A New Method to Select the Optimum Undercut Elevation in Block Caving Mines

Block caving has become one of the most attractive underground mining methods due to its high
production capacity and low operating costs. One of the key initial decisions when designing a
block caving project is the placement of the undercut level, from which the ore will be drawn during
the mine life. Current industry practices and state of research lack a truly optimal tool for this
decision, which could be very costly or even impossible to change during production. This paper
presents a linear programming method to select the optimal undercut elevation that maximizes
the NPV of a caving project, subject to common production and geotechnical constraints. The
model is based on a simplified scheduling approach that accounts for the vertical draw rate and
the horizontal mining advancement front, and is tested on a real deposit.