See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/289421495

Economic analysis and selection of continuous surface miner: A case study for a
bauxite deposit

Article  in  Journal of Mines, Metals and Fuels · November 2012

CITATIONS READS

0 75

2 authors, including:

Khanindra Pathak
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
22 PUBLICATIONS   88 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Evaluation of soil erosion potential of a hilly terrain View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Khanindra Pathak on 22 August 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

Economic Analysis and Selection of Continuous Surface

Miner: A case study for a bauxite deposi
Khanindra Pathak1 and Piyush Rodkar2

1.0 Introduction
In the mid-70s of the last century, the idea of mechanical extraction of rock triggered the development of
a new, economically efficient open-cast mining method using continuous surface miners. This machine
works on milling principle and enables excavating rock without blasting. By the turn of the century, this
machine got wide acceptability in many countries. In India it started with lime stone mining and got
accepted for coal production. Techno economic analysis of this machine for various fields was undertaken
by various authors. For selecting any machine for mining, it is essential that the response of the rock-mass
of the site to the machine is established first. Diggability of rocks by different equipment was studied by
Scoble and Muftuoglu (1984) amonst others,. Determining the diggablity index of the rock mass of a
mining field helps in selecting the type of equipment. The cost of operations and risks of investment is
highly influenced by the cutting tool of the machine and rock interactions. The risks of operation with CSM
were investigated by Sabnov et al (2008). Dey et al (2000) studied the applicability of CSM in Indian mining
conditions. Dey and Sen (2001) developed a methodology for studying selection of continuous surface
miner. Dey and Ghosh (2008) studied the prediction of cuttability with surface miners.
A study was conducted for one of the bauxite mines in India. This involved investigating the cost
effectiveness of changing from conventional surface mining to blast-free mining using CSM under
particular site condition.

2.0 Types of Continuous Surface Miner

Basically the following types of surface miners are available on the market today:
1. machines with middle drum configuration
2. machines with front boom cutting drum
3. machines with front cutting wheel
4. machine with rear cutting drum
The Figures 1-3 show the three types of surface miners available-

1
Professor, Department of mining engineering, IIT Kharagpur-721302, khanindra@mining.iitkgp.ernet.in
2
PG Student, Presently with Rio Tinto, Australia

1
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

Figure 1 Middle Drum Type SM with higher cutting depth

Figure 2 Rear Drum Type SM-terrain leveller

Figure 3 Front Bucket type SM

Typically the continuous surface miner is a modular machine with the following units or subsystems.
 Drive group
 Milling drum unit
 Steering & lifting unit
 Track unit
 Lubrication system
 Dust suppression system
Table 1 shows the basic elements in each of these groups that require careful design and monitoring to
maintain the machine optimally:

2
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

Table 1 Basic elements of continuous surface miner

Sl No Module Elements
1 Drive group  Engine, clutch, pump drive mounting.
 Engine fuel line
 Engine piping
2 Milling drum unit  Drum support arrangement
 Rear scrapper arrangement
 Belt tensioning arrangement.
3 Steering and lifting  Steering arrangement (front & rear)
unit  Lifting arrangement (front & rear)
4 Track module  Under carriage assembly
 Drive group track
 Idler group track
 Tension and recoil assembly (track front & rear)
 Roller group track
 Link assembly track
 Guard track
 Idler assembly track
5 Lubrication system  Lubrication pump assembly
 Lubrication piping for clutch
 Lubrication piping for PTO
 Grease piping-Steering and lifting
 Grease piping-Rear scrapper
6 Water system  Water piping (suction)
 Water spray arrangement delivery
 Spray pump assembly
 High-pressure washing.
The selection of a machine for a particular site involves critical decision making after examining the
cuttability of the particular rockmass in the site and maintainability of the components of the equipment
under the working geo-mining conditions.
The rear drum type CSM as shown in Figure 2 (Manufacturer: Vermeer has cantilever arms that can be
raised and lowered to allow vertical movement of the cutter drum. Such machine with 3.7 m width of
cutting drum can achieve a depth of cut of 61 cm. The cutter drum with its adjustable height is fitted with
teeth around its circumference. The excavating rate is controlled by the travelling speed of the track-
mounted machine. The cutter drum with its adjustable height is fitted with teeth around its
circumference. The excavating rate is controlled by the travelling speed of the track-mounted machine.
This machine demonstrated a production rate of 580 t/h on limestone with compressive strengths
between 35 and 139 MPa. (http://www.verlagbt.de/verlag/ci/2009-03/themen2.en.php) .
The “top-down” cutting technology of Vermeer machine allows the cutter teeth to achieve greater rock
penetration. When the machine travels forward, the teeth on top of the drum are positioned over the top
of the rock surface. As contact is made, the teeth instantly cut the rock. Tractive effort is no longer
required to create tooth penetration.

