Journal articles on the topic 'Mine haulage – Maintenance and repair'

Investigation of failures is one of the critical activities of mining and haulage equipment operability assurance in mining. Maintaining failure investigation at the required quality level, it is possible to identify provisions, rules and procedures that should be revised or changed, operation conditions that should be improved, additional personnel training, if required, etc. Investigation of failures in mines is under responsibility of machine men and electricians of maintenance and operation services. In reality, factory management and setup for production condition weak concernment of these workers in quality investigation aimed at finding of sources of equipment failures. This article describes real-life results achieved in development and use of maintenance service operation, technology and management monitoring. The requirements are substantiated for quality improvement in failure cause finding and removal in mining and haulage equipment at Chernogorsky open pit mine, SUEK-Khakassia. Causes of the present quality of failure investigation by machine men of Chernogorsky Repair and Engineering Works and Chernogorsky open pit mine are revealed. The proposed recommended practices will improve quality of mining and haulage equipment failure investigation.

The remuneration system in mining is a set of conditions and regulations which enable setting and implementation of payment of wages in compliance with competency, complexity and responsibility of personnel. Ineffective remuneration is one of the key factors to cutting down productive time of personnel, work quality and economic efficiency of a whole mine. As a rule, this situation is a consequence of lacking interaction between the rate of wages and work quality of employees in the remuneration system, moreover, figures, which govern the rate of wages, have no considerable influence on production efficiency. This article describes approach to the remuneration system for maintenance personnel. This approach ensures workers’ concernment in the required level of operability and in reduction in unit cost of corrective maintenance of mining and haulage machines. In terms of the process equipment repair department Chernogorsky Repair and Engineering Works, the key production indexes are calculated by the presented procedure.

Uniform schedule maintenance of mining and haulage machines is one of the key conditions for increasing productive time of maintenance personnel and decreasing monthly average servicing time. Currently, Russian mines infringe regulated maintenance schedule aimed to improve output per shift. The loss of time of maintenance personnel and equipment as a consequence maintenance irregularity is never assessed. This article presents assessment results on maintenance schedule uniformity in terms of dump trucks BelAZ-7513 and BelAZ-7530 at Chernogorsky open pit mine, SUEK-Khakassia. A variant of calculation of time loss owing to inconsistent maintenance schedule for dump trucks is proposed. The loss of time by maintenance personnel and by mining/haulage machines is assessed. The fleet of dump trucks BelAZ-7513 and BelAZ-7530 is analyzed depending on overtime of operation between maintenance periods. It is recommended to improve uniformity of maintenance schedule for mining and haulage equipment.

In total costs of ore mining, haulage participates with 30-60%; the total number of workers engaged in the transportation exceeds 35%, while the participation of transportation in the total power consumption amounts to over 40%. All these values indicate that transportation is one of the most signifi cant challenges in the underground mining of ore deposits and that haulage analysis is very important both in selecting the haulage type and its design, utilization and maintenance. In addition to various technical mining parameters, together with mining and geological conditions, haulage effi ciency depends on the selection of optimal haulage drives, which can be achieved by accurately connecting the underground mine workings with mine network points on the surface of a site. The selection of the best mine haulage routes is one the most critical tasks in mine surveying. This paper shows how to adjust a junction triangle on a working level using the parametric adjustment method.

