Performance of a highwall in soft rock, Highvale mine, Alberta

The Highvale mine, west of Edmonton, Alta., is a strip-mining operation with Upper Cretaceous soft sandstone and mudstone overlying the coal deposit. Highwalls cut in the soft rock experienced numerous failures from 1983 to 1985 that disrupted stripping and mining operations and posed a threat to safety. The performance of a 20–23 m highwall at Highvale was studied in 1987 and 1988 to gain insight to the mechanisms of failure. The study utilized surveying, slope indicators, and piezometers to determine the deformation and seepage pattern behind the highwall as it rebounded into the pit upon excavation. Translational movements were found to extend over 250 m behind the highwall along weak, probably presheared bentonitic mudstones. The sandstone and mudstone overburden was observed to extend toward the open pit. This affected the pore-pressure regime and led to a reduction in the mass strength of the sandstone and mudstone. The findings of this study contributed to a better understanding of the mechanisms of highwall failure in soft sedimentary rocks. Key words : highwall, deformations, failure, seepage, loosening, softening.

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Settlement instrumentation to observe open-pit mine backfill and a prototype foundation in western Canada

Canadian Geotechnical Journal ◽

10.1139/t87-081 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 663-669

Author(s):

S. Thomson ◽

R. Sonnenberg

Keyword(s):

Key Words ◽

Mining Operation ◽

Shallow Foundations ◽

Open Pit ◽

Open Pit Mining ◽

Western Canada ◽

Mining Operations ◽

Reclaimed Land ◽

Mine Backfill ◽

The Public

Reclaimed land from open-pit mining operations must have essentially completed settling under self-weight and must be capable of supporting light structures before it can be returned to the public domain. The settlement of the spoil from one open-pit mining operation west of Edmonton, Alberta, was monitored by a series of magnetic extensometers installed in boreholes. Time–settlement plots indicated that self-weight settlement occurs within a 3–5 year period.Tests of individual small footings pointed out the necessity of placing shallow foundations on beneficiated soil. The results of a second series of small footings led to the founding of an 8 × 10 m prototype instrumented, reinforced foundation on a 1 m thick soil–flyash mat. Observations to date indicate an entirely acceptable settlement pattern. Key words: settlement, spoil, reclaimed land, prototype foundation, instrumentation.

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The Edgerton landslides

Canadian Geotechnical Journal ◽

10.1139/t95-097 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 32 (6) ◽

pp. 989-1001 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

D.M. Cruden ◽

S. Thomson ◽

H.J. Kim ◽

A.E. Peterson

Keyword(s):

Key Words ◽

Residual Strength ◽

Upper Cretaceous ◽

Sedimentary Rocks ◽

Back Analysis ◽

Rock Slide ◽

The West ◽

West Wall ◽

Earth Flow ◽

Average Precipitation

Observations over 20 years of three contiguous translational slides on the west wall of a 100 m deep valley in the Interior Plains document their evolution into advancing, composite, slow earth-flow earth-slides involving over a million cubic metres of displaced material. Colluvial deposits downslope of the apparent toes of the flows are moving. The reactivation of the abandoned slides in the Upper Cretaceous sedimentary rocks was likely triggered by years of higher than average precipitation following clearing of brush behind the crest of the slope. Back analysis is consistent with fully softened rock in the crowns of the slides and displaced materials at residual strength. Key words : landslide, rock-slide, earth-flow, earth-slide, Interior Plains.

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Investigation of Geotechnical Parameters Effect on Open Pit Mining Operation Cost (Case Study: Angouran Mine)

Archives of Mining Sciences ◽

10.1515/amsc-2016-0013 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 61 (1) ◽

pp. 169-182

Author(s):

Hamidreza Taherkhani ◽

Ramin Doostmohammadi

Keyword(s):

Mining Operation ◽

Geotechnical Properties ◽

Open Pit ◽

Open Pit Mining ◽

Mining Operations ◽

Geotechnical Parameters ◽

Total Cost ◽

Lead And Zinc ◽

Zinc Mine ◽

Operation Cost

Abstract Properties of intact rock and discontinuities structures are the most important variables affecting mining operations. A comprehensive review of research concerning the direct effect of geotechnical parameters on changes of total exploitation cost in open-pit mines are not provided since now. In this paper, the influence of geotechnical properties of rock mass on total cost of mining operations in Angouran (the largest lead and zinc mine in Middle East located at south western province of Zanjan, Iran) is examined. At first, the classified components of slope mass rating (SMR) and then all exploitation costs (total costs of drilling operation, blasting, bulldozers work, loading and hauling) in mining blocks are surveyed. Then, an equation for determining the correlation between geotechnical properties and total cost using multivariate linear regression is proposed. Eventually, conducting sensitivity analysis revealed that the variation of joints dip is the most effective parameter in change of mining operation cost.

