Minimizing the Time of Reaching the Final Depth in the Pit of the First Train When Extracting the

Elongated Steep-Dipping Deposits

Bayan Rakishevich Rakishev, Serik Kurashovich Moldabayev, and Yeldos Aben
Kazakh National Technical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Abstract. The possibility of efficient implementation of the technology of double subbench mining of steep-dipping deposits by cross panels with a minimum excavating of pit wall when using of powerful excavator-truck systems. Variants of developments have been shown at different orientations of initial cuts and placing of haulage berms. Keywords: pit of the first train, sequence of development, mineral deposit, initial cut, mining technology.

1 Technological Foundation of the Problem Solving

Nowadays improving the efficiency of open-pit mining determines the solution of the urgent problem of using powerful excavator-truck systems in great depths without significantly increasing of limiting contour of pit at the surface. The best technical and economic performances are achieved when the time of reaching the final depth of the first train pit is reduced in elongated steep-dipping deposits. It is provided by the opportunity of transition to internal dumping during the lifetime of the pit. After completion of these deposits the amount of mined-out area will reduce. In IM of UD RAN Sakantsev G.G. developed technology of mining such deposits with internal dumping [1]. It allows reducing haulage sites amount on mined-out wall of pit. It is executed by dividing trains along the length of the pit. First train is developed until it reaches the final depth with external dumping and other trains are developed with internal dumping. Thus overburden will be placing in the mined-out area of adjacent train with the general advance of dumping front during the mining works. The second and subsequent train of the pit is divided into excavation assizes by height. The upper assize is developed with placing the overburden into the upper dumping assize of mined-out area of adjacent train. It uses haulage communications of surface. Dumping assize of the internal dump is
210 B.R. Rakishev, S.K. Moldabayev, and Y. Aben

filled with formation of initial fill at mineable linear wall of the pit when the second extraction assize is developed. Haulage communication places on the upper area. The filling of the dumping assize begins here too. Profile of the top of the fill is changing in working area of the extraction assize during sinking. It provides haulage communication of working horizons of the extraction assize with the dumping assize. After developing of the extraction assize the rest of the initial assize is mined to the upper point of the next extraction assize. The next extraction assizes will be developed such as previous with using the upper mined-out area of the initial fill. However, the safety of the mining works decreases when fills for placing the roads are constructed along the wall and dump trucks with great capacity are used (at the intersection of the ore and overburden traffic).

2 Technology of Efficient Mining Operations in the Pit of the First Train When Extracting the Elongated Steep-Dipping Deposits
The reducing the number of haulage sites on the mined-out wall provides alternative technical solution developed in KazNTU. An innovative technology of double subbench mining of high benches by cross panels with varying levels of work sites has been created [2]. Variants of efficient mining works in the pit of the

first train when extracting the elongated steep-dipping deposits have been considered in the paper. The implementation of the technology will create opportunities for using huge excavators in deep pits. It will allow increasing the height of the benches. For example it will be 30 m when using excavator EKG-30 and 40 m when using excavator EKG-40. Accordingly height of the subbenches wont exceed the maximum height of the excavators digging and will be 15 and 20 meters, which will provides safe operating conditions for extracting by cross-block panels with excavator-truck systems. Spoil banks are constructed at the left side of the mineable linear wall and its front edge according to the master plan of mining operations in the pit of the first train. Haulage sites are constructed for the non-process transport between benches. There are only safety berms between subbenches. A permanent transport incline is drived for two-way traffic of the process transport when it gets final contours along the right linear wall and takes full height of high benches. Incline is drived only on subbenches with one-way traffic when it is not enough space. The width of the haulage site is multiple of width of two highways with two-way traffic. This is needed to change direction of trucks movement between benches where transport incline is drived. In both pits the safety berms are constructed along the left linear wall. Starting from the surface all permanent transport inclines are internal.
Minimizing the Time of Reaching the Final Depth in the Pit of the First Train 211

Then mining works will be done in the pit of the second train from the opposite of the front edge of the pit of the first train. Its construction will have haulage berms between benches, which provide two-way traffic of the trucks and inclines for mining the upper subbenches. Thus only haulage berms will be between benches for two-way traffic of the trucks, and there will be safety berms between subbenches. Let's consider the options of mining operations on the pit of the first train in the implementation of double-subbench technology of mining the high benches by cross panels with varying levels of work sites: Option 1: initial cut forms across the strike of the mineral deposits on each horizon (fig. 1); Option 2: initial cut forms along the mineral deposit on each horizon (fig. 2).