3
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

The mine where the machine was tested uses conventional method of bauxite mining where hard rocks
are blasted and excavated by hydraulic shovel. The overburden is also removed by dozing and ripping
where applicable. The structure of the bauxite deposit is having high undulations both at the floor and the
roof. And often selective mining is carried out at the interface of OB and bauxite or at the floor and
bauxite. There are also intrusions of hard rock into the deposit, which would provide excessive cutting
resistance to the cutting drum leading to higher rate of damage of the cutting picks of the .

1.1 Cost of Excavating Bauxite

The cost of production for mining by conventional shovel and dumper combination was obtained from
the mine. This information reveals that the cost of production is contributed by seven major subheads;
their relative importance is shown in the pie diagram in Figure 4 and Table 2..

Figure 4 Cost distribution in Conventional Method

The data provided reveals that by changing from conventional mining to blast free mining with CSM will
result in changes in certain important parameters. The cost parameters that will change after introduction
of CSM are highlighted yellow and underlined in the Table 2
Table 2 Information on economic performance of the mines

Particulars Value (`) Value/ton (`/te)

Utilities
Power – Own 30,40,344 0.64
Power – Electricity Duty 3,71,444 0.08
Power – Transmission Charge 4,08,394 0.09
Power – Purchased 35,49,105 0.74
Sub-Total (1) 73,69,287 1.54
Fuel – Others 11,74,39,539 24.60
Sub-Total (2) 12,48,08,826 26.14

Direct Wages and Salaries 15,49,06,638 32.44

Depreciation 5,04,87,233 10.57

4
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

Repair and Maintenance 6,03,99,740 12.65

Building 48,38,573 1.01

Plant M/c 11,48,60,064 24.06
Others 91,24,384 1.91
Sub-Total (3) 12,88,23,021 26.98

Factory Overhead 11,40,96,585 23.90

Royalty 39,27,56,048 82.26
Quality Management 3,79,141 0.08
Polution Control 51,97,837 1.09
Administrative Overhead - -
Sub-Total (4) 51,24,29,611 107.32

Salary and Wages 11,87,60,574 24.87

Others 6,57,50,111 13.77
Sub-Total (5) 18,45,10,685 38.64

Cost of Conversion 1,21,63,65,754 254.75

Cost of Production Sub-Total (6) 1,21,63,65,754 254.75
Freight and Transportation 36,42,66,045 76.29
Total Cost of Production 1,58,06,31,799 331.04

Besides the above there will be certain savings by reducing excess manpower and other costs that are
associated with storage, handling and maintaining security of explosives.

1.2 Cost of mining by Continuous Surface Miner

Costs incurred for machinery ownership and operation are usually divided into two categories: fixed costs
and operating or variable costs. Guidelines for estimating the costs in each of these categories are as
follows.

1.2.1 Fixed Costs

Fixed costs generally include the costs that are incurred regardless of whether the machine is actually
used in production. These costs do not vary with the amount of machine use. Fixed costs are sometimes
referred to as ownership and/or overhead costs.
Depreciation
Depreciation is a non-cash expense of machinery ownership that must be recognized. Depreciation
expense accounts for the deterioration in the value of machinery because of age or technological
obsolescence. Depreciation is usually estimated using a straight-line method for the purpose of estimating
budget costs. To use this method, one simply subtracts the trade-in or salvage value of the machine from
the purchase price and divide by the number of years of useful life. The number of years of useful life will
depend upon the rate of use for the machine and/or how quickly advances in technology will make a
particular machine obsolete. The time from purchase until the machine is worn out or technically obsolete
varies from one kind of machine to another. An acceptable rule of thumb for Surface Miners is 6 to 8
years.
Interest

