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By B E. McCarthy

Red Dome Mine was a highly complex gold copper operation developed over a number of phases between mid-1986 to October 1997. With only three years of production ahead at any time, a proactive practical approach to mine closure was necessary. In 1989 the Domains Concept to life-of-mine planning and mine closure was created as a response to the proposed changes to legislation.The Domains Concept, a relatively simple idea developed to integrate mine closure during production at Red Dome, has been broadly adopted by both government agencies and industry in the intervening 20 year period. Over time the author has observed that the concept has been poorly applied, misunderstood and in some cases even misrepresented. As a consequence, the potential opportunities from applying the concept, including the optimisation and minimisation of life-of-mine costs, mitigation of long-term financial liability exposures and building credibility with the general community, have been missed.This paper examines the many benefits, advantages, applications and perceived barriers to developing and integrating a fully costed life-of-mine plan. Integrating the Domains Concept early in the project, within the operational budgeting, allows the production of a meaningful and useful document, representative of a whole life-of-mine, cradle to grave, with measurable rehabilitation and closure outcomes when the concept is used to full effect.The Domains Concept serves to optimise cost-effective, whole of mine, life cycle planning which provides beneficial outcomes for the community, significantly mitigates legacy issues and contributes to the attainment of compliance and sustainability principle objectives.CITATION:McCarthy, B E, 2014. The domains concept – 20 years on retrospective, obstacles and opportunities for effective life-of-mine implementation, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2014 , pp 621–636 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 16, 2014

By H Chalcraft, T D. Mullen

Conditions encountered at a recently completed brownfields mining project provided valuable insight into, and development of, techniques for working in and around known underground mining voids in an open cut environment. The careful application of underground blasting principles to a pit environment and successful excavation whilst maintaining appropriate stand-off distances were two primary areas of innovation enabling the success of the project.Mary Mac Hill is a gold deposit situated less than 2 km south-west of the town of Laverton, Western Australia. It is owned and mined by Crescent Gold Limited. Previous underground mining by various other mining companies has left an extensive network of underground horizontal development, subvertical stopes and shafts, some of which daylighted at surface. This was identified as potentially posing substantial risks, which would prevent the application of conventional mining methods. Two major stopes were located under a hard banded iron ridge topped by a peak of cap, connected variously by narrow drives and vertical development. Due to the proximity of the first of these stopes to the surface, its dimensions and governed by procedures and advice provided by externally engaged engineers, Crescent Gold could not access the area of the ridge immediately overlying the stope using conventional open cut mining methods. This was the first of many hurdles surmounted in mining this deposit.The following report outlines how the challenges this geometrically complex deposit presented. Solving these problems enabled the team to mine the contained gold ore to a completed design, without subjecting personnel or mining equipment to harm due to a void breach incident. This paper outlines the numerous complications and difficulties Mary Mac Hill posed and explains the strategies developed to overcome them. The report also presents technical mass blasting details explaining two of the critical crown pillar blasts.CITATION:Mullen, T D and Chalcraft, H, 2012. Mary Mac Hill - The challenges and strategies of successful open cut mining: A complex underground gold deposit riddled with a network of complicated voids, in Proceedings Eighth Open Pit OperatorsÆ Conference , pp 89-96 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 18, 2012

Anglo Platinum recognised with its expanded operations the need to change its evaluation strategy due to increased sample volumes and the pressure it created at laboratories. The sender/receiver analytical scenarios had to change in order to curb costs and to prevent substantial investments in new sampling and analytical facilities. Given the high cost associated with correct sampling systems and sampling protocols and the shortage of technical resources a strategy of single point sampling and analysis was introduced. The analysis was then done at an ISO17025 accredited laboratory with ten per cent checks, subjected to careful statistical scrutiny. Logistical problems increased with respect to weighbridge congestion, maintaining sampling quality, throughput of samples in the sample preparation areas, manual quality control systems in place, audit trails and analytical capacity throughout all operations. This required the expedited improvement of existing sampling practices and the development of new sampling methods and equipment. Anglo Platinum is classifying and standardising sampling equipment, sample preparation and analytical procedures for all process streams with the view to minimise overall uncertainties. Major investments were made into a customised LIMS and automated equipment for data management, reduction of manual transcription errors and streamlining of sample processing. Anglo Platinum is committed in rolling out the enhancements to all sites as priority dictates.