3 Choose the Developing Order of the Pit of the First Train

Justification of the technology of using heavy-duty excavator-truck systems is performed on the following parameters in mining operations of the pit of the first train: the current volume of overburden, ore and capacity of pit; time to get the final depth of the pit of the first train (on the side of pit field) and to enable the transition to the internal dumping. First of all, it needs to establish the effect of the working areas orientation within the pit of the first train to the change of the current volume of overburden and mineral. In accordance with the order of extraction of the block panels on the cross-sections at the same time, a new stage begins after reaching the final contour of the pit with involving the lower horizon at a certain depth. Considering the amount of work, it is advisable to conduct mining operations on both higwalls with several benches and using excavator EKG-20. Cutting height of subbenches is 20m. According to the norms of technological design annual operational productivity is 4.2 million m3. Based on this, perform the transformation of the incremental volume of overburden and ore mining schedule. The results of mining-geometric analysis show that the highest overburden capacity takes place at a depth of 320 m when initial cuts are formed across the strike of the mineral deposits. Therefore, part of the annual stripping of 50.66

million m3 should be reallocated to stage at a depth of 280 m, which is prior to stage at depth of 320 m. In this regard, adjusted capacity of stages at the depth of 160 and 200 m gains less than the capacity of stages at depth of 80 and 120 m. A final comparison of the studied mining technology demonstrates the plot of the current stripping ratio as a function of depth changes in the pit of the first stage (fig. 3).
212 B.R. Rakishev, S.K. Moldabayev, and Y. Aben Fig. 1 Mining works in the pit of the first train when initial cut forms across the strike of the mineral deposits on each horizon Minimizing the Time of Reaching the Final Depth in the Pit of the First Train 213 Fig. 2 Mining works in the pit of the first train when initial cut forms along the strike of the mineral deposits 214 B.R. Rakishev, S.K. Moldabayev, and Y. Aben 1, 2 when initial cut forms across and along the strike of the mineral deposits Fig. 3 Dependence of current stripping ratio of the depth of mining operations in the pit of the first train

Analysis of the graph in Fig. 3 shows that the value of the current stripping ratio varies well (curve 2) in the formation of initial cuts along the strike of the mineral deposits. Stripping ratio varies from the lowest value (0,75 m3/m3 at depth of 40 m) to the highest (3,16 m3/m3 at depth of 280 m). It is achieved by reducing the volume of overburden removal during the initial period of operation of the pit of the first train and a more uniform change of reserves at each stage of mining. Graphical interpretation of the schedule of the mining mode of studied options in the pit of the first train is shown in Fig. 4.
1 ore productivity; 2, 3 overburden productivity when initial cut forms across and along the strike of the mineral deposits; 4,5 stripping ratio when initial cut forms across and along the strike of the mineral deposits Fig. 4 Comparison of the options of the schedule of mining operations in the pit of the first train Minimizing the Time of Reaching the Final Depth in the Pit of the First Train 215

Analysis of the schedule of the mining mode of studied options shows that the volume of stripping is less than 17.9 million m3 during the first 3 years when initial cut is formed along the strike of the mineral deposit (option 2) in the pit of the first train. But then, volume of overburden removal will be more (72.17 million m3) than volume of option 1. Consequently, it needs to perform additional stripping works (54.27 million m3). The positive trend of option 1 is that overburden productivity will be constant from the 5th to the 11th year. A significant change of the annual overburden productivity of the pit when initial cut is formed across the strike of the mineral deposit will be only in 12th year. It will need additional 3 EKG-20 and the corresponding amount of heavy dump trucks and drilling rigs.

4 Conclusions
The study results: 1) The period of reaching the final depth decreases in the pit of the first train when extracting the elongated steep-dipping deposits. Then it allows using overburden dumping in the limited mined-out space and to begin the mining works in the pit of the second train. For example period of transition to the internal dumping reduced to 16-17 years when the breadth of the mineral deposit is horizontal and final depth of the pit is 400 m. 2) Efficient allocation of stripping works in the pit of the first train depends on the orientation of initial cut in relation to mineral deposit. The best schedule of the mining mode is reached when initial cut forms along the strike of the mineral deposit. However the stripping ratio is lower when initial cut forms across the strike of the mineral deposit at the first three years. 3) It should be noted that haulage sites are constructed between subbenches of all benches, which have width that is enough to provide two-way traffic of trucks

and to form ramps on slopes of subbenches when initial cuts form across the strike of the mineral deposit. Transport incline will be situated on walls of initial cuts when new benches will be developed. However length of the working front will allow to construct only safety berms between subbenches, because it will provide changing of the traffic direction from the ramp to the another one on both highwalls of the pit of the first train when initial cut will form along the strike of the mineral deposit. 4) Formation of initial cut along the strike of the mineral deposit led to the transfer of the most overburden to a later time when initial cut forms along the strike of the mineral deposit. Increasing of the required overburden capacity doubled to the twelfth year since the beginning of mining operations in the pit of the first train.