5
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

Investment in machinery requires capital and should therefore be assigned a capital cost regardless of
whether or not money is borrowed to purchase the machinery. If the money to purchase machinery is
borrowed, the calculated interest cost is at least large enough to cover the interest paid on the loan.
Shelter, Insurance, Taxes
For most machines these three costs are usually less than depreciation and interest, but they still need to
be acknowledged. Some researchers indicate that a quick guideline would be to charge an amount equal
to 2% of the purchase price to estimate the expense of all three of these costs. However, a better method
would be to calculate the storage space required by machinery and then charge an appropriate rate per
square foot of storage space required considering the cost of building and maintaining the machinery
shed. This cost is usually covered in the Plant and Maintenance costs.
Costs for insurance coverage need to be included as insurance provides protection from risks associated
with theft, fire or other natural disasters not relating to users negligence. The cost of insurance (premium
payment) is based on the initial cost and type of machinery as well as the type and extent of protection
desired.

1.2.2 Operating Costs

Operating costs generally include those costs that are incurred as a direct result of the machine being
used. These costs vary with the variation of machine usage. Fuel and lubrication costs can be determined
either by per hour or by per tonne using the information regarding the fuel (consumption rate/hour) and
the total excavation in tonne per hour.
Lubrication
According to Nebraska Tractor Test data, a general rule of thumb can be applied for estimating the cost
of lubrication. For example, the rule of thumb that is applied for power machinery is 15% of fuel costs. For
non-power equipment 5% of the purchase price is used.
Labor
Labor cost is calculated using the cost of labor per hour. Labor charges should be included in machinery
cost calculations and should cover the total cost of labor including the average wage rates as well as
benefits, taxes, and payroll overhead costs paid to the machine operator. Labor hours per ton are based
on capacity of machinery. It depends on the company policy of payment as well.
Repairs
Repairs are fixed costs in some respects and operating costs in other respects. Major repairs such as
engine overhauls may be regarded as fixed costs if the owner knows in advance and budgets for the
expense. As a result these should be included under depreciation in the fixed cost category. Minor repairs
such as replacement of tracks, chains, cutting picks are included as operating costs because they are
incurred as a direct result of using the machine. The best source for estimating annual repair cost is the
product manual of the machinery
Estimates of all costs should be adjusted based on past experience and management judgment.

6
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

1.3 Estimation of Costs: Case Study

1.3.1 Parameters used for Cost Estimation
To develop a cost of production calculation model the following parameters are considered. Based on this
an Excel based calculator has been developed using the following parameters identified from different
literature.
1) A - Purchase price paid for the equipment. (This price will depend on the make and the model of
the surface miner)
It was assumed that a Wirtgen 4200 would cost approximately around 120 million INR; the
productivity calculation shows that a Wirtgen 4200 SM gives a production close to 2.3 million tons per
year. To attain a production of 6.8 million tons per year at least 3 such machines would be required.
So total cost of capital required to would be three times the total cost of one such machine, which
would be close to 360 million INR.
2) B - Calculated value from purchase price minus the cost of the cutting picks. Cutting picks have a
different wear cycle and usually need to be replaced a number of times during the life of the
equipment, therefore it is common practice to include these as a separate cost item. The cost of the
cutting picks will depend on the type of pick used and the model of surface miner.
It is assumed that a cutting pick approximately costs around 1000 INR, and Wirtgen 4200 has at least
76 picks on its cutting drum. With 3 such machine in use the total cost of cutting picks would be a
product of number of machines, total number of picks in use and the cost of a single pick.
3) C - Depreciation time frame, basically is the time frame for the cost template to deduce the cost of
ownership, usually how long one will own the equipment. Wirtgen 4200 Surface Miner has a life of
about 8 to 12 years depending on the type of use.
4) D - Residual value - the estimated value of the machine at the end of the ownership period. Note:
residual value can vary depending upon condition of the machine (hours used, etc.) after the
ownership period. This value is generally considered to be 20% of the initial capital expenditure on
the machines.
5) E - Calculated depreciation cost (calculated purchase price minus the residual value) divided by the
time frame. This computes the depreciation cost per year. Essentially depreciation is the loss in the
value of the equipment over time.
6) F - Annual interest rate on the loan to purchase the equipment. (Generally taken as 9%)
7) G - This is the interest cost of the loan. Interest cost is calculated from the averaged amount
financed times loan interest rate, (Purchase Cost + Residual) / 2 * APR. The Net Cap Cost and Residual
costs are added, this is not double-counting as it appears. It is a simple way of calculating the average
amount financed without using complicated cost of money business formulas. This calculation comes
close to the declining balances formula and is widely used in the loan industry.
8) H - The annual taxes paid on the machine - this varies from country to country.
9) I - The annual insurance cost for the machine.
10) J - Estimated cost of fuel per liter.
11) K - Fuel consumption (liters per hour). Fuel consumption figures are usually available in the
Product Manuals or the Manufactures Product Handbook. Fuel consumption can vary depending on
how the machine is used. (Note: this can be an important consideration)