Jan 1, 2008

By K M. P Singh, K M. K Sinha, G S. Jha, T Gouricharan, K K. Sharma

The majority of the powerplants in India are fed with non-coking coals, with the coals dispatched from their respective mines via wagons loaded by a rapid loading system or pay loader. The usual top size of coal is 200 mm and sampling is carried out manually from wagons. The manual method of wagon top sampling of large size raw coal is not only difficult, but also violates some of the fundamental principles of sampling. As per sampling requirements, samples are to be drawn from the full depth of the wagons, which is impossible to be done manually. Since the ash distribution in the different size fractions is not homogeneous, the results from the samples, which do not reflect the true size distribution of the lot, are likely to be biased. More importantly, sample collection by shovel from the top is a function of human discretion and not governed by the equiprobability rule. In another case, the sample has been collected by a cross belt-type auto mechanical sampler for 200 mm size coal at one of the super thermal power stations. Test analysis shows that coal collected using a cross belt-type mechanical sampler also has significant deviations from stopped belt coal samples of 200 mm size due to size segregation. Studies carried out on wagon top sampling through specially designed experiments reveal some interesting features. The presence of bias in wagon top sampling is apparent when compared with the ‘stopped belt’ sample. In this paper, a comparative study between manual wagon top sampling/auto mechanical sampling with respect to stopped belt sampling has been conducted for coal of size 200 mm. In addition, precision studies have been performed for wagon top sampling/mechanical sampling for Indian thermal powerplants.CITATION:Sinha, K M K, Sharma, K K, Jha, G S, Singh, K M P and Gouricharan, T, 2014. A comparative study of manual wagon top sampling and auto mechanical sampling of 200 mm size coal with respect to stopped belt sampling of thermal coal at Indian super thermal powerplants, in Proceedings Sampling 2014 , pp 43–48 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 29, 2014

"Cash flow modelling during project evaluation is enhanced when probabilistic methods are applied to the inputs. One of the important inputs is the quarterly production profile. Typically, the steady-state production profile provided to project evaluation practitioners is deterministic, with each quarter the same as every other quarter. This is unrealistic as actual production profiles from existing mines exhibit a range or quarter-on-quarter variance. Monte Carlo stochastic simulation of the production profile can be used to provide a range of possible outcomes, but how are these ranges selected? This paper describes the use of quarterly production variance from a large database of mines worldwide as a benchmark to inform the appropriate selection of ranges. The coefficient of variation is used to rank the production from mines, with quartile analysis applied to indicate industry best, median and worst variation. Due diligence of existing mines and evaluation of future production performance can be quantitatively assessed using this approach. Examples of the effect on value are provided.CITATION:Stewart, C A, 2016. Production variance benchmarks and their use in project evaluation and due diligence, in Proceedings Project Evaluation 2016, pp 201–213 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Mar 8, 2016

By T Wambeke, J Benndorf

A risk-robust development of a heavy mineral resource requires an assessment of the geological uncertainty and spatial variability of the key factors impacting the mining and processing operation. Attributes of interest are the total heavy mineral grade, the slime content and the amount of oversized particles. The modelling of a mineral sand deposit presents two main challenges. Firstly, the exact location of the geological boundaries are obscure due to the complex interaction of the deposit formation processes. Secondly, the properties of interest exhibit a rather complex transitional behaviour across the so-called soft boundaries. Traditionally, the modelling exercise is restricted to a consecutive stochastic simulation of distinct geological facies and orebody properties. This results in different zones separated by hard boundaries, ignoring the typical transitional behaviour.This contribution presents an alternative approach which models the entire sand body as a single domain while accounting for the complex trends present. Error curves are used to infer covariance model parameters without the need of a prior removal of the trend. The principle is based on minimising the differences between empirical and theoretical errors resulting from two methods of prediction calculated for different rings of influence. The added value results from the unambiguous decomposition of the spatial variation into a deterministic trend and a stochastic residual. The trend model neither overfits nor underfits the data. The calculated residuals are thus unbiased and the uncertainty can be correctly assessed.The effort results in a characterisation of the resource uncertainty which provides a more realistic image of the spatial variability of the key properties in and across the geological domains of an existing heavy mineral sand deposit.CITATION:Wambeke, T and Benndorf, J, 2014. Optimal inference of modelling parameters to simulate complex trends across soft boundaries – a case study in heavy mineral sands, in Proceedings Orebody Modelling and Strategic Mine Planning Symposium 2014 , pp 73–84 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 24, 2014

