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This book gives a brief history and a general overview of the state of surface mining technology with topics ranging from the principles to surface mining methods, systems, and pit planning design. It starts with the definition of surface mine and ends with land reclamation and mine closure.  The following chapters address the basics of mineral economics, calculation of stripping ratio; exploitation of difficult parts of ore deposits, slope stability, controlling falls and slides in the surface mines, sorts of freight traffic, scrapers, bulldozers, and loaders. The book serves as a reference text for mining students, engineers, and geologists.

Surface Mining Technology

Chapter 1

1.            Introduction to Mining

1.1.         Advancements in Mining Technology

1.2.         Introductory to Mining

1.2.1      Mineral

1.2.2      Rock

1.2.3      Metallic ores

1.2.4      Nonmetallic minerals (also known as industrial minerals)

1.3.         Surface Mine Terminology

1.4.         The Choice between Surface and Underground Mining

1.5.         Surface Mining

1.5.1.     Open Pit Mining

1.5.2.     Open cast mining

1.5.3.     Glory Holing

1.5.4.     Quarrying or Quarry Mining

1.5.5.     Strip Mining

1.5.6.     Auger Mining

1.5.7.     Placer Mining or Alluvial Mining

1.5.7.1. Panning and Sluicing

1.5.7.2. Hydraulic Mining

1.5.7.3. Dredging

1.5.7.4. In Situ Leaching

1.6.         Underground mining

1.7.         Preparation of Open pit Field for Mining

1.8.         Stages in the Life of a Mine

1.8.1.     Prospecting

1.8.2.     Exploration

1.8.3.     Development

1.8.4.     Exploitation

1.8.5.     Reclamation

1.9          Unit Operations of Mining

Chapter 2

2              Principles of Surface Mining of Mineral Deposits

2.1.         Mine Layout

2.1.1.     The shape and depth of the deposit

2.1.2.     The properties of the ore and overburden

2.1.3.     The geometry of the excavating equipment (digging height, dumping height and reach).

2.2.         Types of Surface Mining Deposits

2.2.1.     As regards their shape

2.2.2.     The surface relief

2.2.3.     Depending on their position

2.2.4.     By the angle of inclination (dip)

2.2.5.     The Capacity or depth of deposits

2.2.6.     The quality of a mineral

2.2.7.     By the prevailing type of rock

2.3.         Kinds of Surface Mining

2.4.         Kinds and Sizes of Open-pit Fields

2.5.         Variations of Open Pit Mining

2.6.         Surface Mining Economics

2.6.1.     The Concept of "Cut-off"

2.6.2.     Profit Margin

2.7.         Maximum vs. Overall Stripping Ratio

2.8.         Different stripping ratios

2.8.1.     Industrial excavation ratio

2.8.2.     Exploitation excavation ratio

2.8.3.     Current excavation ratio

2.8.4.     Expansion excavation ratio

2.8.5.     Layer ratio

2.8.6.     Border excavation ratio (Critical ratio)

2.9.         Difficult parts

2.9.1.     Case 1.a: Difficult part near to one of the borders

2.9.2.     Case 1. b: Difficult part near to two borders:

2.9.3.     Case 2- Turning Point:

2.9.4.     Case 3-Intersection:

2.10.      The important coefficients in surface mining

Chapter 3

3.            Slope Stability

3.1.         Introduction

3.2.         Physical properties of the Soil slope material

3.2.1.     Formation of Soil

3.2.2.     Soil Types

3.3.         Some Physical Properties of Soil

3.3.1.     Soil Moisture Content

3.3.2.     Permeability

3.3.3.     Capillarity

3.3.4.     Shear strength of the soil slope material

3.4.         Stability Analysis of Slopes

3.4.1.     Factors Contributing to Slope Failures

3.4.2.     Classification of slides

3.4.3.     Mode of Rupture

3.4.4.     Plane Rupture Surfaces

3.4.5.     Circular Sliding Surface

3.4.6.     Seepage Force

3.4.7.     Seismic Forces

3.4.8.     Friction-Circle Method

3.4.9.     Remedial Work against Failures of Slopes

Chapter 4

4.            Prevention of slides and falls in surface mines

4.1.         General Characteristics of Slides and falls in Opencast Mines

4.2.         Stability of Pit Benches and Faces

4.3.         Stability of Pit Wall

