Mixed work-face narrow vein mining

Considerable resources of noble and nonferrous metals concentrate in narrow and thin ore bodies. Commercial reserves of valuable minerals can also occur in narrow and very narrow veins. This fact necessitates development of equipment and technologies for selective mining of such bodies. In order to reduce the loss and dilution of valuable minerals during mining, and to increase the recoverability of metals in further processing, sometimes, at the stage of mining, it is required to ensure highly selective extraction of rich ore. At the present time, blastless technologies are being developed for highly selective ore extraction with the continuous quality control at the enhanced mining safety and minimized ecological impact. Mechanization of narrow vein mining using shearers, drilling machines and chain-type machines, hydraulic hammers and other mining equipment is analyzed. This article proposes a technology for mining narrow and steeply dipping veins and contact mineralized rocks using a shearing machine with cutting and percussion tools. The technology provides mixed work-face mining with bottom-up selective slicing and dry backfill. The cutting tool loosens a narrow vein and makes a groove which facilitates further shearing of ore by the percussion tool mounted on an extendable boom. The proposed technology and equipment enables advanced local milling of rich ore at maximum preservation of the initial quality of valuable minerals, and ensures essential reduction in energy requirement of mining operations.

Cheban A. Yu. Mixed work-face narrow vein mining. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2021;(6):145-152. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2021_6_0_145.

A.Yu. Cheban, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Leading Researcher, e-mail: chebanay@mail.ru, Mining Institute, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 680000, Khabarovsk, Russia.

1. Rogiznyy V. F., Khromov V. M. Selective mining of thin orebodies with use compact self-propelled underground equipment. Ratsional'noe osvoenie nedr. 2019, no. 2-3, pp. 88—21. [In Russ].

2. Gorash Yu. Yu. Development of gold mining at the Darasunsky mine. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2004, no. 11, pp. 154—156. [In Russ].

3. Trubetskoy K. N., Shapar' A. G. Malootkhodnye i resursosberegayushchie tekhnologii pri otkrytoy razrabotke mestorozhdeniy [Low-waste and resource-saving technologies in open pit mining], Moscow, Nedra, 1993, 272 p.

4. Jarvie-Eggart M. E. Responsible mining: case studies in managing social & environmental risks in the developed world. Colorado: Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, 2015. 804 р.

5. Gladyr A. V., Miroshnikov V. I., Konstantinov A. V. Software and hardware improvement for the Streltsov ore field geodynamic testing area. E3S Web of Conferences. 2018, vol. 56, pp. 02012.

6. Mikhailov Yu. V., Vasiliev A. E., Gorny S. V. Preparation of the ore body for the extraction of minerals in a combined way. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2003, no. 8, pp. 114—116. [In Russ].

7. Cheban A. Yu., Khrunina N. P. Intensification of open mining operations with a small distance of transportation of rock mass. International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa. 2018, vol. 38, pp. 100—114.

8. Glotov V. V., Podoprigora V. E. Patent USSR 1493781, 15.07.1989. [In Russ].

9. Labutin V. N. Combination method of rock destruction in mix-mode face drivage. Fundamental'nye i prikladnye voprosy gornykh nauk. 2016, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 108—113. [In Russ].

10. Mohd I. Variation of production with time, cutting tool and fuel consumption of surface miner 2200 SM 3.8. International Journal of Technical Research and Applications. 2016, no. 1, pp. 224–226.

11. Cheban A. Yu. Method and equipment for opencast mining of small steeply dipping deposits. Vestnik of Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University. 2017, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 18—22. [In Russ].

12. Cheban A. Yu. Technology of development of ore bodies by extraction installation, equipped by autonomous extensive module. Marksheyderiya i nedropol'zovanie. 2019, no. 4, pp. 22—28. [In Russ].

13. Yedygenov Ye. K., Vasin K. A. Test data of electromagnetic hammer for non-explosive rock fracturing. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2020, no. 5, pp. 80—90. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236-1493-2020-5-0-80-90.

14. Ocak I., Seker S. E., Rostami J. Performance prediction of impact hammer using ensemble machine learning techniques. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology. 2018, vol. 80, pp. 269—276.

15. Labutin V. N. Excavation of thin coal seams with a combined method of destruction. Interexpo Geo-Siberia. 2019, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 138—145. [In Russ].