By R Wynn, R A. Pax, S Mann, B Cornish

The semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill at the MMG Century operation has failing load cells that are essential to the control strategy used to stabilise the mill. Currently, mill-bearing pressure is used as a proxy for the load cells, but it has been found to be a noisy signal and lacking in useful sensitivity. It is also prone to variations and drift due to temperature. After consideration of a number of options, a non-contact acoustic array has been installed around the SAG mill to provide a more stable proxy load signal as well as other information about the internal operation of the?mill.The installation consists of 12 microphones to provide some detail into the operational differences that occur during normal operations at the MMG Century SAG mill. This acoustic approach acknowledges that operational grinding mills emit significant acoustic emissions that are a consequence of the dynamic environment prevailing inside them.Previous studies have attributed the acoustic noise to a range of events that occur inside these mills (Pax, 2011; 2012). Consequently, non-contact acoustic determinations of in-mill behaviour can provide powerful insights into the operation of the primary comminution tumbling mills. By measuring key microphone signal attributes at different positions around a mill, a holistic picture of mill internal operation can be developed.This paper will describe the installation of the 12 microphones and discuss the use of the acoustic load signals as a proxy for failing load cells. It will also present data from new observations of internal mill dynamics and the results of implementation of control using these acoustic signals. Key to the control approach has been the development of a logically coherent picture of the processes inside the mill.CITATION:Pax, R A, Wynn, R, Mann, S and Cornish, B, 2014. Implementation of acoustic arrays for semi-autogenous grinding mill?operation, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 273–282 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014

By J Robinson, L D’Uva

"The Gold Fields group and Gekko Systems have successfully worked together on multiple projects, including at the St Ives, Agnew and Granny Smith operations in Western Australia, and the Damang operations in Ghana, with gravity recovery design, technology installation and optimisation the key driver on each occasion.In 2014, Gold Fields Australia identified an opportunity to challenge the historical thinking at Granny Smith and reassessed the benefit of upfront gravity gold recovery. The historical approach had been to employ gravity on the tailings stream of the carbon-in-pulp (CIP) circuit, recovering sulfide minerals into a concentrate from spiral concentrators for further liberation of gold via a regrind circuit.Gekko was engaged to assess the implementation of a gravity circuit within the grinding area, and to perform a comprehensive gravity recoverable gold test program. Test data was fed into the AMIRA P420 BCC Gravity Model to confirm the gravity recovery potential of the ore, and for process design basis generation. Height, space and capital limitations proved to be a design challenge. However, collaborative learnings throughout the project ensured the design and operation of a reliable and economic gravity gold circuit. Ultimately, the Granny Smith gravity circuit was a success, satisfying all the project objectives and yielding consistent, measurable benefits. On average, the gravity circuit recovers 33 per cent of total gold, resulting in an increase to overall gold recovery by 0.7 per cent.This paper highlights the key project drivers for Gold Fields, and the development of the Granny Smith free gold gravity circuit. It details application of test work and modelling, and the challenges and learnings encountered during the design, installation and commissioning stages. This paper seeks to demonstrate that continuous improvement in a long standing operation can be beneficial to overall circuit flexibility and increased ounce production.Citation:D'Uva, L, Robinson, J and Bell, T, 2016. Defying Gravity - Brownfield Continuous Improvement, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2016, pp 135–144 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Oct 10, 2016

At Pasminco Mining's South concentrator. which was commissioned in 1952. an expansion. modernisation and efficiency improvement program commenced in 1986 with a coarse ore stockpile and grinding circuit expansion. the replacement of small flotation cells and the upgrading of reagent mixing and metering equipment. The program continued with the installation of a TDC 3000 based process control system (1988) and concentrate thickeners (1990). By mid-1991 a further grinding expansion and the installation of zinc flotation feed regrind ball mills and zinc recleaner column cells will be complete. leaving the use of ceramic disc fillers and development of process control strategies as probably the remaining major avenues for improved process efficiency at present.