7
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

According to the technical brochure, Wirtgen 4200 consumes 289 liters per hour when working on full
load. The value used is the product of number of machines and 289.
12) L - Estimated cost of a liter of oil, grease and or filters.
13) M - Oil consumption (liter per hour) of the machine. (General assumption)
14) N - Cost of a cutting pick. These are high wear items and need to be included separately for
calculating ownership cost.
15) O - The expected lifetime (in number of hours) of a set of cutting picks.
16) P - Estimated repair and maintenance cost. This can be a significant factor in the equipment cost.
Repair and maintenance costs vary considerably depending on the type of work. Equipment with the
lowest repair and maintenance are cost effective over the life of a machine. Periodic Maintenance
Plans are important to keep this cost down. The Service Manager is the best source for this type of
information. Estimated repair and maintenance costs are sometimes available from either the
manufactures performance handbook, or from the product manuals.
For Surface Miners the maintenance cost is generally considered to be 15 percent of the cost of the
surface miner.
17) Q - Operator cost per year - Operator wages.
Wirtgen requires about 6 to 7 people to handle all its operations; however this cost has been directly
extracted from the cost sheet provided by mine.
18) R - Operating hours for the machine per year - scheduled hours the equipment will be used per
year.
The following parameters were directly copied and used from the cost information sheet provided by
mines. These values remain unchanged regardless of method selected for extraction of Bauxite.
19) S – Subtotal 1 – Utilities and Power cost taken from present data. This value is assumed to remain
same even after change in method of excavating.
20) T – Subtotal 3 – Cost of Building, Plant maintenance and others. This cost is assumed to remain
unchanged after change in method of working.
21) U – Subtotal 4 – Cost of Factory overhead, Royalty, Quality management, Pollution control and
Administrative overhead. This cost is assumed to remain unchanged; however the cost of pollution
control will decrease with use of Surface Miners.
22) V – Subtotal 5 – Cost of Salary and wages and others. This cost will decrease with the
implementation of Surface Mines; however the change is offset by the increase in production.
23) W – Freight and Transportation cost; assumed to remain unchanged.
The cost has been estimated using the values available from case studies of similar application. Table 1.2
shows the factors considered for the estimation of owning and operating costs. The figures colored blue
are calculated using the simple mathematical relationships. Figures marked yellow are assumed based on
the personal discussions, literature and brochures from different companies. An excel sheet based
calculator has been developed, that can be used as and when exact values are provided by the user.
The operating and owning costs are estimated on the following assumptions –
1. The annual production target 6.8 million tons of bauxite.

8
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

2. Whichever model and make of surface miner is selected for use; the number of surface miners
required are calculated based on fixed target production mentioned above.
3. Certain costs are independent of the number of surface miners used. These costs are mentioned
the explanations following the costs table.
4. Wirtgen 4200 Surface Miner was considered for calculating all the values given in the Table 3
Table 3 Calculation of cost of production by deployment of CSM

Parameters ITEM Units

Machine Model Model Surface Miner
A Purchase price INR `. 36,00,00,000
B Purchase price, excluding cutting picks `. 35,97,72,000
C Depreciation time years 9
D Residual value `. 7,20,00,000
E Depreciation cost ((B-D)/C) per year ` 3,19,74,667
F Interest % 0.09
G Interest cost (F x (A+D)/2) per year `. 1,94,40,000
H Machine tax per year `. -
I Insurance per year `. -
J Fuel Cost per lit. ` 40
K Fuel Cunsumption lph 867
L Oil Cost per lit. ` 96
M Oil Consumption lit. per hr. 30
N Cost of a cutting pick `. 1,000
O Picks Consumed per hr 1.770833333
P Repairs and Maintenance per year `. 5,40,00,000
Q Operator Cost per year `. 22,06,14,675
R Operating Hours per year 4800
S Sub-Total (1) per year `. 73,69,287
T Sub-Total (3) per year ` 12,88,23,021
U Sub-Total (4) per year ` 51,24,29,611
V Sub-Total (5) per year ` 18,45,10,685
W Freight and Transportation per year ` 36,42,66,045
Note: Oil cost can
be included as part
of repair and
maintenance.

