School of Science, Engineering &

Information Technology
Mining Engineering Program

ENGIN3503 Surface Mining Operations and Equipment

Assignment – Project and Lab Work

By:Khubaib Saleh

Student No:30335572

Supervisor: Dr.MANOJ KHANDELWAL

Submission date: FRI, 01nd Nov, 2019 (Week 11)

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is the presentation of the expressed thought or work of another person as though it is one's own
without properly acknowledging that person. You must not allow other students to copy your work and must take
care to safeguard against this happening.
Plagiarism is a serious offence. As set out in University Regulation 6.1.1., students who are caught plagiarising will,
for a first offence, be given a zero mark for that task. A second offence will result in a failing grade for the Course(s)
involved and any subsequent offence will be referred to the Student Discipline Committee.

Declaration

Except where appropriately acknowledged, this assignment is my own work, has been expressed in my own
words and has not previously been submitted for assessment. I have also retained a copy of this assessment
piece for my own records.

Signature: KHUBAIB SALEH Date: 01/11/2019

Feedback / Assessment:

LECTURER’S SIGNATURE: DATE:

1. A new coal mining operation is to be worked employing surface mining using blasting to
clear an overburden of Shale using 150mm holes and 11m benches. Dry rock conditions
are anticipated and the decision is to use bulk ANFO with emulsion cartridges as a
primer. The density of compacted ANFO = 0.85 g/cm3 and the PF is expected not less
than 0.65 kg/m3. You are required to do the blast design to facilitate the production
request of stripping 2,000,000 m3 overburden annually, including the followings,

(1) Drilling and blasting schedule and production;

(2) Blasthole drilling pattern;
(3) Details of blasthole parameters, e.g. burden and spacing, subdrill and inclination;
(4) Details of blast control techniques employed;
(5) Blast circuit / initiation pattern.

Please include a design drawing whenever appropriate for each of the design (25 marks).

SOLUTION:

150 mm holes

11 m benches

Density of compacted ANFO = 0.85 g/ c m3

PF ¿ 0.65 kg /m3

Stripping 2000000 m 3

Required: Blast design

π r2
Charge density ¿ ∗ρcomp
4

π 150 2
¿ ∗ (
4 1000 )
∗0.85∗1000=15.021kg /m

Rock factor for coal ¿ 6=A

Q=0.150∗15.021∗8

¿ 18.025 kg
 1
12 z QS
Stemming length T = ( )
A 100
3

z=1.25(for controlled)

1
12∗1.25 18.025∗100
T=
6
∗ ( 100 ) 3

¿ 6.555 m

Sub drill U =10∗150=1500 mm=1.5 m

Blast hole length = length of benches∗stand off distance

Assume a standoff distance of 1.5 m

Blast hole length ¿ 11+1.5=12.5 m

Charge length ¿ 12.5−6.555=5.945 m

Thus, one blast hole will have

charge density∗charge length=15.021∗5.945=89.300 kg

89.300
Volume of rock blasted ¿ =137.384 m 2
0.65

2000000
Number of holes ¿ =17558 holesannually
137.384

137.384
Thus, SB= =12.489
11

Assuming S=1.15 B,

1.15 B∗B=12.489

B=3.30 m

S=1.15∗3.30=3.79 m

However, if face is inclined to 200 from vertical, then;

 11
New length of blast holes will be + 1.5=13.206 m
cos 200

Charge length ¿ 13206−6.555=6.651 m

Explosive mass per hole ¿ 6.651∗15.021=99.904 kg

2 99.904
Therefore, 1.15 B = =13.973 m 2
11∗0.65

B=3.486 m

S=1.15∗3.486=4.009 m
2. Illustrate with suitable cross-section sketches showing ore and waste components, how
overall stripping ration can be;
a. Constant (5 marks)
b. Increasing (5 marks)
c. Decreasing over the life of an open-pit mine (5 marks).
 3. Two surface mines are considering the use of a conveyor in conjunction with their current
fleet of trucks and shovels. The mines are;

i. a strip mine operation in which coal is transported out of the strip from a depth of
37m to a coal plant on surface, at a rate of 1.2 million tons per month.
ii. an open-pit operation in which coal and waste are transported from a depth of
300m to either a waste dump or a processing plant on surface, at a rate of 1.22
million tons per month (ore) at a stripping ratio of 3:1.

Give advice to the mines concerning the practicality and utility of using a conveyor to either
replace or supplement the existing systems with proper justification (20 marks).

Give advice to the mines as to what extra additional equipment they may need if they were
to combine existing and new conveyor systems with proper justification (20 marks).

SOLUTION:

Haul trucks are expensive, although they are known for perceived bias as a common and
accepted way to move stone. Infrastructure building and maintenance is required. Trucks often
develop mechanical problems which require drivers with comprehensive pay experience. Mining
trucks have heavy engines and therefore use a lot of fuel and regular service that is costly. The
type of system used must be capable of covering the depth of the mine.Sandwich conveyor is the
most appropriate for a depth of 37 m. This conveyor system can navigate steep slopes. It has a
subsequent belt rides on top of the material in steep sections to hold material in place. To
increase its efficiency, sandwich conveyor is to be incorporated with inverted pressing idlers.

In-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) has outgrown other techniques in the recent past. The
method allows the ore in the pit to be crushed and then removed using the conveyor system. This
unit is portable, the crusher. Similar to buses, it helps to reduce prices. The system is also
efficient, requiring little maintenance and requiring little operation. It also works in bad weather
conditions. Minerals are usually found in form of boulders. Their weight is usually enormous and
needs a system which breaks them to pieces before lifting them unto the surface and IPCC is the
most reliable system.
Conveyors are robust and reliable tools used in automated storage and transport, as well as
mining facilities. In tandem with computer-controlled pallet handling equipment, this allows
more efficient distribution of mining materials. It is considered a labour-saving tool that enables
large volumes to move quickly through a network, enabling miners to source and receive higher
volumes of materials and lower labour costs.

Belt conveyors are the conveyors most commonly used because they are the most versatile and
the least expensive. Mining materials and other necessary equipment are placed directly on the
belt so that items of ordinary or irregular size, large or small, light and heavy, can be transported
efficiently. Belt conveyors are also made of curved parts to move goods around a corner using
tapered rollers and curved belting.

Belt conveyors can be used to transfer the material in a straight line or to adjust the altitude or
direction. When bulk mining materials such as ore, coal, and gravel are moved, over gentle
slopes or gentle curvatures, a drilled belt conveyor is used. The belt trough ensures that the
material capable of flow within the edges of the belt is retained. The trough is achieved by
holding the idler rollers in a horizontal angle at the sides of the idler frame.

4.A coal strip mining is designed to use dragline operation as illustrated below. The swell of the spoil is
1.25 to 1.30. You are required to design the effective radius Re and select a dragline that is suitable to
the mine. Ho = 16 m, Hc = 4.5 m, pit width = 40 m, o = c = 70, = 40 (20 marks).
Provided information:

Swelling Factor SF = 1.25 to 1.30. Take SF to be 1.30

H 0=16 m

H c =4.5 m

W 01=W 02=40 m

∅ 0=∅ c =700

θ=400

H0 H c W 02∗H 0∗SF W o 1
Effective radius ℜ= + + +
tan ∅ 0 tan ∅c W 01∗tan θ 4

16 4.5 40∗16∗1.3 40
ℜ= + + +
tan 70 tan 70 40∗tan 400 4
0 0

ℜ=42.250 m

Use truck-mounted dragline. This dragline will be suitable because it’s not designed for
overburden removal work. It has big bucket suspended from a boom with wire ropes. The bucket
is controlled by ropes and chains.