Jan 1, 1991

By B J. Andrew, M R. Daley

Mount Isa Copper Mines is a world-class mining operation producing approximately six million tonnes of ore per annum. With over 50 years of mining history and over 76 million tonnes of underground resource remaining there are many challenges facing the mine technical team today and into the future. The mine consists of nine distinct areas: the Hangingwall Lens, Footwall Lens, 1100, 1900, N1100, N1900, 3000, 3500 and N3500 orebodies. Each of these areas have different characteristics, requiring varying methods of mine design and ground control for safe and efficient orebody extraction. Each of the areas operate with an independent sequence whilst interacting with the entire underground operation. Within the first five years after graduating mining engineers tend to orient their careers in either a technical or operations direction. Engineers working towards a specialised technical career will often be working as mine planning engineers, whilst others more focused in the operations stream occupy roles such as operations or project engineers. At this stage of a mining engineerÆs career they are not yet categorised into one stream or another, but career decisions made now can generally focus their ultimate career path in one direction or the other. Due to the size of the Mount Isa operations there are many opportunities for engineers pursuing both career path and plenty of room for growth forthose as yet unsure.

Jan 1, 2005

By G Stovpchenko, G Jianjun, L Medovar

Electroslag remelting (ESR) today and into the future, will still be the main process for producing high-quality ingots by suppressing segregation, not just refining chemical composition from impurities. This paper analyses state-of-the-art electroslag refining with a focus on ESR with consumable electrodes, and recent technology with liquid metal supply (ESR LM) in view of their refining abilities and development trends, taking into consideration that the size of the ingots required by industry continues to grow, and the composition of new materials sophisticates to withstand increasingly higher mechanical and temperature loads . The yield of suitable metal in large ingots produced by conventional casting is low due to problems of element segregation by height and crosssection. For example, conventional ingots for nuclear powerplant rotors today reach nearly 700 t in weight. Attempts to directly replace such giant ingots with big-diameter ESR ingots weighing approximately 400 t were also unsuccessful because of growing segregation. Modern ESR equipment and technologies produce 200–250 t of ingots of satisfactory quality, reaching 2.5 m in diameter, implementing the change of consumable electrodes during remelting to increase ingot length. Another way to mitigate segregation is to enlarge the smaller diameter ESR ingot by a 500– 800 mm coaxial layer to the desirable diameter by ESR in the current-supplying mould (CSM). Modelling and experiments prove that refining from impurities and non-metallic inclusions at ESR most effectively occurs at the slag bath and liquid metal pool interface because the ESR LM has provided the same desulfurisation. ESR’s special refining capabilities in CSM come from the much longer time of LM residence shown at titanium purification from hard-melting nitride inclusions that are unremovable in vacuum arc remelting (VAR) and electron beam melting (EBM). Implementation of ESR technologies in CSM, especially with LM supply, is prospective to produce heavy enlarged and hollow forging ingots with prevented development of segregation due to dividing cross-section and reducing overheat of solidifying metal.

Jun 19, 2024

By J E. Powalisz

"The application of automated sampling techniques can help to provide a representative sample of process fluids and slurries that provide data for controlling process, custody transfer and quality assurance and quality control purposes.The automation of sampling provides a more consistent and reliable sampling process and eliminates many of the human-induced errors. Automated sampling can also provide a higher degree of safety in the plant/processing environment as well as better bottom-line results.Automated, fixed volume samplers can provide a very representative sample by integrating many small ‘grabs’ of sample from a process. Automated samplers can be controlled in a variety of ways to optimise the sampling process, including:cycle ratedwell timetotal volume.Properly selected and applied, an automated sampler can effectively isolate the operator from the process fluid during sampling and, to a great degree, during sample container collection.A variety of materials of construction, including seals, are available to handle demanding mining applications. Alloy 625, alloy 2205, AL6XN® and even certain plastics are used successfully in mining slurry applications.This paper explores the application of automated, fixed volume, batch style samplers in copper/nickel and gold processing, specifically pregnant leach solution and extraction fluids.Several specific field applications are discussed, including process installation details, hardware and operation.CITATION:Powalisz, J E, 2014. The application of automated samplers in copper/nickel processing, in Proceedings Sampling 2014, pp 35–42 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Jul 29, 2014