Machine Model Model Surface Miner

1. Fixed Cost per Hour
Depreciation (E/R) `. 6,661
Interest (G/R) `. 4,050

9
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

Machine Tax (H/R) `. -

Insurance (I/R) `. -
TOTAL FIXED COST PER HR. `. 2,60,169.44

2. Variable Cost per Hour

Fuel (J x K) `. 34,680
Oil, Grease, & Filters (l x m) ` 2,880
Cutting Picks (n/o) `. 1,771
Repair & Maintenance (P/R) `. 11,250
TOTAL VARIABLE COST PER HR. `. 50,581

3. Fixed + Variable Cost per Hour - Sub Total `. 3,10,750

4. Operator Cost per Hour (Q/R) `. 45,961

TOTAL COST PER HOUR `. 3,56,712

TOTAL COST PER TON ` 251.80

Thus it is observed that the cost of production with CSM less than producing by conventional method by
about Rs.80 per tonne.

1.4 Machinery Fleet Size

The cost of production with CSM depends on modes of its deployment, total production target, number
of machines needed and number of dump trucks and ancillary equipment required. The two different
modes of operation of the surface miner require ancillary equipment for production as given below:
1) Windrowing Method – Front End Loader / Hydraulic Excavator and Rear Dump Trucks
2) Conveyor Loading Method – Rear Dump Trucks.
The conveyor method eliminates the use of a loading device like a front end loader or a hydraulic shovel.
Therefore, this method is preferred over the windrowing method wherever applicable.
For high efficiency of production the number of rear dump trucks allotted to one surface miner has to
match with the capacity of the surface miner and rear dump truck and the cycle time of the rear dump
truck. The number of dump trucks required depends upon the following factors :
1. Capacity of surface miner
2. Capacity of rear dump truck
3. Velocity of dump truck
4. Haul distance
5. Density of material
6. Swelling factor
7. Fill factor of the rear dump
8. Availability of dump truck
10
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

9. Utilization of dump truck

10. Truck spotting time
11. Unloading time at crusher site
The Table 4 shows the production analysis with different combinations and calculation of number of
dumpers required for different makes of surface miner and for different models of rear dump trucks for
the conveyor method.
Table 4 Wirtgen 4200 with BEML BH-60

Parameter Value Unit

Production Rate of Surface Miner from Conveyor loading
1319.723 tons/hr
method
Density of Material 2.3 tons/m^3
Lead Distance 3 km
Swell Factor 1.3
Volume of Material Excavated 745.9306 m^3

Capacity of Rear Dumper (Heaped) 36.5 m^3

Spotting Time 1 min
Velocity of Dumper 20 km/hr
Unloading Time at Stockyard 3 min

Loading Time 176.1558 sec

Travel time to stock yard 9 min
Empty Travel back time 6 min
Time loss Factor 0.1
Total time for 1 cycle 20.9 min

Number of Dumpers required 8

Availability of SM 0.85
Utilization of SM 0.85

Total Number of Dumpers Required 12

The number of dumpers may change depending on the machine selected. Table 5 summarises the
comparison of the number of dump trucks required for some of the different models of the Surface Miner
with BH-60 and BH-85 ton trucks.
Table 5 Compatibility of CSM and dump truck

Surface Miner Model BEML BH-60 BEML BH -85

11
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

Wirtgen 4200 12 9

L &T 304 10 7

Vermeer T1255 SM 7 6

As annual production capacity depends on the machine specification, it varies machine to machine. The
fleet size of machines and associated trucks depends on the model selected. Taking the target production
to be 6.8 million tonnes per year the number of Surface Miners required to meet the production for
different make and model is shown in the Table 6.
Table 6 Number of machines required to produce 6.8 Mte in the specific site conditions in the present study.
No of machines
Model
required
Wirtgen 4200 3
Wirtgen 2500 4
Vermeer 1225 3
L & T 223 SM 4
L & T 304 SM 3
Astec 3000 SM 3
Huron Easy Miner
3
1224
Bitelli SF 200 M 10
MTS 180 4
MTS 300 3
MTS 500 2
MTS 800 2
MTS 1200 2
MTS 2500 1

