Mining Vehicle Research Articles

Рекомендации по эксплуатации и улучшению качества содержания карьерных автодорог Олимпиадинского и Благодатного горно-обогатительных комбинатов

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.

Multi-objective Velocity Trajectory Optimization Method for Autonomous Mining Vehicles

Multi-objective Velocity Trajectory Optimization Method for Autonomous Mining Vehicles

Life cycle assessment (LCA) of heavy vehicles used in the mining industry

The environmental problems are constantly worsening. This is visible as a result of increased production and use of means of transport. Although environmental impact assessment is practised in this sector, there is a lack of research dedicated to heavy vehicles. Therefore, the objective was to perform a life cycle assessment (LCA) of heavy vehicles used in mining (extractive industry) to determine which vehicles have the lowest environmental impact. A life cycle assessment of battery and diesel trucks used in mining was performed. The results of the analysis indicated that electric trucks have a lower environmental impact. However, the method is applicable to the analysis of any vehicle. It can be used by an entity (expert) to select vehicles with the lowest environmental impact in LCA. At the same time, it will be useful in assessing the environmental impact of heavy vehicles, including mining vehicles used in mining. The originality of the article is the method presented, which improves the calculation process as part of the vehicle life cycle assessment.

Research on a Speed Guidance Strategy for Mine Vehicles in Three-Fork Roadways Based on Vehicle–Road Coordination

Aiming at the traffic congestion problem of mining vehicles in the intersection area of three-fork roadways in coal mines, this paper proposes a speed guidance strategy based on a vehicle–road cooperative environment to adjust the running state of mining vehicles in the three-fork roadway system. The proposed speed guidance strategy can realize the safe and effective passage of underground mining vehicles to the greatest extent. Taking a three-fork roadway in a coal mine as an actual case, the operation of mining vehicles in the three-fork roadway is optimized and scheduled. Through the joint simulation of PTV VISSIM 4.3 traffic simulation software and PYTHON 3.7, the travel time, number of queuing vehicles, and delay time of mining vehicles passing through the three-fork roadway entrance under the two conditions of no speed and speed guidance in the coal mine are simulated and compared. The results show that after using the proposed speed guidance strategy for scheduling, mining vehicles can quickly pass through the three-fork roadway intersection. The travel time is reduced by 18.4%, the number of queuing vehicles is reduced by 41.5%, and the delay time is reduced by 24.1%, which effectively improves the transportation efficiency of underground mining vehicles.

Impact of the Mining Process on the Near-Seabed Environment of a Polymetallic Nodule Area: A Field Simulation Experiment in a Western Pacific Area.

With the consumption of terrestrial metal resources, deep-sea polymetallic nodule minerals have been widely exploited around the world. Therefore, the environmental impact of deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining cannot be ignored. In this study, for the first time, a field disturbance and observation device, integrated with multiple sensors, is used to simulate the disturbance process of mining on seabed sediments in the polymetallic nodule area of the western Pacific Ocean at a depth of 5700 m. The impact of the process of stroking and lifting on the bottom sediment in the polymetallic nodule area is 30 times higher than that caused by the waves or the current. The time for turbidity to return to normal after the increase is about 30 min, and the influence distance of a disturbance to the bottom bed on turbidity is about 126 m. The time it takes for density to return to normal is about four hours, and the influence is about 1000 m. At the same time, the resuspension of the bottom sediment leads to an increase in density anomaly and salinity. Moreover, suspended sediments rich in metal ions may react with dissolved oxygen in water, resulting in a decrease in the dissolved oxygen content and an increase in ORP. During the observation period, the phenomenon of a deep-sea reciprocating current is found, which may cause the suspended sediment generated by the continuous operation of the mining vehicle to produce suspended sediment clouds in the water near the bottom of the mining area. This could lead to the continuous increase in nutrients in the water near the bottom of the mining area and the continuous reduction in dissolved oxygen, which will have a significant impact on the local ecological environment. Therefore, the way mining vehicles dig and wash in water bodies could have a marked impact on the marine environment. We suggest adopting the technology of suction and ore separation on mining ships, as well as bringing the separated sediment back to the land for comprehensive utilization.