By N Petropoulos and M J Thurley, E Righetti, M Wimmer

Fragmentation in sublevel caving (SLC) is vitally important. Both gravity flow and any downstream processes are affected. Reasonably coarse fragmentation may lead to larger draw bodies (isolated extraction zones) and hence potentially higher primary ore recovery and depressed/delayed waste rock inflow from above. Fewer flow disturbances are expected by mitigating oversize. In addition, it requires less boulder handling and reduces wear and possible hang-up problems in orepasses. To assess the present-day functionality of large-scale SLC, a multiyear, comprehensive measurement program was initiated. It covers the main elements for SLC, namely blast function, fragmentation and gravity flow. The present paper focuses on fragmentation measurements. An image acquisition system was used to document the drawpoint and the load-haul-dump (LHD) bucket for each mucking cycle. At the beginning, four buckets (about 70 t total) were sieved to validate the results of both 2D and 3D image analysis techniques. The fundamental and specific problems are discussed herein. At the moment, fragmentation of the SLC rings is evaluated using a quick rating system and a 2D fragment delineation software. The results enable a description of fragmentation and its variation during mucking but also – combined with the gravity flow measurements – conclusions on the fragmentation for different parts of the SLC ring. Possible influences on flow disturbances and ore recovery/dilution are investigated. The recent findings allow a better understanding of breakage and flow and support future process improvements.CITATION:Wimmer, M, Nordqvist, A, Righetti, E, Petropoulos, N and Thurley, M J, 2015. Analysis of rock fragmentation and its effect on gravity flow at the Kiruna sublevel caving mine, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 775–792 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By A J. Morrison, M Yahyaei, J S. Siong, J Wang, K Runge

The flotation cells used to upgrade ultrafine metallurgical coal (-250 µm) are usually poorly controlled leading to unnecessary loss of combustibles from the flotation system. This is mainly because coal flotation cells are typically controlled for process stability rather than optimisation of flotation performance. This is especially true for a flotation device commonly used in coal applications in Australia – the Jameson Cell. This then provides an opportunity to improve the flotation performance by shifting from a stabilising control strategy to a proactive optimising control strategy. For an optimising control strategy, the control system will require a means of relating and then measuring in real-time, the effect of changing operating conditions on the coal flotation performance. Hence, the major aim of this work is to propose a possible model-informed process control strategy that could be used for real-time performance optimisation. In this study, industrial site work was conducted on an industrial-scaled Jameson Cell at a Coal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP) in Central Queensland, Australia where superficial gas velocity was controlled to six different levels. At the same time, other process variables such as froth depth and flotation feed properties were measured. The empirical models developed from this study suggested that combustible recovery is a function of superficial gas velocity, froth depth, feed solid content and feed ash content and that a peak in combustible recovery existed as a function of superficial gas velocity. This led to the development of a model-informed control strategy that aimed to maximise the combustible recovery by determining and then operating the cell at the superficial gas velocity at which the peak occurs. This peak superficial gas velocity was found to be only a function of feed solid content. Based on these findings it would seem possible to operate a Jameson cell at peak performance by online measurement of feed solid content, prediction of the optimum superficial gas velocity and stabilising control to maintain operation at that superficial gas velocity set point. The development of this modelinformed control strategy can serve as a basis for the development of a more sophisticated modelpredictive control (MPC) system. However, more work will need to be done to improve the predictivity of the combustible recovery model by measuring and modelling performance over a wider range of operating conditions.

Aug 24, 2022

By T Weldon

In the last 15 years, it has become increasingly popular to win gold and silver from carbon strip solutions with electrolytic æsludgeÆ cells. The precious metal sludges produced in the cells are washed to the cell bottom and pumped into filters. Most new operations are specifying sludging cells, and many older operations are being retrofitted with up-to-date electrolytic sludge cells and filters. The new sludging cells are generally more energy efficient than older cells, but more importantly, the cell operations to remove product are much less labour intensive, cleaner, and the operator need not have physical contact with the electrolytically produced metal. A case study of a major North American gold producer (50 000 kg/yr) that removed old style stainless steel wool cathode cells and installed new sludging cells and sludge filters is presented. The effect of various impurities is discussed.

Jan 1, 2005

By L L. Kuhar

The AMIRA International P843A Geometallurgical Mapping and Mine Modelling (GeMIII) project is an interdisciplinary research collaboration between 17 global mineral companies and four research organisations aimed at providing support for the emerging industry trend of geometallurgy. The main aim of the project is to develop predictive geometallurgical indices which can be incorporated into a resource block model to maximise the commercial value of an orebody and to minimise the social and environmental impact of mining operations.Researchers at the Parker Centre/CSIRO have been focusing on the development of predictive hydrometallurgical indices for the GeMIII project via rapid, small-scale, cost-effective tests and protocols for comparative ranking of attributes relevant to leach performance. The focus of the small-scale leach tests has been to determine the leach index (relative indication of leach performance), recovery, impurity deportment, reagent consumption, effect of size/degree of liberation and mineralogy of samples for their relative ranking. Predictive tests for heap leach hydrology (related to agglomerate characteristics) and slurry rheological behaviour are also being developed.

