Haul Road Research Articles

SCAMPER Monitoring Platform to Measure PM10 Emission Rates from Unpaved Roads in Real-Time

The SCAMPER method for measuring PM10 emission rates from roadways was used to evaluate mitigation methods for public unpaved roads and a treated mine haul road. The SCAMPER method uses a small trailer to measure PM10 concentrations behind a vehicle at a point that is representative of the mean PM10 concentration in the vehicle’s wake. This concentration multiplied by the frontal area has been shown to be a reasonable estimate of the emission rate in units of grams per meter traveled. On public roads it was towed by a 2006 Ford Expedition and on a mine haul road it was towed behind both the Expedition and an earth mover weighing over 150 tons fully loaded. Since the SCAMPER is capable of measuring emission rates on both paved and unpaved roadways, a direct comparison of the effectiveness of mitigation methods with respect to a similar paved road was possible.

Исследование и анализ источников выделения респирабельной фракции пыли на угольных разрезах

At the deposits of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the actual concentration of the suspended dust is 60–83 mg/m3. The search for efficient ways of reducing dust emission and dust suppression remains an urgent task, since fine dust has a negative effect on the health of enterprise employees and on mining equipment reducing its service life. Full-scale measurements were conducted related to the dust content and dispersed composition of the aerosols. The dust content was measured by counting method with the use of CEM DT-9880 dust particle counter. The measurements were conducted at the points located at different distances from the road of the section. The content of the most dangerous fraction PM2.5 was 48 % of the total amount of fine dust or 30–40 mg/m3, while the maximum permissible concentration for this fraction is 0.16 mg/m3. The employees who constantly work near the automotive haul roads and the ruins of an exploded rock mass are exposed to the strongest effects of dust emissions on the respiratory organs. To reduce the dust load on the employees of the mining enterprise, it is most appropriate to deal primarily with the dust emitted from the open pit roads, since this will help to reduce the dust load by 30–40 %. The permissible length of service for the operator of the loading equipment of one of the open-pit mines of the Krasnoyarsk Territory was calculated: it will be 9 years, and not 17, as was obtained earlier — without considering the actual content of the respirable dust. With the most rational parameters of drilling and blasting operations and using all methods to reduce dust formation, it is possible to reduce the dust emission by 15–20 %.

Обзор принципов пространственного проектирования лесовозных автомобильных дорог

The purpose of the study is to review and analyze the experience of specialists in the field of spatial design of haulage roads for further improving the methodological foundations by providing clarity and visually acceptable degree of spatial curves. Drivers perception of the haulage road as well as overspeeding lead to critical situations or road accidents. A decrease in speed at seemingly abrupt bends on the road affects the efficiency of the log trucking transport. Therefore, the perspective view of the road should clearly orient the driver, that is, be visually clear, clearly changing, ensuring the constancy or modulated reduction of the traffic condition. The need for an optimal spatial solution of the road increases. It is required to determine the conditions under which the visual smoothness and clarity of the most common simple spatial curves when looking from points corresponding to the normal position of the eyes of car drivers is ensured.

Algorithm for Determining the Curvature of the Project Line of a Truck Haul Road and the Rate of Change in Its Curvature

It is recognized that a visually smooth and clear road, successfully integrated into the landscape, providing a constant or smoothly variable traffic mode, reduces the tension and fatigue of drivers, thereby contributing to their efficiency. That also reduces transport costs by choosing the most optimal traffic mode. These qualities can be achieved through spatial design method, which consists in creating conditions for safe driving at high speeds. Until now, the spatial road design method has been mainly based on the empirical rules of tracing when using visual images or models for the smoothness and clarity of the designed route of a truck haul road. Based on this method, one makes the necessary corrections to the road by evaluating the original images. Therefore, the effectiveness of the methodological foundations of spatial design of truck haul roads is further increased by providing clarity and visually acceptable curvature of spatial curves, which requires significant development and continued search to find new effective solutions. The work aims to develop an algorithm to evaluate the visual smoothness and clarity of the project line curvature of a truck haul road and the rate of change in its curvature. The article reveals a set of quantitative indicators that sufficiently and completely characterize the visual smoothness and clarity of the central projections of elementary spatial and plane curves. The presented algorithm and the indicators determined based on this algorithm; allow estimating both the visual smoothness and clarity of curves of truck haul roads. The proposed recommendations for the design of spatial curves are checked and refined based on the developed algorithm.

