Method Of Mining Ore

• US 20150048668A1
• Filed: 09/04/2014
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Technological Resources Pty. Ltd. (Rio Tinto Limited)
• Original Assignee: Technological Resources Pty. Ltd. (Rio Tinto Limited)
• Inventors: Stokes, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,845,676 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 299/10
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 41/00 Methods of underground or surface mining E21C45/00 takes precedence; Layouts therefor for peat E21C49/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 41/26 Methods of surface mining machines for obtaining, or the removal of, materials in open-pit mines E21C47/00; Layouts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 41/30 for ores, e.g. mining placers

Abstract

A method of open cut mining comprising carrying out mining operations in an area of an open cut mine with manned resources and unmanned resources and providing separate access for these resources to the mine area at selected locations. Alternatively, or in addition, the method comprises carrying out mining operations in the mine area with manned resources and unmanned resources operating in selected, separate unmanned and manned zones, respectively within the mine area.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. An open cut mine including a mine area, a first access location along a perimeter of the mine area for access of manned resources to the mine area, and a second access location along the perimeter of the mine area for separate access of unmanned resources to the mine area.

26. The open cut mine defined in claim 25, wherein the mine area includes a manned zone in which manned resources operate to the exclusion of unmanned resources, with manned resources having access to the manned zone from the first access location.

27. The open cut mine defined in claim 26, wherein the manned resources include any one or more than one of manned front end loaders, dozers, graders, drill rigs, water trucks, survey trucks, and explosives trucks.

28. The open cut mine defined in claim 25, wherein the mine area includes an unmanned zone in which unmanned resources operate to the exclusion of manned resources, unmanned resources having access to the unmanned zone from the second access location.

29. The open cut mine defined in claim 28, wherein the unmanned resources include unmanned haulage trucks.

30. An open cut mine with mining operations being carried out in the mine, the open cut mine having:

a mine area having a manned zone in which manned resources operate to the exclusion of unmanned resources and an unmanned zone in which unmanned resources operate to the exclusion of manned resources, a first access location along a perimeter of the mine area allowing access of manned resources to the manned zone, and a second access location along the perimeter of the mine area allowing separate access of unmanned resources to the unmanned zone.

31. The open cut mine defined in claim 30, wherein the manned resources include any one or more than one of the following manned vehicles:

haulage trucks, front end loaders, dozers, graders, drill rigs, water trucks, survey trucks, and explosives trucks.

32. The open cut mine defined in claim 31, wherein the unmanned resources include unmanned haulage trucks.

33. A method of open cut mining an ore in a mine area of an open cut mine with manned resources and unmanned resources, the method including:

providing access to the mine area for manned resources at a first location, providing separate access to the mine area for unmanned resources at a second location, and carrying out mining operations with manned resources and unmanned resources in the mine area.

34. The method defined in claim 33, comprising carrying out mining operations in the mine area with manned resources and unmanned resources in the form of unmanned haulage trucks operating in selected, separate manned and unmanned zones within the mine area.

35. The method defined in claim 34, comprising providing identifiable access roads for manned and unmanned haulage trucks within the mine area.

36. The method defined in claim 33, comprising changing the manned and unmanned zones as mining operations progress in the mine area having regard to the requirements of the mining operations;

or changing the size of manned and unmanned zones in response to changes in the location of loading ore for haulage out of the mine area.

37. The method defined in claim 33, comprising, after a new section of the mine area is drilled and blasted or otherwise made ready for excavation, increasing the size of the unmanned zone that is proximate the new section to allow unmanned haulage trucks to move into the new section and be loaded with ore that is picked up by excavators.

38. The method defined in claim 33, comprising carrying out different mining operations in different sections of the manned zone as mining operations progress in the mine area.

39. The method defined in claim 33, comprising carrying out different mining operations in different sections of the unmanned zone as mining operations progress in the mine area.

40. The method defined in claim 33, comprising precluding access of unmanned haulage trucks into the manned zone;

or precluding access of manned resources into the unmanned zone;

or wherein the access locations comprise vehicle drive-off sections to allow manned and unmanned resources to park temporarily while other manned or unmanned resources move through the access locations.

42. The method defined in claim 33, comprising providing at least three access locations for manned haulage trucks and unmanned haulage trucks;

or selecting the locations of the resource access locations to maximise productivity of mining operations in the mine area;

or providing timed access for unmanned and manned resources to travel through each resource access location to minimise the risk of interaction.

43. The method defined in claim 33, comprising establishing new resource access locations to the mine area as mining progresses within the area so as to maintain separation of unmanned and manned mining operations within the area.

44. The method defined in defined in claim 43, comprising:

changing the resource access locations to the mine area as mining operations progress in the mine area to allow access of manned and unmanned resources to new manned zones and unmanned zones, respectively, to allow efficient mining operations to continue in the mine area;

or

changing the size of an unmanned zone for the haulage of ore out of the mine area in response to changes in the location of loading of ore for haulage out of the mine area;

or

changing the size of an unmanned zone for the haulage of ore out of the mine area to retain the same resource access location or locations to the unmanned zone;

or

changing the amount of use of each resource access location to minimise the amount of disruption to the unmanned resources within the unmanned zone for the haulage of ore during any adjustment in the zones in response to a change in location of loading of ore for haulage out of the mine area.

41. The method defined in 33, wherein the operations in the manned zone comprise any one or more of grading the zone, taking samples of ore in the zone for analysis, and drilling blast holes, charging explosives into the blast holes, and blasting at least a part of the zone to release ore for removal from the mine.