Based on Web of mine equipment maintenance management system,mainly to solve the mining equipment safety inspection,repair and test equipment,the existing problems of mine machinery and equipment maintenance is lack of effective management means information. Based on the introduction of mine equipment maintenance management system using database technology, network technology and the Web,this paper expounds the mine equipment maintenance management system structure,function,design,functions.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify key tasks, tools, and equipment associated with maintenance and repair injuries at US mines and to provide some mitigation strategies to reduce these types of injuries. Design/methodology/approach – This study analyzed incidents resulting in injuries reported to the US Mine Safety and Health Administration from 2002 to 2011. Incident reports were limited to those occurring at mining plants, shops, yards, and aboveground locations. Incident reports were analyzed to determine which activities contributed to injuries and were due to machine maintenance and repair, non-powered hand tools, and powered hand tools. An in-depth analysis of the root causes of these injuries was then performed. Findings – Maintenance and repair in mining is associated with a significant number of hand and finger injuries with a range of severities and averaging over 20 amputated fingers, 180 fractured hands and fingers, and 455 hand and finger lacerations per year. Many of these injuries are caused by hands being struck by or caught in tools and equipment. Back and shoulder strains are found to be associated with the most days lost from work and are mostly attributed to materials handling. Practical implications – Occupational injuries and fatalities still occur with high incidences in the mining sector. The mission of the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR; part of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH) is to “eliminate mining fatalities, injuries, and illnesses through research and prevention.” As part of this work, OMSHR acquires surveillance data from MSHA to quantify the types and sources of injuries at US mining facilities. The authors evaluated maintenance- and repair-related injuries at US mining sites (excluding underground coal mines). Results of this study suggest a need for improved design of machine guarding, improved hand protection through gloves and equipment design/redesign, and manual materials handling solutions. Originality/value – The findings indicate that maintenance and repair in mining include occupational risks that may be managed through modifications to machines, proper usage of hand tools and hand protection, and improved manual materials handling processes.

The use of the innovative design of gears segments of drivetrain engine of a longwall shearer’s haulage system with highly loaded components has improved tribological pairs of gear-tooth. The elimination of structurally complex sets of gears allowed to reduce the cost of individual component of the system, reduction of the failure rate and significantly improve the processes of repair and maintenance. The article presents the results of experimental and numerical analysis of stress and strain variables in highly loaded gear element of haulage system. The experimental studies of L20HGSNM steel alloy from which the casting was produced included basic research of strength properties of the material and two types of fatigue tests: in the range of a small number of cycles - a classic LFC and modified MLCF test. Acquired material properties of the steel alloy allowed to create material characteristics and fatigue strength curve, which were used in FEM calculations. Based on the results of numerical calculations and multiaxial criteria the fatigue life of the casting gears were evaluated.

The paper discusses the results of a study carried out to determine the thermal condition of a conveyor power unit using a thermal imaging camera. The tests covered conveyors in the main haulage system carrying coal from a longwall. The measurements were taken with a thermal imaging diagnostic method which measures infrared radiation emitted by an object. This technology provides a means of assessing the imminence and severity of a possible failure or damage. The method is a non-contact measuring technique and offers great advantages in an underground mine. The thermograms were analysed by comparing the temperature distribution. An analysis of the operating time of the conveyors was also carried out and the causes of the thermal condition were determined. The main purpose of the research was to detect changes in thermal state during the operation of a belt conveyor that could indicate failure and permit early maintenance and eliminate the chance of a fire. The article also discusses the construction and principle of operation of a thermal imaging camera. The findings obtained from the research analysis on determining the thermal condition of the conveyor drive unit are a valuable source of information for the mine’s maintenance service.

Coal mine roadway roof and sides often take strong support, and the floor support is weak or none support. Because of the high stress, roadway damage phenomena have occurred often, take reasonable repair plan is the key to the recovery project. Reasonable repair plan not only can effectively control the deformation of surrounding rocks, but also can reduce the maintenance cost. According to the surrounding rocks’ property and depth of roadway in Anhui Huainan Pan-III mine, using FLAC3D numerical simulation software, analysis of the effect on plastic zone, surrounding rocks stress and displacement under different floor support, and put forward the repair plan to this coal, the related research conclusions can provide reference for design and construction to similar engineering.

This paper is Zhengli Coal JKMD3.5 × 4 (III) E-type floor-type multi-rope friction hoist for the study, in order to enhance the system to improve monitoring and fault diagnosis for the purpose of fuzzy fault tree analysis method as the lift system the method of fault diagnosis on hoist brake system fault tree analysis, the results of the analysis can play a guiding role in the daily repair and maintenance, thereby enhancing the safety and reliability of the hoist.

