Investigation of Excavator Performance Factors in an Open-Pit Mine Using Loading Cycle Time - Engineering

ENG > Vol.9 No.7, July 2017

Investigation of Excavator Performance Factors in an Open-Pit Mine Using Loading Cycle Time ()

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Download as PDF (Size: 7474KB) PP. 599-624

DOI: 10.4236/eng.2017.97038 4,525 Downloads 14,083 Views Citations

Author(s)

Samwel Victor Manyele

Affiliation(s)

Department of Chemical and Mining Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

ABSTRACT

This study presents the effect of excavator model, loading operation location, shift availability and truck-shovel combination on loading cycle time and productivity of an open-pit mine. The loading cycle time was used to assess the material loading system performance which is one of the key components of the total cycle time for material transportation in an open-pit mine. Loading is among the components of cycle time during which material is being handled. The data analyzed was collected from a computerized dispatch system at GGM from which 62,000 loading dispatches per month involving several shifts, 14 excavators and 49 trucks were loaded. About 4465 dispatches per excavator and 1276 dispatches per truck were assessed using loading cycle time data for each dispatch for a period of four months (between August and December). Under fixed tonnage loaded and waste type (33 t of non-acid forming waste rock), it was observed that loading cycle time depends on excavator model, location and truck being loaded. Average cycle times, PDFS and CDFS of loading cycle time series were used to identify differences in performance under different situations. It was concluded that shift availability for excavators, loading location, excavator model and truck-shovel combinations strongly affect the productivity during loading process in an open-pit mine.

KEYWORDS

Potentially Acid-Forming (PAF) Rock, Non-Acid Forming (NAF) Rock, Truck Utilization, Truck Fill-Factor, Queuing Time, Loading Cycle Time, Full and Empty Haul, Total Cycle Time, Theoretical Cycle Time, Non-Productive Cycle Time, Cycle Time Performance Ratio

Share and Cite:

Manyele, S. (2017) Investigation of Excavator Performance Factors in an Open-Pit Mine Using Loading Cycle Time. Engineering, 9, 599-624. doi: 10.4236/eng.2017.97038.

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