Pengaruh Perbaikan Rolling Resistance Pada Jalan Angkut Terhadap Produktivitas Alat Muat Dengan Menggunakan Aplikasi TALPAC 10.2 di PT. lotus SG Lestari

Productivity is an important thing in doing mining business, there are many parameters that affect such as the use of the equipment used, the condition of the operator at work, the condition of the front of the mining area, and also the haul roads used to transport the mining products which have a strong influence on productivity. This research will examine the effect of the haul road on productivity, the haul road itself has many parameters such as grade, crossslope, rolling resistance, and the material used for road construction. This research only focuses on improving rolling resistance. This research was conducted with the aim of knowing the effect of rolling resistance improvement on the productivity of the loading device. This research was conducted using the TALPAC 10.2 application. The tools used in this study were the Komatsu PC-400 loading tool and the Komatsu HD 325-5 for transportation. From the results of the TALPAC calculation, it is expected that there will be an increase in productivity and it can be seen that after the road is repaired the productivity of the Komatsu PC-400 increases from 90.96 bcm / hour to 96.89 bcm / hour. Keywords : Rolling Resistnace, Productivity, TALPAC

A method to assess haul roads rolling resistance using dispatch system data

ABSTRACT Haul roads play a significant role in mining, with rolling resistance being one of the main aspects that can affect road quality and consequently the performance of mining trucks. The aim of this study is to estimate the rolling resistance of haul road segments considering longitudinal grade crossed with dispatch system data using back-calculation from Rimpull curves and estimated performance equations developed by Cooper. The use of this method demonstrated that it could assist in quickly identifying issues on mine haul roads and assess road quality locally through rolling resistance estimated maps, which will help to improve maintenance routines and truck performance.

Bearing Capacity Prediction of Mine Hauling Road Using Cone Penetration Testing (CPT)

Mine hauling road plays an important role in open pit mining that serves as the main link for transports to significant locations, such as connection from pit/quarry – crusher – stockpile/rom – jetty. Inadequate bearing capacity could result in construction failure of the haul road, therefore it is important to understand the bearing capacity of the sub base layer along the determined haul road route. Cone Penetration Test (CPT) was utilized to obtain the insitu geotechnical data used for determining the haul road bearing capacity. Results show that the occurrence of hard layer along the haul road route varies from the depth of 3.40 (CPT12) to 12.20 m (CPT06). Calculated bearing capacity of the sub base layer shows varying results along the road route. Minimum ultimate bearing capacity (qul) of 430.49 kN/m2 is found in CPT-06 site with allowable bearing capacity (qall) of 215.24 kN/m2. While maximum ultimate bearing capacity (qul) occurs in CPT-04 site of 2058.71 kN/m2 with the allowable bearing capacity (qall) of 1029.35 kN/m2. The calculated average ultimate bearing capacity (qul) is 1151.47 kN/m2 and allowable bearing capacity (qall) 575.74 kN/m2. It is suggested that the type of dump truck used for hauling should have tire pressure less than or equal to 575.74 kN/m2, in order to maintain the road during mining lifetime and prevent road deterioration.

Технико-экономическое обоснование элементов плана лесовозных автомобильных дорог

The peculiarities of the research work are stated and the need for its further development is shown. Taking into account the structural links and limitations of the system, a mathematical model of the feasibility study of the total reduced costs of the route plan, the longitudinal profile and the width of the carriageway was compiled, which has a various amount of construction and operating costs reduced to the initial year in a predetermined search area. The objective function is determined, which is the main part of the mathematical model including all the elements and connections of the feasibility study of the timber haul roads elements. It is concluded that the search for the optimal combination of geometric elements and the timing of their change is an extreme task, and the best method for solving it is to determine the state of the system corresponding to the minimum value of the objective function, which is the sum of construction and operating costs reduced to the initial year.