Electric arc pyrolysis of different fractions derived from waste tire pyrolysis oil

The paper reports the experimental results on extraction and characterization of different fractions (light (<180 °C), middle (180–350 °C), and heavy (>350 °C)) derived from pyrolysis oil of waste tires of mining vehicles, followed by their electric arc pyrolysis in order to produce nanosized carbon material. The released gas was found to contain 20.4–37.1 vol% hydrogen, 7.4–24.9 vol% methane, and 24.7–27.9 vol% carbon monoxide. The carbon material obtained was presented by an array of nanosized particles (30–250 nm) with a graphite-like structure and a wide range of specific surface area values (Ssf = 38.8–79.7 m2/g). The content of carbon and sulfur was 98.3–99.1 wt% and 0.1–0.3 wt%, respectively. Transmission electron microscopic analysis of the test samples revealed two types of carbon nanostructures of different morphology: polyhedral graphite and carbon nano-onions. Characteristics of the samples obtained from pyrolysis oil and its fraction with a boiling point exceeding 350 °C were the closest to those of carbon black.

Robust Localization for Underground Mining Vehicles: An Application in a Room and Pillar Mine.

Most autonomous navigation systems used in underground mining vehicles such as load-haul-dump (LHD) vehicles and trucks use 2D light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors and 2D representations/maps of the environment. In this article, we propose the use of 3D LIDARs and existing 3D simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) jointly with 2D mapping methods to produce or update 2D grid maps of underground tunnels that may have significant elevation changes. Existing mapping methods that only use 2D LIDARs are shown to fail to produce accurate 2D grid maps of the environment. These maps can be used for robust localization and navigation in different mine types (e.g., sublevel stoping, block/panel caving, room and pillar), using only 2D LIDAR sensors. The proposed methodology was tested in the Werra Potash Mine located at Philippsthal, Germany, under real operational conditions. The obtained results show that the enhanced 2D map-building method produces a superior mapping performance compared with a 2D map generated without the use of the 3D LIDAR-based mapping solution. The 2D map generated enables robust 2D localization, which was tested during the operation of an autonomous LHD, performing autonomous navigation and autonomous loading over extended periods of time.

Three-Dimensional Path Planning of Deep-Sea Mining Vehicle Based on Improved Particle Swarm Optimization

Three-dimensional path planning is instrumental in path decision making and obstacle avoidance for deep-sea mining vehicles (DSMV). However, conventional particle swarm algorithms have been prone to trapping in local optima and have slow convergence rates when applied to underwater robot path planning. In order to secure a safe and economical three-dimensional path for the DSMV from the mining area to the storage base in connection with innovative mining system, this paper proposes a multi-objective optimization algorithm based on improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) path planning. Firstly, we construct an unstructured seabed mining area terrain model with hazardous obstacles. Consequently, by considering optimization objectives such as the path length, terrain undulation, comprehensive energy consumption, and crawler slippage rate, we convert the path planning problem into a multi-objective optimization problem, constructing a multi-objective optimization mathematical model. Following that, we propose an IPSO algorithm to tackle the multi-objective non-linear optimization problem, which enables global optimization for DSMV path planning. Finally, we conduct a comprehensive set of experiments using the MATLAB simulation platform and compare the proposed method with existing advanced methods. Experimental results indicate that the path planned by the IPSO exhibits superior performance in terms of path length, terrain undulation, energy consumption, and safety.

