Mine Equipment Design, Selection

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Mine Equipment Design, Selection Maintenance

• Electrical Systems

Malcolm Christie
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Automation in Mining

• Automated Haul Trucks
• Automated Volume Measurement of Haul Truck Loads

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Automated Haul Trucks

• Typically haulage constitutes 50 60 of an open
  pits operating costs
• Automated haul trucks have the potential to
  increase productivity and reduce mining costs
• Autonomous haulage systems allows unmanned haul
  trucks to operate with precision and efficiency,
  providing a safer work environment at reduced
  cost in mining operations.

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• The trucks are fitted with a high precision
  global positioning system (GPS)
• It also incorporates a dead reckoning system
  comprising a gyroscope and wheel encoders.
• They have onboard controllers which are linked to
  its computer system to control the operating
  functions. This includes,
• the engine, steering, braking, dumping, and
  obstacle detection.
• It is also linked to the central control computer
  where a GPS ground station is also located.

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• Safety precautions
• The software continuously checks truck
  trajectories and makes sure that there are no
  trajectory intersections.
• The trucks are equipped with an obstacle
  detection system.
• This is a front and rear radar units which detect
  any obstacles in their path.
• Trucks can then work in tandem as a result of the
  radars.

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• A pit database needs to be established.
• The database incorporates the loading area
  boundary, dumping area boundary, haul road edge
  boundaries and travel course for the trucks.
• A vehicle is driven to each boundary perimeter
  and records the coordinate data by GPS.
• When the trucks course has been determined, it is
  manually driven along the course at the required
  speed.
• This improves safety as the onboard computer
  knows the course and will not deviate unless the
  program is changed.

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• Advantages and benefits from using automated haul
  trucks,
• Improved component reliability and wear life due
  to consistent operation within the trucks
  operational specifications
• Increased production time due to the elimination
  of shift changes, operator breaks and other
  nonproductive time
• Reduced labor costs
• Capability of working in adverse conditions, such
  as fog, dust or rain, that impair an operator's
  visibility.
• Reduced fuel consumption and fewer emissions
• Reduction of lanes needed
• Reduces driver stress and fatigue
• Enables new logistics concepts

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Automated Volume Measurement of Haul Truck Loads

• The system can measure the volumes in real time
• It can also produce images of load fragmentation
  and a load profile
• This is beneficial to maintenance engineers as
  they know how much weight the truck is carrying
• It is also beneficial to mine engineers as they
  know the volume of material removed irrespective
  of its weight
• Previous methods of volume measurement
• from a volumetric survey of the mine
• weight surveys of each truck

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• Equipment used
• field computer and two scanning lasers
• These lasers are inexpensive and safe to the eyes
  and can also operate in rain and dusty
  environments.
• The lasers are placed several meters above the
  truck

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• The lasers is used to build a 3D profile
• Before the truck is loaded it must first pass
  under the lasers to make a 3D profile of the
  empty tray

3D Profile
Laser of width of tray
Laser of length of tray
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• Another feature is that it can produce a 3D
  profile of the load.
• The profile can be used to measure load
  distribution, load profile and fragmentation.

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• The main benefit is it can measure the in-situ
  volume of every haul truck operating in the mine.
  
• It is portable and it can operate without the
  need for a truck to stop.
• The system can monitor production
• The data collected can be used to,
• Reschedule trucks
• It can compare tray designs
• It can generate changes in dispatching