ABSTRACT
In open pit mining practices, the overburden material that cannot be excavated directly with loading equipment can only be loaded using bench blasting operations, applied with some principles. The pile arising after the blasting operation needs to be loaded, transported and crushed for size reduction in limestone quarries as needed. Loading, transportation and crushing of the pile affects the cost of successive processes, so these activities can only be economical when performed at minimum cost. The cost of these mining operations is affected by different parameters, and cost items and associated parameters have been the subject of many research projects over the years. Figure 1 shows graphical relations between open pit mine operational costs (NOVOTNY, D., Quarry Days, 2006).