At this stage it is electrical automation of coal industry with a rapid development period, the degree of automation is also more and more high, therefore, the electric control circuit requirements will be getting higher and higher, in such circumstances to improve coal mine electrical control circuit fault diagnosis and maintenance is very important. Based on the above factors, this article on the electrical control circuit repair process as the research object, how to carry on fault diagnosis are analyzed, in combination with the associated data and real work experience, put forward to some suitable methods of diagnosis, and these methods have a careful introduction, hope that through this article related to this, future electrical maintenance work to provide some help.

High-efficiency maintenance and control of the deep coal roadway roof stability is a reliable guarantee for safe production and sustainable development of a coal mine. With belt haulage roadway 3108 in MenKeqing coal mine as the research background, in situ investigation, theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and engineering practice were carried out to reveal the law of improving the bearing state of bolts by increasing the thickness of the roof anchoring layer. Also, the mechanism of the high-efficiency and long anchoring of the roof is revealed. Results show that increasing thickness of the roof anchorage layer could mobilize deep rock mass to participate in the bearing and promote the bolt to increase the resistance in a timely manner to limit the deformation of rock mass. Through the close link between shallow soft rock mass and deep stable rock mass, the deformation of the shallow rock mass is well controlled and so are the development and expansion of the roof separated fissures from shallow to deep. Long high-performance sustainable bolt technology for roof are proposed and carried out to control the stability of the deep roadway roof. Engineering practice indicates that deformations of roof could be efficiently controlled. The maximum deformations of the roof and sidewall-to-sidewall are 17 mm and 24 mm, respectively. No obvious separation fissures are found in the anchoring range of roof. This study provides a reference for roof stability control of deep roadway under similar conditions.

Supporting metal structures of large dump trucks at open cast coal mines function under exposure to alternating cyclic load. Fatigue cracks that appear there require timely maintenance welding. Organization of repair processes is multivariant; it can be performed either by the enterprise (open cast coal mine) efforts or by special repair units. An industrial experiment carried out at Permyakovskiy and Prokopyevskiy open cast coal mines in Kuzbass has shown that type of large dump trucks’ repair works organization influences significantly process efficiency. Repair welding by enterprise efforts is the most non-productive compared to other types of repair process organization. Its specific rate is 37 per cent lower than in comparison with unstructured welding and 2.2 times lower in comparison with structured metal sheet replacement and structured welding. Structuring repair processes allows to increase their efficiency by 30...40 per cent on average. Structured replacement of the spring plate is the most productive type of metal structure repair process organization. Comparison of maintenance measurement results in accordance with Unified Norms and Prices collected book with the results obtained from the industrial experiment showed that calculation methods give underestimated values of repair processes’ specific rate.

The geological conditions of haulage roadway of the working face 1528 in GeQuan Coal Mine, which belongs to the JiZhong Energy Group CO., Ltd., and the research findings of Key Stratum Theory was taken into consideration, based on which established a mechanical model could reflect the basic features of rock stratum and made a profound investigation on the form and conditions of the fractures on main roofs. A systematic study on the stress, deformation, and damage characters of fractures on main roofs beyond a retained entry has been made by the laboratory test. The experiment shows that the deeper the fracture is in the rib, the greater the differences between dimension of compression and deformation will likely be, and the greater the influences on the stability of surrounding rock will it has. At the same time, smaller is the overhanging beam in mined-out area, more beneficial to roadway maintenance. On a certain deformation of main roof, it creates subsidence that is great difference in different position of a roadway. The subsidence near those mined-out areas is much more than those near the ribs. The application of a strong and effective measure could help cut the roof out and assure its stability.