1.5 Cost Variation with Models

The values of the following parameters change with time and the change of the model. While applying
the method outlined above it is emphasized that the determination of exact values of the parameters is
very important.
 Purchase Price
 Depreciation time
 Fuel consumption
 Cutting picks consumption
 Number of machines required to meet the target production
All the remaining items and parameters are more or less constant for any model and make of Surface
Miner hence those values normally remain unchanged the calculations.

12
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

The above analysis showed that the cost of production (including the cost of freight and transportation)
amounts to Rs 217.64 per tonne under the site condition during the study time. This cost is comparatively
much less than the cost of production by conventional method currently used there, which is as per the
data provided by the mine is around Rs 331.04 per tonne. Certain important aspects of the comparison
done above are –
1. Wirtgen 4200 was considered as the Surface Miner used for blast-free mining as Wirtgen 4200’s
technical brochure provided most clear information.
2. For considering any other model and make of Surface Miner the production is kept constant at
6.8 million tons per annum.
3. The number of machines to be deployed is directly related its production capacity and total target
production.
4. Certain parameters do not change with the number of machines deployed.
The Table 7 lists a few sites where Surface Miners were deployed successfully and economically with the
respective material type and production results.
Table 7 Examples of sites using different Surface Miner Models

Machine Max Compressive Production

Sl no Site Material
Used Strength (M Pa) (tph)
Wirtgen Bauxite
1 Guinea 80 600
2500 (fractured)
Wirtgen
2 MCL - Coal (fractured) 1200
3200
Vermeer
3 Florida 20-55 Soft Limestone 850
T1255
Vermeer Highly fragmented
4 Belgium 48-90 1450
T1255 rock

2.0 Analysis of Results

The present study involved investigation on applicability of Continuous Surface Miner at a bauxite mine.
For this purpose rock properties of the samples provided by the mine from the selected site were tested
and detailed studies of their behaviors were carried out.
In the study area the tensile strength of laterite is less than 2.2 MPa and that for the bauxite is less than
1.3 MPa. The compressive strength range is between 5.54 MPa and 13.7 MPa in laterite and between
7.51 MPa and 19.43 MPa for bauxite. Assuming that the samples are representatives of the whole deposit,
it could be concluded the rock mass is amenable to CSM cutting as CSM can be applied for compressive
strength upto about 50 MPa.
The results obtained from the tests conducted established that the laboratory test results alone would
not represent the actual behavior of rock material during rippability or cuttability assessment. The
collected samples does not exclude that the site will not be having rocks much difficult to rip or cut. The
site was found suitable for continuous surface miner because of the long strike length, however, near the
bottom horizon and top of the deposit selective mining with hydraulic excavator will be necessary to take
care of the irregular profile of the deposit. To use the existing dump trucks the CSM with conveyor
discharge will be economic provided the additional skill required can be managed at the work site. The

13
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

truck change-over time will have to be minimized and it should be less than the cycle time for loading the
material from windrow by an excavator on the large capacity dump truck. The existing excavators will not
be economic to use as loader for trucks from the windrow produced by CSM, because of the low height
of the windrow. Price of the machines and number of machines required for the targeted production will
be the main decision criteria for selection of the machine.
Using the specifications of different models of CSM production rate and required number of dumpers
were calculated for the conditions of the site under study. Table 8 gives the results of this study:
Table 8 Comparison of alternative machines on selected conditions

Sl No Machine Model Dumper Size Production t/h No of dumper

1. Wirtgen 4200 BH-60 (Max pay 1319.7 12

loat 55.4 te)

