Laterals development

Primary development ahead of the stoping activity.

This enables:
_ Better understanding of the geology in advance
_ Ability to install tipping points ahead of stoping,
creating ‘immediate stoping reserves’, thereby
enhancing flexibility and reducing production risk
_ Improved productivity by having adequate faces
available and reduction in re-development to establish
faces through the adoption of a scattered breast mining
system
_ Low capital requirement due to recovering revenue
from on-reef development.

 The mining method is based on the concept that on-reef development takes place on the
strike, prior to stoping, thereby ensuring that all the necessary services and infrastructure are
in place prior to stoping.
 This results in an improvement in the overall efficiency of the section and will assist in
providing a better understanding of the geology, which in turn will help to ensure better
planning for the section before stoping commences.
 The method that is described in this paper is based on a reef dipping up to 10°, although
initial testing suggests that angles up to 16° can be explored.
 On steeper dipping reefs, apparent-dip tramming roadways are required.

 It is important to emphasize that the mining method can change based on the operation’s
stoping width, mine depth, and angle of reef dip, resulting in condition-based mine design
criteria.

Pre-development
 Main purpose is to ensure all the necessary services and infrastructure are in place prior to
ledging or stoping.
 Incorporates 2 strike drives, raise line and pre-installed footwall tips.
 By pre-developing the strike before stoping takes place one is also able to gain a greater
understanding of the geology, thereby improving the overall planning for the area.
The pre-development layout comprises the following
design elements:
1. Strike belt drives
2. Strike transport drives
3. Winze and raise lines
4. Connectors
5. Double-sided footwall tip.
 The strike belt drive and transport drive are developed concurrently at intervals above and
below the seven-panel mining area with a footwall tip situated in the strike belt drive on the
top and bottom of each raise line.
 The strike belt drive is a designated drive for the belt and mine personnel, while the strike
transport drive is a designated drive for machinery.
 The design makes use of connectors (interconnecting roadways) to facilitate movement
between the strike belt drive and strike transport drive during pre-development. The
interconnecting roadways ensure the tramming distances during the development of the strike
belt, transport drive, and raise line are kept to a minimum.