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Analysis of Environmental Costs’ Effect in Green Mining Strategy Using a System Dynamics Approach: A Case Study

Mathematical Problems in Engineering ◽

10.1155/2021/4893776 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-18

Author(s):

Amir Jafarpour ◽

Siamak Khatami

Keyword(s):

System Dynamics ◽

Large Scale ◽

Mining Operation ◽

Open Pit ◽

Open Pit Mining ◽

Processing Plant ◽

Environmental Costs ◽

Mining Operations ◽

Factors Affecting

Nowadays, one of the most significant problems in mining activities is the significance of analyzing environmental issues along with mining, concentration, and mineral processing operations to achieve the goals of sustainable development. Nevertheless, mine owners refuse to include environmental costs (EC) and consider them unprofitable. Due to the ever-increasing importance of environmental and social topics in recent years, there is a vital need for assessing the EC and its impact on total mining costs and implementing green strategies by the mining managers and engineers. The current study tries to model the mining cost structure by considering the causal relationships between different factors affecting open-pit mining costs to highlight the EC’s role. Furthermore, this research evaluates the effectiveness of implementing each possible mining green strategy in a large-scale copper mine using the System Dynamics (SD) approach. In this regard, seven scenarios and a combination of different environmental strategies, including mine reclamation, an environmental strategy for a condensation and processing plant, and environmental mining operations, have been considered for the SD-based economic analysis. The simultaneous use of the green mining strategies for the concentration and processing plant (Scenario 4) shows a high impact on cost reduction in the mining operation.

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Guidelines for Slope Performance Monitoring

10.1071/9781486311002 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Monitoring System ◽

Performance Monitoring ◽

Mining Operation ◽

Open Pit ◽

Open Pit Mining ◽

System Management ◽

Mining Operations ◽

Industry Practice ◽

Slope Monitoring ◽

Acquisition Management

Although most mining companies utilise systems for slope monitoring, experience indicates that mining operations continue to be surprised by the occurrence of adverse geotechnical events. A comprehensive and robust performance monitoring system is an essential component of slope management in an open pit mining operation. The development of such a system requires considerable expertise to ensure the monitoring system is effective and reliable. Written by instrumentation experts and geotechnical practitioners, Guidelines for Slope Performance Monitoring is an initiative of the Large Open Pit (LOP) Project and the fifth book in the Guidelines for Open Pit Slope Design series. Its 10 chapters present the process of establishing and operating a slope monitoring system; the fundamentals of pit slope monitoring instrumentation and methods; monitoring system operation; data acquisition, management and analysis; and utilising and communicating monitoring results. The implications of increased automation of mining operations are also discussed, including the future requirements of performance monitoring. Guidelines for Slope Performance Monitoring summarises leading mine industry practice in monitoring system design, implementation, system management, data management and reporting, and provides guidance for engineers, geologists, technicians and others responsible for geotechnical risk management.

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Models of simulation in the making of decisions in the mining operation

Journal Mathematical and Quantitative Methods ◽

10.35429/jmqm.2019.4.3.20.26 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 20-26

Author(s):

Erika Castillo-Serrano ◽

Myrna Urith Pérez-Lugo ◽

Roberto Avelino-Rosas ◽

Denisse Gabriela Rivera-Mojica

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Operating Cost ◽

Simulation Models ◽

Mining Operation ◽

Open Pit ◽

Open Pit Mining ◽

Discrete Events ◽

Mining Operations ◽

Open Pit Mines ◽

Simulation Techniques

In open pit mining, the loading, unloading and hauling system can represent a high percentage of the operating cost. The objective of this document is to provide an overview of the different approaches in the application of simulation models as an alternative applied to open pit mining operations that can help in decision making to optimize resources. It talks about the different types of simulation models that can be applied in mining operations such as stochastic, deterministic and discrete events. The underlying idea of this text is to highlight that with the increase in competitiveness, mining companies are in need of using simulation techniques to reduce costs, time and risks when making decisions, since simulation allows the creation of scenarios that approximate reality. In the end, the document concludes that simulation models are a tool to help in decision-making, for the optimization of resources, increased improvement and efficiency of the processes of loading, transport and unloading in open pit mines.