2. Wirtgen 4200 BH-85 1345.7 9

3. L & T 304 BH-60 1276.5 10

4. L & T 304 BH 85 1308.56 7

5. Vermeer T1255 BH-60 834.23 7

6. Vermeer T1255 BH-85 848.04 6

SM4200 and L&T 304 has conveyor belt loading facilities. In case the mine operator plans a new work
face along with the existing system Vermeer T1255 or L&T 304 can be can be considered along with a
compatible front end loader (FEL) to work with BH-60 dumper. The main decision criteria in this case will
be the number of unit required. If L&T 304 is selected, the machine may cost less than the cost of imported
machine. However, Vermeer T1255 being rear drum machine; the cost on certain aspects of maintenance
will be less. However, it should be noted that the reliability of the machines and their running costs must
be considered carefully. A detailed study on these aspects is necessary to develop proper equipment
selection guideline.
The L&T 304 is a 1200 HP machine, whereas SM 4200 is a 1600 HP machine whereas T1255 is a 600 HP
machine. As the rock of the investigated size does not fall into the category of rocks that are very difficult
to cut, very high installed capacity may not be necessary.
It was recommended that the specifications of the L&T 304 and Vermeer T1255 would be useful for the
studied mine site. Any final selection will be on the basis of the actual price and running costs of the
machine.

3.0 Conclusion
The cost of production by CSM will be less than the cost of production by conventional method. As
observed in this study the saving may be around Rs 80 under specific conditions, however, this value
cannot be considered for any site. In general the savings are obtained due to:

14
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

1. Energy saving: no need of crushing circuit

2. Reduced manpower: elimination of drilling and blasting job
3. Saving Explosive costs
4. Elimination of some safety problems
For any machine selection problems these costs should be carefully estimated.
Besides cost savings, there is enhanced safety with adoption of CSM as there is no scope for flyrock and
blast related problems.
The work site management with deployment of CSM will require special skill and therefore it is
recommended that switch over to blastless mining should be in phases. The machine supplier may be
given job contract during which the bathtub problems of introducing new technology to be studied and
eliminated. After gaining experience with new system the full system switchover should be planned.
The practice of outsourcing to operate with CSM may be having economic gain, however, the company
taking such measures for making profit will loose core competency of mining operations. For the adoption
of blast-free mining and to make it more economic and to evolve site specific developments it is necessary
that the mining companies own such machines and design the mining system accordingly.
Blast-free mining with CSM is found to be feasible in the studied bauxite deposit. The present level of
limited study observed that the following ranges specifications of CSM could be useful in the site of
investigation:
1. Engine HP: 600-1200
2. Drum Width: 3000mm-3500mm
3. Cutting drum diameter with tools: 1350 mm-1800 mm
4. Maximum Cutting Depth: 400-650 mm
5. Maximum Operating speed : 15 - 20 m/min
6. Maximum travel speed: 20-30 m/min
7. Output size: 200-250 mm
8. Theo. gradeability 20%
9. Max. transverse gradient 12 %
10. Fuel tank Capacity: 2500-300 litre
11. Water tank capacity: 10000-12000 litre
12. Discharge: with optional conveyor discharge (Not recommended for sticky high clay content
rocks)

Optional:
1. Discharge belt conveyor capacity: 800-850 m3/h
2. Belt width: 1500-2000 mm
3. Pressurized air-conditioned cabin room

15
 Jl. Of Mines Metals and Fuels, vol 59, no 9 Sept 2011, pp 280-293.

4. On board condition and performance monitoring instrumentation

References
1. Scoble, M. J. and. Muftuoglu Y.V, 1984, Derivation of a diggability index for surface mine
equipment selection , Mining Science and Technology , Volume 1, Issue 4, August 1984, Pages
305-322
2. S. Sabanov, J-R. Pastarus, O. Nikitin, and E. Väli, 2008. Risk Assessment of Surface Miner for
Estonian Oil Shale Mining Industry, The 12th International Conference of International Association for
Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics (IACMAG) 1-6 October, 2008, Goa, India
3. K. Dey, Pathak, K. and P. Sen, 2000
Continuous Surface Miner in Indian Surface Coal Mining-A Case study Surface Mining, Braunkohle &
Other Minerals , 4/2000, pp. 371-376
4. Dey K, Sen P (2001). Selection of optimum mode of continuous surface miner operation- A methodology. The Indian
Mining Eng. J., May/June: 21-24.
5. Dey K, Ghose AK (2008). Predicting “Cuttability” with Surface Miners –A Rockmass Classification Approach. J. Mines
Metals Fuels 56(5 -6): 85 - 92. Available online at http://_www.academicjournals.org/JETR
6. Wirtgen 4200 SM Technical brochure
7. Vermeer T1255 Technical brochure

16

View publication stats