JUSTIFICATION OF TRANSPORT WORKS IN THE CONDITIONS OF A BLOCK QUARRY

The increase in oil prices, consumables and tools is necessitate the re–equipment of mining enterprises in Ukraine. The share of automobile transport reaches 35–50 % in the dimension blocks production costs.
 The purpose of the work is to determine transportation costs (TC) of 1 m3 of blocks depending on the volume and transportation distance within the quarry; improving the transportation plan by solving transportation problems of linear programming.
 Fuel consumption and dimension block TC for three models of front–end loaders (FEL) were newly calculated on the basis of a comprehensive study. A comparison of the economic feasibility of FEL and dump truck (DT) use in certain mining conditions have been made. The rationalization plan (RP) of dimension blocks transportation within the quarry was newly proposed.
 The research was performed at the dimension gabbro quarry, blocks transportation in which is performed using FEL CAT 988F (1) and DT KrAZ–256B. FELs CAT 988H (2) and CAT 986H (3) were adopted for comparison.
 The average annual fuel consumption is determined: among the FELs considered in the research, the (3) consumes the least, and the (1) currently used at the enterprise consumes 22.7 % and 9.7 % more fuel compared to the (3) and the (2), respectively, in similar conditions. Trade blocks transportation using FEL is economically more expedient in comparison with the DT at transportation distance up to 300–400 m.
 It is determined that the trade blocks TC using the (2) and the (3) is 5.3 % and 12.6 % lower, respectively, compared to the (1).
 This paper also considers the transportation problem for FELs, in which blocks from several banks must be distributed between several storage areas, provided to minimize TC. According to the proposed RP of transportation, the savings will be up to 13 % compared to the initial conditions, which in monetary terms is 41538–48639 UAH/year depending on the FEL model. The replacement of the (1) for the (3) will reduce block TC by 12.6 % (47000 UAH/year) in the current conditions. The TC using the (3) will be 285303.5 UAH according to the proposed RP, which is 23.7 % (88476 UAH/year) less than the (1) application before the rationalization.
 
 Keywords: dimension stone; front–end loader; commercial blocks transportation costs; transportation problem; cargo traffic rationalization; fuel consumption; haul road gradient.

Detecting drainage pitfalls in open-pit mines and haul roads using UAV-photogrammetry

Open-pit mines generally have operational problems such as puddling and inappropriate water flow over haul roads, particularly if located in areas with high rainfall indices. These situations increase truck cycle times, promote rapid deterioration of haul-road wearing-course material, reduce productivity due to downtime and increase road maintenance. In addition, operational costs are raised as the frequency of truck maintenance and tire failures also increase. The use of a high-resolution three-dimensional elevation model, created based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry, has been shown to be an effective technique to detect anomalies in a fast and precise way. With the proposed approach, it is possible to diagnose haul-road conditions after rainfall or to anticipate the potential occurrence of such anomalies before they become a greater problem. This diagnosis can then be used to prioritize maintenance activities in open-pit mines. To describe the methodology, a case study is presented demonstrating and validating the results obtained.

Estimation of resilient behavior of crushed waste rocks using repeated load CBR tests

Crushed waste rocks (CWR), generated from mining operations, have been widely used for the construction of mine haul roads because of their low-cost, high-strength, and availability. Resilient modulus is a necessary input to mechanistic design for mine haul roads, but its determination usually requires advanced and complex equipment such as repeated load triaxial (RLT) test. Repeated load CBR (RLCBR) tests are simpler and more often available, and were therefore investigated in this study to estimate CWR resilient behavior under low and high stress levels. RLCBR equivalent modulus calculated using various equations were validated using RLT resilient modulus. The MR-θ model showed good representation and prediction of CWR resilient behavior under both low and high stress levels. A new equation was also proposed to predict more precisely the equivalent modulus of CWR based on RLCBR tests. Results showed that the impact of loading frequency and waveform was limited, while the measured equivalent modulus increased significantly with contact stress (especially when contact stress < 10%). The effect of dry density and soaking on equivalent modulus was negligible, but specimen drying resulted in a marked increase of the equivalent modulus. The good agreement between RLCBR equivalent modulus and RLT resilient modulus indicates that RLCBR tests could be an effective alternative to RLT tests to estimate resilient behavior of CWR used in mine haul roads.

