Modern motor transport explanation peculiarities for deep pits operation in the severe climatic conditions of the North are presented. As a result of mining and transport equipment market survey and analysis of open pit mining development in the ore deposits, the main updating tendencies of pit dump trucks are highlighted. On the basis of scientific and practical research a frame of reference for selection of their competitive proposals, taking into account the mining equipment complexes structure, as well as methodological approaches to efficient operation conditions explanation. On the example of the largest gold open cast ‘Vostochny’ in Russia it is shown how virtually at given environmental conditions and parameters of the equipment the technology and complex mechanization of open pit mining operations can be determined with the greatest economic efficiency. Meanwhile a correlation between transport vehicles and excavators productivity and drilling rigs is considered. It has been stated that the increase in open cast production capacity determines the growth of the excavator bucket capacity, the diameter of the drill bit and consequently the dump truck cargo capacity, and at the working phase of deep pits or their interim stages it is efficient to switch to equipment systems of lower power capacity with articulated dump trucks that allow to reduce and redistribute in time the volume of overburden mining. Taking into consideration transport process energy capacity and environmental degradation with the growth of open pits mining depth, the experience of the use of diesel-trolley cars has been analyzed. The main advantages and disadvantages of trolley systems have been enumerated. The results of the diesel and diesel-trolley dump trucks trade-off study are presented to continue the open cast mining of the Olimpiadinskoe deposit.

Keywords

Severe climatic conditions, mining equipment systems, dump trucks, articulated trucks, diesel trolley trucks, the production capacity of the pit, the depth of the pit.