An Improved JPS Algorithm for Global Path Planning of the Seabed Mining Vehicle

An Improved JPS Algorithm for Global Path Planning of the Seabed Mining Vehicle

Effects of Vertical-Axial Dominant and Multi-Axial Vibration on Postural Stability

This repeated-measures laboratory study characterized the relative impacts of vertical-axial dominant and multi-axial Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) exposures on postural stability. Eleven healthy participants were exposed to field-measured vibration profiles collected from on-road commercial (vertical-dominant WBV) and off-road mining vehicles (multi-axial WBV) for four hours on two different days. Before and after the exposure, postural stability was evaluated while participants performed sit-to-stand tasks followed by static standing tasks. Overall, the study results indicate that off-road, multi-axial WBV may compromise postural stability more so than on-road, vertical-dominant WBV. These findings may suggest that off-road vehicle operators are at a greater risk of fall-related injuries. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop more effective vibration control measures among off-road vehicle operators.

Real-time multi-agent fleet management strategy for autonomous underground mines vehicles

ABSTRACT This paper proposes a real-time multi-agent fleet management strategy for autonomous underground mines vehicles. The fleet management strategy is based on multi-agent technology and includes a novel variation of the Contract-Net protocol. This paper also proposes a set of conflict management procedures to deal with the narrow nature of underground drifts, as well as the sequencing of trucks’ loading activities. This strategy is tested in a simulated environment based on an industrial case study. Both the strategy and the test environment were implanted using AnyLogic. More specifically, the fleet management activities addressed are dispatching, routing and traffic management of mining vehicles, which deal respectively with the assignment of the next destination to a vehicle that has just completed a task; the choice of the route to be followed to reach the selected destination; and traffic coordination in the underground transportation network, made up of one-lane bi-directional road segments. To evaluate the proposed solution, an agent-based simulation model of a Canadian underground gold mine is implemented with AnyLogic. Results show that the proposed coordination strategy outperform the one currently employed strategy by the mine under investigation.

Research on path planning of autonomous manganese nodule mining vehicle based on lifting mining system.

Deep-sea manganese nodules are abundant in the ocean, with high exploitation potential and commercial value, and have become mineral resources that coastal countries compete to develop. The pipeline-lifting mining system is the most promising deep-sea mining system at present. A deep-sea mining vehicle is the core equipment of this system. Mining quality and efficiency rely on mining vehicles to a great extent. According to the topographic and geomorphic environmental characteristics of deep-sea manganese nodules at the bottom of the ocean, a new deep-sea mining system based on an autonomous manganese nodule mining vehicle is proposed in this paper. According to the operating environment and functional requirements of the seabed, a new mining method is proposed, and the global traverse path planning research of the autonomous manganese nodule mining vehicle based on this mining method is carried out. The arc round-trip acquisition path planning method is put forward, and the simulation verification shows that the method effectively solves the problems of low efficiency of mining vehicle traversing acquisition and obstacle avoidance.

A Numerical Investigation of the Dynamic Interaction between the Deep-Sea Mining Vehicle and Sediment Plumes Based on a Small-Scale Analysis

The discharge of sediment plumes, which occurs mainly in the two depth zones, has a critical impact on assessing the deep-sea environment. Therefore, it is necessary to establish the corresponding physical oceanography for the evolution of these sediment plumes. For a more accurate evolution estimation of the plumes, the model in this research is concerned with the dynamic interaction between the deep-sea mining vehicle (DSMV) and the sediment plumes on small scales (t ≤ 2 s), contributing to a focus on the vital physical mechanics of controlling the extent of these plumes. The sediment concentration and particle trajectories of the plume emissions were determined using the Lagrangian discrete phase model (DPM). The results show that (1) the wake structure of the DSMV wraps the plume vortex discharged from the rear of the vehicle and inhibits the lateral diffusion of the plume, (2) the length of the entire wake (Lw) increases exponentially as the relative discharge velocity of the plume (U*) increases, where U* is defined as the dimensionless difference between the traveling velocity of the DSMV and the discharge velocity of the plume, and (3) at the same traveling speed of the DSMV and U* less than 0.75, the dispersion of the sediment particles in the early discharge stage of the plume does not vary with the plume discharge rate. This will be beneficial for the more accurate monitoring of ecological changes in deep-sea mining activities and provide theoretical guidance for the green design of DSMVs.

