Parametric justification of underground ore mining systems with induced caving

Abstract

The current situation in underground mining and the related problems and challenges dictate theoretical advancement in the field of design and process solutions when justifying parameters of underground mining systems and adapting them to specific ore body conditions. The mining systems with induced caving of ore and enclosing rocks, especially sublevel stoping, outperform the systems of open stoping and with manmade support of mined-out voids by the most technical and economic indicators. The mining systems with induced caving feature high rate productivity and low cost, which makes them the most promising approaches. The deficient experience of design and operation of underground mines using the systems with induced caving is the cause of high loss and low quality of produced minerals, extra expenditures connected with mineral processing and ecological degradation. Based on the analysis of influence jointly exerted by physical, mechanical, structural and technical factors on the behavior of caved ore outflow, the parameters of an underground mining system with induced caving are justified. The review of the implemented researches and studies in the field of parametric justification of mining systems with caving in Russia and abroad allows a conclusion to be drawn that the widthwise shape of the ore outflow is essentially influenced by the particle-size distribution of broken ore. The outflow width expands with growing size of ore particles, other things being equal. Therefore, the outflow design should be based on the average size of broken ore particles, which is readily determinable in the mine environment.