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Reliability-based performance analysis of mining drilling operations through Markov chain Monte Carlo and mean reverting process simulations

SIMULATION ◽

10.1177/0037549720923751 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 96 (7) ◽

pp. 593-604 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Omer Faruk Ugurlu ◽

Mustafa Kumral

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo ◽

Markov Chain ◽

Markov Chain Monte Carlo ◽

Production Scheduling ◽

Commodity Prices ◽

Mining Operation ◽

Open Pit ◽

Open Pit Mining ◽

Mining Operations ◽

Rotary Drilling

In recent years, commodity prices have swiftly decreased, narrowing the profit margin for many mining operations and forcing them to find effective cost management strategies to respond to low prices. Given that equipment is one of the most significant assets of a mining company, efficient equipment utilization has strong potential to reduce costs. This paper focuses on the relationship between the number of available drilling machines based on reliability analysis and the number of holes to be created on a bench of an open pit mining operation. Since equipment availability is random in nature, a range of holes to be drilled corresponding to a specified probability level was determined. To assess the performance of the proposed approach, a case study was carried out using two stochastic modeling techniques. Evolutions of reliabilities of 10 rotary drilling machines over a specific time were simulated by Markov chain Monte Carlo and mean reverting processes, using historical data. Multiple simulations were then used for risk quantification. Results show that the proposed approach can be used as a tool to assist production scheduling and assess the associated risk.

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Resolving the Conflict between Mining and Sustainability

Applied Environmental Research ◽

10.35762/aer.2014.36.1.2 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 3-12

Author(s):

David A. C. Manning

Keyword(s):

Mining Operation ◽

Open Pit ◽

Mining Operations ◽

Society Of Friends ◽

The North ◽

Mining Community ◽

The 1960S ◽

Definition Of ◽

The Uk ◽

Potash Mine

Mining is essential for human health and prosperity, and is increasing as the global populationgrows. The need for minerals appears to conflict with what is commonly understood as ‘sustainability’,as geological resources are non-renewable on a human timescale. However, the Brundtland definition of sustainability includes the concept of ‘needs’, implying that there has to be a balanced approach thatconsiders poverty alleviation. It identifies the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental.In the UK, mining has a legacy extending back over 6000 years. The approach taken to sustainability will be illustrated by 3 examples from northern England. In the 18thand 19thcenturies, the London Lead Company was directed by members of the Religious Society of Friends, and hadsocial sustainability as a high priority, building a village with facilities to promote physical, mental and spiritual healthamongst the mining community. The legacy of this company’s mining operations on river water pollution is currently a major problem, reflecting its lackof knowledge of geochemistry.Potash mining started in North Yorkshire in the 1960s, and now there are plans for a new potash mine within the North York Moors National Park.Over 1 km deep, the new mine is planned to be as invisible as possible. Open pit coal mining takes place as part of aconstruction operation in city centreNewcastle, and in nearbyrural locations. Operators take great care to minimize their impact on local populations, adaptingequipment and making sure operations are timed to minimize disturbance.In the UK, one key characteristic of a successful mining operation is that it engages in dialogue with the local community.It is important to involve the community right from the start of planning a mine, even before its location has been finalized. Operators typically have a community fund, and this can be approached by local people to pay for resources that benefit the community, such as sports equipment and facilities. Mining companies need to have a clear plan for restoration, with dates, and some take the opportunity to plan major works of public art as a way of enriching the community with a legacy that can generate income through tourism.

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Management and engineering solutions to improve processing stock quality and reduce resource-intensity of mining

MINING INFORMATIONAL AND ANALYTICAL BULLETIN ◽

10.25018/0236-1493-2018-12-64-56-68 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 56-68

Author(s):

V. V. Agafonov ◽

V. Yu. Zalyadinov ◽

M. E. Yusupov ◽

N. S. Bikteeva

Keyword(s):

Development Strategy ◽

Open Pit ◽

Mining Operations ◽

High Concern ◽

General Production ◽

Resource Intensity ◽

Product Output ◽

And Control ◽

A Company

Sustainability of mining companies is of of high concern. The problem is specifically acute at companies that are monotownor monosettlement-forming. Sustainability of a mine depends in many ways on product quality and production resource-intensity. This article discusses formation of mineral quality indexes in terms of an open pit chrysotile mine. The studies took into account specific features of operation procedures implemented by each structural division of the mine. The analysis has found managerial and technological inconsistencies which affect quality and marketable product output, as well as efficiency of the mine in whole. The background for efficiency enhancement at a company is, by the authors’ opinion, consolidation of personnel subject to the single development strategy, namely: improvement of production and control efficiency, as well as use of available reserves and resources by means of better setup for production. The proposed approaches to planning mining operations and forming mineral quality allow higher quality of processing stock. In addition, a new model proposed for interaction between structural divisions of a mining company ensures improvement of general production indexes.

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