According to the present state that traditional regular repair methods are always adopted for mining equipment maintenance, this paper puts forward a method of installing various sensors on the equipment which are combined with computer and signal analysis technology so as to realize on-line monitoring, fault prewarning, and remote release. This paper analyses the common faults of mine ventilator and their characteristics, selects the vibration sensor and its mounting points based on the characteristics of the fault signal, selects the signal acquisition cards based on equipment operating conditions and analysis parameters accuracy, builds up the hardware and software platform, completes the design of system function module and data flow, and achieves modularization programming for the whole software system by combining labVIEW and database. This system realizes the condition-based equipment maintenance so that informatization and automation can be achieved in equipment management.

Abstract The article evaluates the failure rate of devices in the Mechanical Processing Plant using a traditional quality tool, the Pareto-Lorenzo diagram. A comparative analysis of failure rates was performed, recorded in repair, inspection and maintenance card. Then, changes were proposed in order to reduce failure rates and earlier detection of equipment malfunctions. In order to analyze the failure rate of grain washer equipment during thick coal preparation process, one quality management tools was used - the Pareto-Lorenzo diagram. In this case, it is important to assess the mechanical failure of devices, and demonstrating which devices generate most repairs. Based on materials made available by the mine, such as: Repair, inspection and maintenance cards, Device cards, DTR documentation. Quantitative and qualitative assessment the most frequently occurring mechanical failures during operation of devices in process enrichment of coarse sizes was carried out. An attempt was made to assess failure rate of devices on a grain washer. A comparative analysis of failure rates in 2015-2017 recorded in the repair, inspection and maintenance card was carried out. Then, changes were proposed to stand, in order reduce failure rates, and earlier detection equipment malfunctions.

Aiming at the technological characteristics and production status of the mine hoist hydraulic brake safety protection system, the overall monitoring framework and monitoring scheme of the hoist brake system is proposed from the perspective of comprehensive protection and control: the high-performance data acquisition card and virtual instrument platform (Labview) are selected to carry out program development work on the system. System displays the monitoring data online and alarms some physical quantities, as well as stores and retrieves some important parameters and operational failures in order to achieve online monitoring security of braking system. So it provides technical support for the repair and maintenance of the mine hoist and scientific protection of the safety running of the hoist.

In the recent decades there has been a tendency for simplifying gears construction, furthermore a lot of manufacturers design gearless electric drives for traction and power mechanisms. Rejection of mechanical transmission and replacing obsolete induction motor with energy-efficient permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) allow to increase electric drive reliability, reduce repair and maintenance costs, also improve the technological process and industrial safety.This article is devoted to questions of permanent magnet synchronous motor control for underground belt conveyor gearless drum-motor. The model of PMSM with special construction was created by finite elements method in Infolytica MagNet and MotorSolve environments, simulation was provided with to regard due special nature of high-torque slow-moving power machines. The last section of article contains comparison of methods for high-torque slow-moving PMSM control and simulation results of vector control system.

By taking full advantage of the technologies of data acquisition, signal analysis and processing and fault diagnosis, this thesis carries out a research on the realization method of mine hoist bearing condition monitoring and fault diagnosis. Firstly, this thesis takes a technical analysis for rolling bearing. Secondly, based on determining the overall framework and using a virtual instrument software (Labview), it carries out a program development of the system. The developed system not only integrates the functions of traditional instruments, but also describes the bearing states and the types of bearing failure accurately according to the running status of the monitored bearings. It provides technical support for the mine hoist repair and maintenance and scientific protection for its safe running.

