ABSTRACT
Transportation problems become high priority, when excavating deep open-pit mines. It becomes necessary to take the inherent advantages of each transport system, and also to combine methods. This report discusses the experience gained from the combined utilization of cyclic and continuous transport technology, and the improvements to transfer points. It explains the rationale behind the application of conveyor trains, with regards to technology bottlenecks. It gives due consideration to the application of continuous-duty facilities, with attention drawn to their great potential when they are used for in-pit transfer points.
Using the current technology, mining technical and economic indices will continue to worsen as the depth of mining increases. One solution to this problem is internal dumping of overburden wastes. This method has two main advantages: it allows the overall haulage distances to be decreased by a factor of 2 to 5, and it results in a saving of up 300 ha of land for agricultural purposes, (based on each open-pit mine). The report states the main problems with this technology, and discusses the ways of achieving the required production parameters. Several examples are presented on real open-pit mines to illustrate how non-conventional technology affects the transportation indices.