Mechanical properties and soil failure process of interface between grouser of tracked mining vehicle and deep-sea sediment

Tracked mining vehicles (TMVs) are key equipment in deep-sea mining systems and can easily slip when walking on soft sediments on the seabed. Thus, it is important to investigate the effect of track parameters and grounding-specific pressure on the shear interaction between mining vehicles and sediment. The sediment was simulated using a mixture of bentonite and water, and a shear test of the track with a single grouser and sediment was conducted. A numerical model of the track–sediment shear test was established, and the shear strength and failure mode of the sediment soil under the track action were examined. The results demonstrate that the peak shear strength of the track–sediment interface increases with an increase in the grounding-specific pressure, gradually increases with an increase in grouser height, and tends to stabilize at a given level of grouser height. Owing to the presence of the grouser, the deep-sea sediment transitions from the elastic state to the plastic state faster than the typical clay during the shear test. The variation law of peak shear strength at the track-sediment interface with the height of track grouser under different grounding-specific pressures was analyzed, and a modified shear stress-displacement relationship model was proposed. Wedge failure is the predominant method of failure for a single-grouser shear sediment soil at various heights. The primary factor affecting the horizontal disturbance range is the grouser height, and the range increases as the grouser height increases; the primary element affecting the vertical disturbance range is the grounding-specific pressure, and the range increases as the grounding-specific pressure increases. The relationship of the grouser height and cohesiveness with the interfacial shear strength was examined and a new shear stress–displacement relationship model that can accurately capture the shear mechanical behavior between the track and sediment under various grouser heights was proposed. In conclusion, the study findings could serve as a guide for the engineering design of a TMV walking system.

Thermo-hydro-mechanical nonlocal response on porous deep-sea sediments under vibration of mining vehicle

The excessive deformation of deep-sea sediments caused by the vibration of the mining machine will adversely affect the efficiency and safety of mining. This paper reports the study of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical problem for saturated porous deep-sea sediments, subjected to the vibration of the mining vehicle. Based on nonlocal Moore–Gibson–Thompson thermoelastic theory and Darcy’s law, the model for thermo-hydro-mechanical dynamic response for saturated porous deep-sea sediments under the vibration of mining vehicle is established. Analytical solutions for vertical displacement, excess pore water pressure, vertical stress, temperature and the change in the volume fraction field have been obtained on implementing the normal mode analysis, and the numerical results have been depicted graphically. The result provides the direction on how the vibration frequency and the loading amplitude can affect the physical quantities of the foundation of the seabed. The influence of nonlocality and memory effect on the seabed is also reported.

A localization algorithm based on pose graph using Forward-looking sonar for deep-sea mining vehicle

Deep-sea mining system is used to collect manganese nodules or other seabed mineral resources. When the deep-sea mining vehicle works, long-term localization is important to realize efficient and safe operation. This study proposes a localization algorithm which can get accurate, real-time localization results for deep-sea mining vehicle. The forward-looking sonar is used here to estimate the motion of deep-sea mining vehicle by image matching. Stable features of objects are identified from the sonar images. The 3-D point clouds of object features are generated by the geometric relationships of the sonar projection model and then used for image matching to obtain relative pose transformation for constructing the odometer. The framework of the data fusion algorithm is based on pose graph, allowing global and relative measurements of position from multiple heterogeneous sensors to be integrated together. The proposed localization algorithm is validated through the dataset acquired during sea trials in July 2021 with “Pioneer I” in the South China Sea. The results of validation show that the proposed localization algorithm can output accurate positioning results for the deep-sea mining vehicle.

