UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA
SCHOOL OF MINES
DEPARTMENT OF MINING ENGINEERING
MIN 4075 MATERIALS HANDLING
Tutorial sheet 1
Equipment selection
Question 1
(a) Determine the sustained production rate (tonnes/hr) in a surface mine, given the following
conditions:
• Shovel one 3.8 m3
• Trucks Six 27 tonnes
• Material Well balsted rock
• Work time 55min/h, 7hrs/shift
• Working conditions Favourable
• Haulage cycle time 14 min
• Spot time 0.15 min
• Bank Specific weight 2.4 t/m3
• Loose Specific weight 1.5 t/m3
The bank productivities of the shovel and the correction factors for operating conditions are given
in Table 1 and 2, respectively.
Table 1 Available Power Shovels from Manufacturer Y
Model of Power Shovel Bucket Capacity Bank Productivity (m3/h)
A 3.8 285-380
B 6.1 375-515
C 7 425-590
D 7.6 470-645
E 11.5 705-970
F 19.1 1175-1585
Table 2 Correction Factors for Operating Conditions
Conditions Correction (%)
Favorable 80
Average 70
Unfavorable 60
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(b) Which governs – truck or shovel output? Check synchronization.
(c) What improvements would you recommend in operating practice to increase mine
production without changing equipment?
Question 2
(a) Determine the sustained production rate (tonnes/hr) in a surface mine, given the following
conditions:
• Shovel one 7 m3
• Trucks Four 50 tonnes
• Material Average blasted rock
• Work time 50min/h, 7hrs/shift
• Working conditions Average
• Haulage cycle time 15 min
• Spot time 0.30 min
• Bank Specific weight 2.4 t/m3
• Loose Specific weight 1.5 t/m3
The bank productivities of the shovel and the correction factors for operating conditions are given
in Table 1 and 2, respectively.
(b) Which governs – truck or shovel output? Check synchronization.
(c) What improvements would you recommend in operating practice to increase mine
production without changing equipment?
Question 3
A mining operation is in the process of purchasing power shovels and trucks from manufacturers
Y and Z, respectively. Table 3 provides a list of available shovels with their corresponding bucket
capacities and productivities. Table 4 on the other hand provides a list of available trucks and
their corresponding capacities. The mining operation has the following attributes shown in Table
5. The correction factors of the operating conditions at the site are given in Table 6.
Table 3 Available Power Shovels from Manufacturer Y
Model of Power Shovel Bucket Capacity Productivity (m3/h)
A 3.8 285-380
B 6.1 375-515
C 6.9 425-590
D 7.6 470-645
E 11.5 705-970
F 19.1 1175-1585
2
Table 4 Available Trucks from Manufacturer Z
Model of Truck Truck Capacity (tonnes)
G 35
H 40
I 55
J 85
Table 5 Parameters of the Mining Operation
Mining method Open-pit (single face)
Required production 14,850 tonnes/day
Working Shifts 3/day, 7 hr/shift, 50 min/hr
Material Well-blasted copper ore
Working conditions Unfavorable
Bucket factor 80%
Bank specific weight 2.4 t/m3
Loose specific weight 1.5 t/m3
Truck cycle time 18 min
Spot time 0.50
Table 6 Correction Factors for Operating Conditions
Conditions Correction (%)
Favorable 80
Average 70
Unfavorable 60
As a fleet optimization engineer working at this mine, you have been tasked to:
(a) Select the optimal number and size of power shovels and trucks at the mine.
(b) Check the shovel-truck synchronization of the selected fleet and if the delays are
excessive, you are to recommend one critical improvement.
Question 4
A mining operation is in the process of purchasing power shovels and trucks from manufacturers
Y and Z, respectively. Table 7 provides a list of available shovels with their corresponding bucket
capacities and productivities. Table 8 on the other hand provides a list of available trucks and
their corresponding capacities. The mining operation has the following attributes shown in Table
9. The correction factors of the operating conditions at the site are given in Table 10.
3
Table 7 Available Power Shovels from Manufacturer Y
Model of Power Shovel Bucket Capacity Productivity (m3/h)
A 3.8 285-380
B 6.1 375-515
C 6.9 425-590
D 7.6 470-645
E 11.5 705-970
F 19.1 1175-1585
Table 8 Available Trucks from Manufacturer Z
Model of Trucks Komatsu
Truck capacities (tonnes) 20, 27, 32, 36, 50, 77, 90, 117
Table 9 Parameters of the Mining Operation
Mining method Open-cast (single face)
Required production 31,500 tonnes/day
Working Shifts 2/day, 7.5 hr/shift, 55 min/hr
Material Well-blasted rock overburden
Working conditions Favorable
Bucket factor 85%
Bank specific weight 2.4 t/m3
Loose specific weight 1.5 t/m3
Truck cycle time 19 min
Spot time 0.15
Table 10 Correction Factors for Operating Conditions
Conditions Correction (%)
Favorable 80
Average 70
Unfavorable 60
As a fleet optimization engineer working at this mine, you have been tasked to:
(c) Select the optimal number and size of power shovels and trucks at the mine.
(d) Check the shovel-truck synchronization of the selected fleet and if the delays are
excessive, you are to recommend one critical improvement.
Question 5
Calculate the production (Bank tonnes per hour) from a shovel for which the following conditions
apply:
• Dipper Capacity = 20 m3
• Swing angle = 150o (25 seconds for 900)
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• Mechanical availability = 90%
• Working time = 40min/hr
• Optimum digging depth = 80% of the optimum
• Swell = 20%
• Bucket fill factor = 90%
• Type of mine: Strip mine
• Ore SG = 2.5
The correction factors for the cycle time are shown in Tables 11 and 12. Additionally, the propel
factors are given in Table 13.
Table 11 Bench correction factors
Optimum 40 60 80 100
digging depth, %
Cycle time 1.25 1.10 1.02 1.0
correction factor
Table 12 Swing correction factors
Angle of 45 60 75 90 120 150 180
swing,
degrees
Swing 1.2 1.1 1.05 1.00 0.91 0.84 0.77
factor
Table 13 Propel Factors
Type of mine Propel factor
Strip Mine 0.75
Multi-Bench Mine 0.85
Sand and Gravel Pits 0.90
High face quarry 0.95
----------------END OF TUTORIAL SHEET-----------------