Sep 5, 2011

By M K. Singh

Mining is nothing but an art - besides being a science - of extracting valuable minerals from the womb of the mother earth. In this gigantic task, a large number of machinery and equipment are employed judiciously. Wire ropes play a vital role in lifting or hoisting men and materials under hostile/adverse working conditions and constitute a major item of investment on machinery/equipment. The economy of using a wire rope is a concern for engineers, users and the planners. The economic use of wire ropes for mining purposes largely depends on the following factors;Mechanical design considerations - which include tensile strength of wires, elasticity, resistance to abrasion and crushing, fatigue values, static and dynamic loads on wire ropes, factor of safety, fleet angle, etc. Metallurgical consideration - Composition and heat treatment of wire materials, defects like inclusions and voids, surface quality factor, lubrications, micro structural parameters. Operational consideration - Seizing and cutting of rope, storage, care and maintenance, cutting back, etc. Environmental consideration - Temperature and humidity, pit condition, dust, corrosive atmosphere, etc. In the present paper, an attempt will be made to suggest steps for achieving optimum economy while using the wire ropes for extraction of precious minerals and coal keeping in view the points noted earlier. Once technical viability is established, economy is the ultimate consideration for an industry for safe hoisting of men and material.

Jan 1, 2000

This paper describes the new iron and steelmaking process recently commissioned at NZ Steel. Ironsand mined and concentrated at Waikato North head is slurry pumped 18 km to the company's Glenbrook works. Ironmaking includes the direct reduction process pioneered at Glenbrook in the 1970s and a new continuous electric melter. The molten, high carbon pig iron produced is then fed to a vanadium recovery unit and on to the KOBM oxygen steelmaking vessel. Steel is cast into billets or slabs. The new plant, which is the first stage of a fully integrated works at Glenbrook, raises New Zealand Steel's production capacity from 150 000 t/y to 750 000 t/y.

Jan 1, 1986

By A Karrech, E Hamdi

The uncertainty of geomaterials properties is commonly encountered in resource engineering applications, especially in mining engineering where the rock mass texture, joints, fractures and damage zones can impose the mining method and operation cycles. In the present research work, we focus on the elastic properties of rock masses. We use stochastic numerical simulation of fractured rock masses to estimate their Young moduli. The procedure starts with field mapping campaigns which are conducted to evaluate the locations, dip angles, strike and trace lengths of pre-existing fractures. We develop statistical law parameters of the natural fracture network to represent the weakness patterns. In addition, we use HLA-Dissim, a recently developed and validated Matlab program, to simulate the propagation of monochromatic longitudinal waves and derive the equivalent elastic modulus of fractured rock masses. Such procedure applies within a simulation domain, which is greater than an Elementary Representative Volume.At a second stage, we conduct finite element simulations to validate the previous approach. The matrix and the actual fractures zones are reproduced in the model to mimic the natural set-up. The block is excited on particular positions and its response is evaluated on predefined spots. Real field rock fracture mapping data and monitored single-hole blast induced vibrations are used to validate the theoretical and numerical approaches discussed herein. Comparison between the simulated and measured vibration records shows a great agreement which confirms that the proposed methodology has a full potential to predict and optimise multihole/multidelay blast-induced vibrations.CITATION:Hamdi, E and Karrech, A, 2015. A methodology for rock mass characterisation to control blast-induced vibrations, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 89–96 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By M Scoble

This paper is based upon the experiences of collaborating academics in two mining schools and their personal view of attempts to integrate the principles of sustainable development into mining education and research. In this quest, the concept of sustainable mining practices is proposed, not only relating to environmental, social and economic performance but also stressing mine safety and efficiency. These practices need to support strategies that enable flexibility and resilience within mine operations to counter recessionary cycles. Also, these counter-cyclical strategies are now imperative for sustaining mining education and research itself. There is a critical interdependence between these two different perspectives on æsustainabilityÆ. The paper concludes by demonstrating models of strategies that promote inter-disciplinarity, collaboration and networking for sustaining mining schools.

Jan 1, 2009