Analysis of Mine Haul Road Performance Using Artificial Neural Network

Analysis of Mine Haul Road Performance Using Artificial Neural Network

Influence of natural and technogenic factors on the complexity of construction of timber highways

The article discusses the issues of assessing the possibility of road construction using engineering-landscape zoning. The complexity of the conditions for the construction of a lumber road, the value of agricultural land and territories of various economic uses, and the location of territorial complexes are determined. The dependence for calculating the total unit cost of road construction is presented. The work has shown a correlation analysis, which made it possible to establish the most important characteristics of the components of the geographic environment, which affect the complexity of the construction of a timber haul road by type of cost. The graphs characterizing the changes in the cost of expenses by type of work are presented, depending on the characteristics of the relief, water erosion, types of soil, population density. Using the dependence graphs, it seems possible to determine the basic cost of building one kilometer of the road by type of work. The basic cost is determined by the dependence that has a greater correlation ratio.

Influence of rock properties on emission rate of Particulates Matter (Pm) during drilling operation in surface mines

The mining process generates significant amount of dust in the form of particulate matters into the atmosphere. Out of different mining process, opencast mining produces more dust than that of underground mining because of exposure in the ambiance. The mining operations are directly or indirectly involved in the production of dust particles. The activities like drilling operation, Blasting and haul road operations produce fugitive dust and causes significant deterioration of mine atmosphere. This fugitive dust consists of particulate matters (PM), which are more harmful to the human respiratory system. The prevention measures is only possible when the actual prediction of emission of those fugitive dust particles are possible. There is several model that predict the emission of the dust particles, but there is very less model to predict fugitive dust produced from a drilling operation in surface mines. In this paper, study was carried out to develop dust prediction model and to assess the influence of rock properties on dust emission. Based on the results obtained the developed model exhibit close proximity of predicted as well as field measured values with a regression coefficient of 0.75. Thus, the development of the model with effective prediction capability is the novelty of this paper. Decrease in dust emission rate was observed with increased moisture content present in drill cuttings, higher compressive strength, and density.

Substantiation of determination of strength performance of coarse-grained media by the oblique shear method

The constantly increasing loads of vehicles predetermine the search for ways to improve both design methods, technological processes and the search for ways to improve the quality of road construction materials. The increasing volumes of open-pit coal mining require finding ways to improve the haul roads of open-pit coal mines. Thus, a qualitatively new approach is needed to determine the strength performance of coarse-grained media. In this work, it is proposed to determine the strength performance of granular media by the oblique shear method, since today there is no design method to determine the strength performance of coarse-grained media. The proposed design of the advanced oblique shear apparatus makes it possible to determine the strength performance of pre-compacted coarse-grained media with a particle size of up to 20-30 mm. To avoid the effect of keyways and chaotic results, the optimum clearance between the upper and the lower holders should be 0.3 times the maximum particle size.

Evolutionary computation and genetic algorithms for designing the optimal mine haul road pavements

An overview of the software for designing flexible road pavements used in the USA, European countries and the Russian Federation is given, conceptual and mathematical models for designing flexible road pavements with the minimum cost per a linear meter are presented, the application of evolutionary algorithms in combination with exhaustive search and parallel computing is substantiated, the developed hybrid genetic algorithm for the optimization of flexible road pavement designs in terms of value of materials of layers is described, the results of a simulation experiment performed using the software developed within the framework of the study are presented in the article. It is proposed to use the developed software and algorithms for designing the optimal haul road pavements in terms of material cost.

Monitoring uranium mine pollution on Native American lands: Insights from tree bark particulate matter on the Spokane Reservation, Washington, USA

The uranium boom in the United States from the 1940's to the 1980's was a period of extensive uranium mining on Native American lands. However, detailed environmental investigations of the resulting uranium pollution are sparse and typically ignore contributions from airborne particulate matter. The Midnite Mine is a 350-acre inactive open pit uranium mine located on the Spokane Indian Reservation in eastern Washington that operated from 1954 to 1981. Approximately 2.4 million tons of ore and 33 million tons of waste rock were left behind in stockpiles and have also been utilized as gravel on access and haul roads. Although the Midnite Mine is now a Superfund Site, and governmental investigations of water and soil contamination have been done, no investigations of airborne particulate matter pollution have been conducted. This study applies tree bark from 31 Pinus ponderosa trees as a biomonitor of this airborne particulate matter. Bulk trace elemental analyses via inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) of tree bark show that U is the most abundant trace element of interest present up to 232 ppb. Other metals that are of potential human health concern include Th, Pb, and As which are present at 20 ppb, 104 ppb, and 20 ppb respectively. Calculated geoaccumulation indices determine these metals to be at high (U), moderate (Th), and low (Pb and As) levels of contamination. Detailed scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations of particulate matter from the surface of tree bark confirm that U and Th-bearing particulate matter exist in the <PM10 size fraction while geospatial analyses indicate that uranium, thorium, and arsenic contamination are centralized along the Midnite Mine access road and at the nearby Dawn Mill where ore was further processed. Combined, these findings indicate that the nature and distribution of historic airborne particulate matter from the Midnite Mine and Dawn Mill provide context for potentially understanding past and current illness on the reservation. In addition, much needed context for future health and environmental studies for both local and national Native American populations is provided.

