Improvement of mine support systems at NorNickel’s Polar Division

Abstract

NorNickel’s engineers have developed and adopted the mining practice advance concept toward integrated subsoil management. Use of new materials and equipment in installation of mine support systems can: enhance safety of mining owing to unmanned operation in unsupported areas of stopes; reduce duration of scaling and support system installation; diminish the human factor impact on the support quality, as well as minimize or totally eliminate manual labor in installation of mine support systems. Improvement of mechanization, labor efficiency and mining safety requires using special-purpose equipment in mine support installation in mines of the Company. The Company develops the technology of mechanized installation of mine support systems, with total disuse of obsolete rock bolting with cement grouting, implements the end-to-end cycle of production of dry and concrete (fiber-reinforce concrete) mixture in close proximity to consumers, and in the required quantities, and expands the infrastructure of supplies of support materials via transportation lines (boreholes). The Company also improves ground control, relaxation of rock mass from limiting stresses as well as mine support design, and ensures professional training of high-skilled mine personnel. It is preferable to select the advanced and most economically efficient types of mine support systems (different rock bolts; rock bolting with meshing or reinforcement; mixed-type reinforced support systems), with the highest cost/performance ratio providing reduced labor and materialcontents, at large-scale mechanization of heading operations, reduction in estimated cost and enhanced safety.The authors appreciate participation of V. P. Marysyuk, Yu. N. Nagovitsyn, M. P. Sergunin and A. A. Bazin from the Geodynamic Safety Department of the NorNickel’s Polar Division in this study.