The relevant issues of ensuring trouble-free mining operations on the underlying horizons, which are partially or fully overworked are studied in this paper. The problem has been solved using the example of a laminal massif of the Western Donbas soft rocks; complicating factors were taken into account: water-cut, fracturing, and the rheological properties manifestation. The model, proposed for calculation, has been substantiated in view of geomechanics, as well as the finite element method has been chosen to obtain the stress-strain state of the adjacent massif and support. At the first stage, mine observations of the state of mine working planned for overworking have been conducted and analysed. At the second stage, a computational experiment has been conducted in the most difficult areas. The stresses fields have been analysed according to vertical, horizontal and stresses intensity components of the soft rocks laminal massif, as well as their distribution curves for the recommended and basic fastening options. It has been proved that the recommended parameters of the fastening structure provide repair-free mine working maintenance for the entire exploitation period with account of overworking. Recommendations have been developed for mining the seam C6 in M.I. Stashkova Mine, DTEK Pavlohradvuhillia PJSC.

Spray jets constitute one of the most important parts of each type of rock cutting machine, especially the drum shearer. This system cools the cutting picks and controls the dust emission. The blockage of spray jets causes the coal shearer machine to stop automatically. Therefore, the reliable performance of this system assists the achievement of a smooth coal cutting operation. Field's data shows that the maintenance of this system is time-consuming and causes major downtimes in the production process. Therefore, it is essential to find an optimum preventive maintenance task and intervals, to reduce the downtime and minimize the associated costs of the machine. The aim of this paper is to identify an applicable and effective maintenance task, with its associated interval, for management of the failure modes of the spray jets of coal shearers. A case study has been conducted on spray jets of double-drum shearer machine in Tabas Coal Mine in Iran. In the study, the RCM approach is used to select an applicable and effective maintenance task. The failure data were analyzed using a parametric approach to evaluate the reliability of the spray jets, and to estimate the reliability parameters. A reliability-based cost modeling has been implemented to identify the optimum maintenance interval and frequencies of restoration for the spray jets. In the study, a cost rate function (CRF) has been introduced in which an as-good-as-new (AGAN) effectiveness for restoration actions is considered. The CRF also considers restoration and repair times, and takes into account the costs associated with repair and restoration, and the opportunity cost of the equipment's lost production due to maintenance downtime, to arrive at the most cost-effective maintenance intervals. The results of the analysis have shown that the minimum cost per unit of time, $46.5/h, will be achieved within a range of intervals i.e., T = 210 h to T = 260 h .

The Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is widely used in the monitoring of mining assets. A good example is the Polish underground copper ore mines of KGHM, where research work with the use of the IMU has been carried out for several years. The potential of inertial sensors was ensured by the development of advanced analytics using machine learning methods to support the maintenance management of an extensive machine park and machine manufacturer in adapting various construction elements to mining conditions. The key algorithms developed in the field of inertial data concern: identification of cycles and components of the haulage process operations, identification of dynamic overloads, technical diagnostics of rotating elements, assessment of road conditions (bumps, slopes, damages), assessment of the technical condition of the pavement, assessment of the operator’s driving style, and finally the machine location in the mining excavation. One of the key operational contexts, necessary in the development of analytics for underground mining vehicles, is the identification of the turning moment of the machine at the intersection together with the determination of the driving direction and the turn angle. In the case of a mine with a room-and-pillar system, where the excavation system has the Manhattan structure, it is possible to use many simplifications to correctly estimate the machine motion path. The identification of the spatial context and the turning maneuver is of key importance both in the development of the machine location system, but also in multi-dimensional analyzes, including the analysis of dynamic overloads or the assessment of the operator’s driving style and work safety. The article presents a comparison of several mathematical models used for the machine turn detection problem, which were trained and tested on the real-life industrial data recorded using IMU during a single working shift of the self-propelled machine.

