Mining Handbook. Volume 5

Author: Chief Editor: Xia Jishun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-09-01
Features: The Mining Handbook consists of 41 chapters, published in seven volumes:
Volume I: Mine Geology and Mine Surveying
Volume II: Blasting and Rock Support
Volume III: Open-Pit Mining
Volume IV: Underground Mining
Volume V: Mine Transport and Equipment
Volume VI: Mine Ventilation and Safety
Volume VII: Mine Management
This volume is the fifth, covering seven chapters: ground transport and loading/unloading, underground transport, mine hoisting, mine compressed air, mine power supply and lighting, equipment management and maintenance, and mine automation and testing instruments. This book is primarily intended for mine mining engineers, but it is also an important reference for researchers, designers, educators, and mine management personnel involved in mining.
Excerpt:
(2) Arrange transport routes based on local conditions;
(3) Reasonably allocate facilities for loading, transporting, unloading, storing, and transferring throughout the entire transport system;
(4) Strengthen maintenance and repair of equipment and lines;
(5) Improve transport efficiency, reduce transport costs and energy consumption;
(6) Achieve computerization of mine transport management, dispatching, and equipment maintenance, modernizing mine transport management.
25.1.2.2 Application Status and Development Trends of Several Main Transport Methods
The ground transport methods used in China's mine enterprises can be divided into several stages. Before the mid-1960s, rail transport dominated, with standard-gauge railways used in large open-pit mines and narrow-gauge railways in small and medium-sized open-pit mines. After the mid-1960s, with the rapid development of China's automotive and petroleum industries, truck transport became increasingly widespread in mines across sectors such as ferrous metallurgy, non-ferrous metallurgy, chemical industry, building materials, and nuclear industry. In the early 1980s, belt conveyors also began to be used. Large open-pit mines that previously relied on rail transport shifted to deeper levels, as they could not adapt to increasing excavation depths. Under the condition of effectively utilizing existing transport facilities, many mines were converted to truck-rail combined transport, while a few were converted to truck-belt conveyor combined transport for semi-continuous transport.
From the perspective of international development trends, the main transport methods for open-pit mines include truck transport, belt conveyor transport, rail transport, and combined transport such as truck-rail or truck (rail)-belt conveyor. The commonly used transport methods in China and the mines that employ them are listed in Table 25-1.
Mine transport equipment mainly consists of trucks, belt conveyors, and rail trains, with a development direction toward high capacity, high efficiency, low unit operating costs, convenient operation, and high safety reliability.
25.1.3 Characteristics and Selection Principles of Several Main Transport Methods
25.1.3.1 Selection Principles for Ground Transport Methods
The selection of ground transport methods generally follows these principles:
(1) Meet the transport capacity requirements of the mine enterprise's production scale, considering the alignment between short-term construction and long-term planning.
(2) Meet the requirements of production processes and the characteristics of ore products and materials (e.g., size, viscosity) for transport facilities.
(3) Balance capital investment and operating costs to achieve the best technical and economic benefits with low investment, short construction period, low costs, low energy consumption, simple maintenance, and convenient management.
(4) Ensure a simple and reliable system, reduce loading, unloading, storage, transport, and transfer facilities, and ensure reasonable coordination between operational links. Equipment selection should prioritize domestic options.
(5) For existing or expanding enterprises, make reasonable use and of existing facilities to adapt to production development and improve comprehensive economic benefits.
(6) Save land, occupy less prime land, and integrate with land reclamation as much as possible while maintaining ecological balance.
(7) Ground transport routes and facilities should generally be arranged outside the hazardous areas of mining blasting and collapse zones.
25.1.3.2 Characteristics and Applicability of Several Main Transport Methods
A. Truck Transport
The main advantages of truck transport are high mobility and flexibility, strong climbing ability, small turning radius, shorter construction time compared to standard-gauge rail transport, lower capital investment, faster trenching, reduced preparation time for new levels, increased loading equipment productivity, adaptability to steep-side mining, transverse mining, phased mining, and separate mining, loading, and transport operations. Waste rock disposal is simple, production efficiency is high, and stacking costs are low. The disadvantages include high fuel and tire consumption, high operating costs, shorter economic transport distances, and poor reliability in rainy seasons on earthwork surfaces. Truck transport is suitable for open-pit mines with complex terrain or orebody occurrences, scattered mine locations, or phased/partitioned mining, with production lifespans not too long and transport distances within economic limits. Most mine enterprises have roads for external connections, so auxiliary transport is often conducted using trucks with high mobility and flexibility.
B. Rail Transport
Standard-gauge rail transport has advantages such as high capacity, long economic transport distances, low operating costs, reliable production, sufficient equipment supply, and minimal impact from weather. It is widely used in mines in China, with some management experience. The disadvantages include the requirement for large mining areas, extensive line engineering, long construction periods, high capital investment, low mining intensity, poor flexibility, small climbing ability, large turning radius, and high labor intensity in line maintenance and relocation. Standard-gauge rail transport is suitable for open-pit mines with gentle terrain (below 25°), shallow orebody burial, thick ore layers, stable and simple occurrences, and no need for separate mining and blending. For open-pit mines with these conditions, large-scale mines with high production volume, long boundaries (generally greater than 1.5 km), small gradients, long transport distances, and long service lives are ideal for standard-gauge rail transport. In existing or expanding mines, if the original standard-gauge rail transport shifts from a hillside to a concave area, with a vertical distance between the open-pit mine floor and the surface less than 150 m, and with boundary lengths greater than 1.5 km and widths greater than 0.5 km, it can still be reasonably utilized with appropriate modifications to meet production development needs. Additionally, for underground mining enterprises with large ground transport volumes, convenient rail connection conditions, short line construction, and the need for standard-gauge rail transport should be considered.
Narrow-gauge rail transport, compared to standard-gauge rail transport, has advantages such as lower investment, faster construction, simpler equipment, and less land occupation. The disadvantages include high operating costs, low transport capacity, and low labor efficiency. Therefore, it is only suitable for medium and small open-pit mines and ground transport in underground mining mines.