing open pit automobile transport operating conditions. Research relevance. Pit depth growth and the introduction of modern models of dump trucks capable of working on 18–24% slopes complicate the conditions of industrial vehicles operation. In this regard, the development of the method and indicators of rock mass transportation difficulty becomes relevant as well as the systematization of vehicles operation conditions. Research methodology. The method of evaluating the difficulty of transportation is based on calculating diesel consumption per one haul cycle and reducing the actual length of the route to the relative horizontal distance with the use of rock mass vertical haul horizontal equivalents. Experimental and analytical dependences for horizontal equivalents have been determined. As a criterion of transportation difficulty evaluation, the use of operation conditions difficulty coefficient has been substantiated showing how many times truck’s power consumption when moving along the real route is higher than power consumption when moving along the horizontal macadamized route of the same length. Results. As a result of the research, the method of assessing and systematizing the operation conditions of open pit automobile transport. It has been determined that maximum values for conditions difficulty ISSN 0536-1028 «Известия вузов. Горный журнал», № 8, 2020 25 coefficients for the trucks with 4 × 2 wheel configuration are 2.6–3.0, and for all-wheel drive trucks – 5.0–6.5. By the difficulty coefficient, all operating conditions are divided into 5 classes (relatively easy, medium, difficult, very difficult, and extremely difficult). It has been determined that operating conditions in the most of diamond-mining open pits of ALROSA PJSC refer to class 3 and 4 (difficult and very difficult). The introduction of the all-wheel drive trucks will go along with the transition of operating conditions to class 5 (extremely difficult). For most of Ural pits classes 2 and 3 are typical (medium and difficult). Scope of results. Research results are to be used in open pit automobile transport design and operation when assessing and systematizing operating conditions, in technological calculations when regulating and planning diesel consumption and dump trucks capacity, and when correcting the regulatory standards of maintenance support, etc.
Safe Operation of All-Wheel Drive Articulated Dump Trucks on Large Slopes in Deep Open-Pit Mines