The growth of volume of tunneling, power supplied per job, and consumption of fuel and energy resources makes it necessary to increase energy performance of production processes with reducing energy losses. Tunneling conditions are determined by a combination of mutually influencing factors (geological, technological and organizational), and assessing their impact on tunneling energy performance requires a deep detailed study. For criterion assessment of tunneling performance, indicators of energy consumption, performance, and quality of tunneling performed by shift crews, allowing to objectively assess their work, were proposed. Indicators of process and specific power consumption in the process of tunneling vary over a wide range, therefore, to ensure smooth equipment operation, shift crews must adhere to the recommended indicators that determine the optimum rates of tunneling and enables adherence to permissible operation modes. Statistical models of energy performance indicators of heading sets of equipment operation were investigated using the example of the Severnaya coal mine. Indicators of energy consumption, energy performance, and tunneling (on shift basis) were proposed. Distribution laws have been determined for the main indicators characterizing tunneling energy performance. Recommendations have been developed to ensure sustainable operation of heading sets of equipment throughout the entire period of tunneling. Tunneling requires permanent monitoring its parameters and rates of advance, the quality of face preparation, timely maintenance and repair of machinery and equipment, control of the process through ensuring optimal operating modes of the heading sets of equipment.

The growth of volume of tunneling, power supplied per job, and consumption of fuel and energy resources makes it necessary to increase energy performance of production processes with reducing energy losses. Tunneling conditions are determined by a combination of mutually influencing factors (geological, technological and organizational), and assessing their impact on tunneling energy performance requires a deep detailed study. For criterion assessment of tunneling performance, indicators of energy consumption, performance, and quality of tunneling performed by shift crews, allowing to objectively assess their work, were proposed. Indicators of process and specific power consumption in the process of tunneling vary over a wide range, therefore, to ensure smooth equipment operation, shift crews must adhere to the recommended indicators that determine the optimum rates of tunneling and enables adherence to permissible operation modes. Statistical models of energy performance indicators of heading sets of equipment operation were investigated using the example of the Severnaya coal mine. Indicators of energy consumption, energy performance, and tunneling (on shift basis) were proposed. Distribution laws have been determined for the main indicators characterizing tunneling energy performance. Recommendations have been developed to ensure sustainable operation of heading sets of equipment throughout the entire period of tunneling. Tunneling requires permanent monitoring its parameters and rates of advance, the quality of face preparation, timely maintenance and repair of machinery and equipment, control of the process through ensuring optimal operating modes of the heading sets of equipment.

In the present fast-paced world of business in a highly competitive marketplace, the focus on increasing the efficiency of business processes seems to be a reasonable challenge. For this reason in order to optimize production costs, there is an increasing trend toward maximising the use of the operational capabilities of the equipment – technological line components – with the prevention of failure events and their consequences in the form of costly repairs or replacements. A condition-based maintenance (CBM) approach allows to globally monitor, maintain and control operation of the whole complex of equipment and/or processes. The CBM effectively supports decision-making process concerning their further use or determination of the optimum repair/replacement schedule. The presented decision support system is dedicated for an underground copper mine, where the network of belt conveyors is a critical part of the production process. Due to complexity of mechanical system, harsh mining environment and presence of many degradation factors, development of the effective CBM system seems to be justified. It requires the integration of data from different sources, adaptation of advanced data mining techniques, procedures or various diagnostic methods. Because of the multidimensional nature of diagnostic data and diversified technical configurations of the facilities, it was necessary to develop and implement multivariate analytical models based on artificial intelligence techniques. Consequently, it allows to achieve improvement of efficiency of transportation network and reduction of repairs costs and unplanned breakdowns. In this paper we will briefly refer to all these issues.

One of the most important indicators of mining complexes are reliability and durability of their components. Studies have shown that the largest amount of mine dump truck down time occurs due to unforeseen failures of a motor-wheel gear. The introduction of additional technological processes to diagnose the actual technical condition of a gear in the maintenance procedure will make it possible to maintain directly the state of its component parts with in-place manner. The method of diagnosing the condition of a motor-wheel gear is based on physical and chemical analysis of oil, as well as its temperature control. During open pit machinery exploitation, various mechanical impurities of wear products of rubbing surfaces accumulate in the operating oil, so it is possible to predict the degree of wear of gear units and mechanisms based on these mechanical impurities. The introduction of this method in production will significantly reduce the down time of dump trucks, thereby increase the productivity of the enterprise and reduce repair costs.

