Recommendations on operation and improvement in the quality of in-pit road maintenance at the Olympiadinsky and Blagodatny mining and processing plants

Abstract

A systematic increase in the volume of the rock mass extracted at the pits of the Olympiadinsky and Blagodatny ore mining and processing plants significantly raises the requirements for the smooth operation of the mining vehicles and optimization of the transportation cost due to a steady and significant increase in annual production and the average haulage distances. Along with a significant design depth (765 m for the Vostochny quarry, the Olympiadinsky ore mining and processing plant), mining is carried out within a rather narrow ring-shaped working area, which leads to high concentration of mining activities and makes it difficult to manage the operation of all types of equipment, including the process vehicles, for which the project justifies the slope angle of the pit roads to be up to 100‰, which would ensure the reduction of pit wall spreading and the decrease in the stripping volumes. The above features create specific conditions for road maintenance and require justification of measures to enhance these activities, which is one of the ways to reduce the cost of the rock mass haulage (with account of a comprehensive analysis of the current conditions and generalization of the experimental work results). Based on the results of measurements and observations of the road condition during the year, an analysis of the actual condition of the roads at the Olympiadinsky and Blagodatny ore mining and processing plants was carried out and measures to improve them were proposed. Based on the analysis of the specific features in formation and operation of the roads at the quarries of the Olympiadinsky and Blagodatny ore mining and processing plants, the article systematizes the recommendations on the in-pit road construction and maintenance. The article describes a methodology of optimizing the design (thickness) of the road topping. The economic effect of improving the condition of the in-pit roads in accordance with the increased haulage volumes has been determined.