4.4.         Stability of Waste Banks

Chapter 5

5.            Surface Mine Development

5.1          Order of Development of Opencast Mining Work

5.2          The Concepts of Regimes and Stages of Mining Work

5.3          The Theory of Stripping of Mining Levels              

5.3.1      The Order of Formation of Freight Traffic

5.3.2      Kinds of Freight Traffic

5.3.3      Prerequisites for the Formation of Freight Traffic

5.3.4      Initial Stages of Mining Work Development

5.3.5      Stripping Workings.

5.3.6      Methods of Stripping of Working Levels in a Quarry

5.3.7      Routes of Stripping Workings

5.3.8      Route Forms of Permanent Workings

5.3.9      Volumes of Main Trenches and Half-trenches*

5.3.10    Working Trenches and Pits

5.4          The Nature of Surface Mining

5.4.1      Land Reclamation

5.4.2      Topsoil Stockpiles and Waste Disposal

5.4.3      Advanced Stripping

5.4.4      Plant Layout

5.5          Pit Planning and Design

5.5.1      Introduction

5.5.2      Long-Term Mine Planning

5.5.3      Short-Term Mining Planning

5.5.4      Stripping ratio and pit limit

5.6          Special topics

5.6.1      Calculation of stripping ratios and pit limits

6.            Surface Mining Equipments

6.1          Introduction

6.2          Types of draglines

6.2.1      Size of dragline (range and capacity):

6.2.2      The output of draglines

6.2.3      Mining Method

6.2.4      Average mining load per cycle

6.2.5      Fillability:

6.2.6      Cycle times

6.2.7      Theoretical Swing Time

6.2.8      Mining Cycle Time

6.2.9      Percent Operating Time

6.2.10    Costs

6.2.11    Outputs of clamshells

6.2.12    Working ranges of clamshells

6.2.13    Production Rate

6.3          Continuous Excavators (Bucket Wheel and Chain Diggers)

6.3.1      Introduction

6.3.2      Material Transport

6.3.3      Sizing and Operating a BWE

6.3.4      Example of BWE Selection

6.3.5      Estimating BWE costs

6.3.6      Selection of Type of Hauling Equipment

6.3.7      Definition of Payloads

6.3.8      Cost Estimating

6.3.9      Ownership cost items

6.3.10    Operating cost items

6.3.11    Development data for above

6.4          Loading and excavation

6.4.1      Materials Handling

6.4.2      Principles of Loading

6.4.3      Selection of Equipment

6.5          Haulage and hoisting

6.5.1      Principles of Haulage and Hoisting

Chapter 7

7.            Rock Extraction with Scrapers, Bulldozers and Loaders

7.1          Technological Parameters of Wheeled Scrapers

7.2          Mining Rock with Scrapers

7.2.1      Scraper Capacity

7.3          Rock Extraction with Bulldozers

7.3.1      Bulldozer Capacity

7.4          Technological Fundamentals of Mining Automation

7.5          Technological Characteristics of Loaders

7.5.1      Rock Extraction with Loaders

7.5.2      Loader Capacity

7.6          Rock Extraction with Single-Bucket Excavators

7.6.1      Technological Parameters of Power Shovels

7.7          Working Parameters of Draglines

7.7.1      Dragline Faces

7.7.2      Road width

7.7.3      Services

7.7.4      Stockpiles

7.7.5      Mine layout

8.            Surface Mining Methods and Systems

8.1          Surface mining methods

8.1.1      Strip Mining

8.2          Introduction

8.3          Opening up the Deposit

8.4          Advance benching (or side benching or chop -down)

8.5          Dragline bucket size

8.5.1      Dragline selection

8.5.2      Dragline geometry

8.6          Introduction to strip mine design

8.6.1      Major Factors

8.6.2      Stripping Ratio

8.7          Terrace Mining (multi-bench, lateral advance)

8.7.1      Terrace mining

8.8          Reclamation

8.9          Conveyor advancement

8.9.1      Bench Conveyors

8.9.2      Bench Lift Conveyors

8.9.3      Shuttle Conveyors

8.10        The Conical Pit Mining

8.10.1    Introduction

8.10.2    Design considerations

8.11        Classification of Opencast Mining Systems

8.12        Classification of Mining Systems

8.12.1    Based on the direction of transfer of overburden and the method of stripping work

8.12.2    Development Schemes

9.            Glossary of Surface Mining Terms

References