Explosion characteristic of CH4–H2-Air mixtures vented by encapsulated large-scale Li-ion battery under thermal runaway

Explosion-proof diesel-powered vehicles are the main auxiliary transport vehicles in underground coal mines, although many of these have been replaced by battery electric vehicles (BEVs) nowadays. The explosion-proof structure and performance of the power supply of the BEVs should meet the IEC 60079 standard, however, and the explosion-proof cavity where the batteries are placed should be able to withstand a static pressure of not less than 1.5 MPa. In this paper, a nail penetration experiment is carried out on an encapsulated lithium-ion battery (LIB) pack under an atmosphere consisting of air, 9.5% methane, and 12.5% mixed combustible gas, and the temperature and the pressure data of the thermal runaway LIBs in the explosion-proof tank are comprehensively analysed. Moreover, the ignition explosion test of the gas released by thermal runaway of LIBs in different environments is conducted. Finally, the explosion process is simulated by the chemical reaction kinetics model in Ansys Fluent. The experimental and simulation results can guide the structural design of the explosion-proof tank of the power supply in extreme working environments, and provide an important reference for explosion-proof protection design and overall integrated safety design of LIB power supplies for explosive special environments.

Research on Intelligent Auxiliary Braking Technology Based on Active Safety of Mining Vehicles

Along with the continuous development of coal mining in electrification, and intelligent direction, the number of coal mine vehicles quantity has increased dramatically, and transportation safety accidents are high. The intelligent auxiliary braking system, as an effective collision avoidance or the main security technology to reduce collision damage, can be for target recognition, tracking, and measuring ahead through the millimeter wave radar and camera image sensor technology, and can warn drivers and related emergency braking measures in time through the command module for, thereby reducing the coal mine safety accident of the vehicle. The application of an intelligent auxiliary braking system to lower the speed of coal mine vehicles has a realistic significance.

Accurate integrated position measurement system for mobile applications in GPS-denied coal mine

The automatic positioning of underground mobile applications plays a crucial role in enabling intelligent coal mining. However, due to the diverse kinematics and dynamics of these applications, various positioning methods have been proposed to match different targets. Nonetheless, the accuracy and applicability of these methods still fall short of meeting the requirements for field applications. Based on the vibration characteristics of underground mobile devices, a multi-sensor fusion positioning system is developed to enhance the accuracy of positioning in long and narrow global positioning system denied (GPS-denied) underground coal mine roadways. The system combines inertial navigation (INS), odometer, and ultra wide band (UWB) technologies through extended Kalman filter (EKF) and unscented Kalman filter (UKF). This approach enables accurate positioning by recognizing target carrier vibrations and facilitating fast conversion between multi-sensor fusion modes. The proposed system is tested on both a small unmanned mine vehicle (UMV) and a large roadheader, demonstrating that UKF enhances stability for roadheaders with strong nonlinear vibrations while EKF is more suitable for flexible UMVs. Detailed results confirm that the proposed system achieves an accuracy level of 0.15 m, meeting most coal mine application requirements.

Numerical Simulation Investigation on Parameter Optimization of Deep-Sea Mining Vehicles

The four-track walking mining vehicle can better cope with the complex terrain of cobalt-rich crusts on the seabed. To explore the influence of different parameters on the obstacle-crossing ability of mining vehicles, this paper took a certain type of mine vehicle as an example and establish a mechanical model of the mine vehicle. Through this model, the vehicle’s traction coefficient variation could be analyzed during the obstacle-crossing process. It also reflected the relationship between the obstacle-crossing ability and the required traction coefficient. Many parameters were used for this analysis including the radius of the guide wheel radius, ground clearance of the driving wheel, the dip angle of the approaching angular and the position of centroid. The result showed that the ability to cross the obstacles requires adhesion coefficient as support. When the ratio between obstacle height and ground clearance of the guide wheel was greater than 0.7, the required adhesion coefficient increased sharply. The ability to cross obstacles will decrease, if the radius of the guide wheel increases, the height of the driving wheel increases or the dip angle of the approaching angular increases. It was most beneficial to cross the obstacle when the ratio of the distance between the center of mass and the front driving wheel to the wheelbase is between 0.45‒0.48. The results of this paper could provide reference for structural parameter design and performance research for mining vehicles.