THE IMPACT OF THE MORATORIUM ON THE REGULATION GOVERNING VEHICLE HEIGHT RESTRICTION: A SOUTH AFRICAN HIGH CUBE CONTAINER CASE

The South African National Road Traffic Act stipulates a legal vehicle height of 4.3 metres. The standard flat deck trailer fleet used in South Africa, combined with the international standard high cube container stands at 4.5 metres, thus breaching this limit. The complexity of the transport system involves aspects of road infrastructure, transport haulage equipment, road safety, and export economies of scale, leaving this issue unresolved for a decade. A stakeholder analysis, industry survey, analytic hierarchy process method, and semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine the best outcome from a risk and financial perspective. The research outcome indicates that legislation should be adjusted.

Dust Dispersion and Its Effect on Vegetation Spectra at Canopy and Pixel Scales in an Open-Pit Mining Area

Dust pollution is severe in some mining areas in China due to rapid industrial development. Dust deposited on the vegetation canopy may change its spectra. However, a relationship between canopy spectra and dust amount has not been quantitatively studied, and a pixel-scale condition for remote sensing application has not been considered yet. In this study, the dust dispersion characteristics in an iron mining area were investigated using the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory model (AERMOD). Further, based on the three-dimensional discrete anisotropic radiative transfer (DART) model, the spectral characteristics of vegetation canopy under the dusty condition were simulated, and the influence of dustfall on vegetation canopy spectra was studied. Finally, the dust effect on vegetation spectra at the canopy scale was extended to a pixel scale, and the response of dust effect on vegetation spectra at the pixel scale was determined under different fractional vegetation covers (FVCs). The experimental results show that the dust pollution along a haul road was more severe and extensive than that in a stope. Taking dust dispersion along the road as an example, the variation of vegetation canopy spectra increased with the height of dust deposited on the vegetation canopy. At the pixel scale, a lower vegetation FVC would weaken the influence of dust on the spectra. The results derived from simulation spectral data were tested using satellite remote sensing images. The tested result indicates that the influence of dust retention on the pixel spectra with different FVCs was consistent with that created with the simulated data. The finding could be beneficial for those making decisions on monitoring vegetation under dusty conditions and reducing dust pollution in mining areas using remote sensing technology.

Towards Eradication of Phytophthora cinnamomi Using a Fallow Approach in a Mediterranean Climate

While eradication from haul roads was achieved, more work is required to eradicate P. cinnamomi from stockpiles and bunds. We can now implement different management strategies to the construction of bunds and stockpiles to facilitate eradication. Infestation by Phytophthora cinnamomi results in large financial and management constraints to environmental managers. This pathogen was considered impossible to eradicate until recent success with treatments including host removal, herbicide and fungicide application, soil fumigation and physical root barriers. We investigated the most benign of these treatments; keeping the area devoid of living host material. In a Western Australian mine site within a Mediterranean climate, haul roads, stockpiles and roadside bunds had P. cinnamomi colonised Pinus stem plugs buried at multiple depths. Over time, we examined the effects of soil moisture and temperature in different soil conditions and types to compare the recovery of the pathogen. Results: Within 12 months, the pathogen could not be recovered from the haul roads. In the stockpiles, depth produced significantly different results. In 3 of the 4 sites, the pathogen was not recovered at 10 cm after 20 months. By 12 months, at 50 cm, there was an 80% reduction in recovery, but only one stockpile had no recovery from 50 cm, which occurred by 36 months. Bunds were up to 1.75 m high and had variable results for plugs buried at 30 cm, influenced by height, the types of soils and shading. One of the smallest bunds was the only bund where the pathogen was not recoverable (by 22 months). This study provides strong support for using a fallow period to reduce or eliminate P. cinnamomi inoculum.