In order to overcome the difficulty of fault detection and clearing in the use and maintenance of a type of rocket mine-sweeping vehicle, the operation principle of fire-control system, the fault characteristics, fault parameters and fault distribution are studied. Furthermore, the fault detection instrument based on embedded system is developed. It consists of hardware and software. The hardware includes of embedded micro-controller STC5A60S2, keyword and highlight LED I/O, LCD, memory circuit, connector-adapter and dedicated connection cable. The dual CPU cooperative technology is also used in the hardware platform. The application software is developed with expert system principle, it runs in two modes of simplified and expert mode. In simple working mode, fire-control fault detection and substitute are performed. However, in expert mode, all the function of system testing, system substitute, fault-clear wizard and parameter management is accomplished. Meanwhile the state machine programming technology is introduced in the software. The instrument brings new ideas how to deduce expert repair in the field, and it has practical value.

Slips, trips, and falls (STF) contribute significantly to nonfatal incidents at surface mines. Although fall fatalities and STF from mobile equipment have been investigated, nonfatal incidents and STF hazards encountered at mines are not well documented. This paper aims to identify occupations and activities associated with nonfatal STF incidents at surface stone, sand, and gravel mines, document through a systematic observation the STF hazards encountered, and corroborate the findings of the hazard assessment using an analysis of nonfatal injury narratives reported in the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) injury database. Mobile equipment operators, laborers/utility men, and mechanics were most often involved in nonfatal STF incidents. Walking/running, getting on/off equipment, machine maintenance and repair, and handling supplies and materials accounted for over 80% of the activities being performed at the time of the incident. Solid debris, in the form of rocks and stones on unpaved surfaces and material accumulation on paved surfaces, and liquid contaminants, primarily pooled water, were common hazards identified during the systematic observation. Stair tread issues and transitions to and from ladders were also identified as hazards. These findings were in line with injury data where rocks, ice/snow, uneven ground, water, hoses, mud, and loose/unstable material were the most common contaminants and hazards encountered at the time of the incident. In addition, several recommendations are provided to help eliminate or remediate the identified hazards.

ABSTRAK Pemanfaatan abu batubara (Fly Ash B409 dan Bottom Ash B410) yang sebelumnya dimanfaatkan oleh PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara (PTAMNT) di tambang Batu Hijau sebagai substitusi semen dalam pembuatan beton hanya menyerap 1,7% dari total abu batubara yang dihasilkan. PLTU PTAMNT dapat menghasilkan ± 1.000 ton abu batubara per bulan. Tujuan pemanfaatan abu batubara sebagai material campuran lapisan tanah dasar adalah meningkatkan penerapan prinsip 3R limbah B3 secara internal (sampai dengan 100%) dan mengurangi biaya perawatan dan perbaikan jalan dengan meningkatnya kualitas lapisan tanah dasar. Pada awal tahun 2018, PTAMNT telah memulai kajian pemanfaatan abu batubara sebagai bahan lapisan tanah dasar (road base) dan telah memperoleh izin pemanfataan abu batubara sebagai substitusi bahan baku tanah lapisan dasar (subgrade) sesuai Keputusan Menteri Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Nomor SK.337/Menlhk/Setjen/PLB.3/5/2019 tanggal 13 Mei 2019. Beberapa pengujian telah dilakukan sesuai persyaratan yang telah ditentukan dalam Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 101 Tahun 2014 dan dalam izin pemanfaatan, termasuk diantaranya uji Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), Loss on Ignition (LoI), Total Oksida Logam, uji California Bearing Ratio (CBR) laboratorium dengan berbagai komposisi pencampuran tanah dan abu batubara, serta uji aktivitas radionuklida. Hasil uji sampel campuran abu batubara menunjukan bahwa (1) semua hasil analisis TCLP berada di bawah baku mutu pada Lampiran III dan IV PP101 Tahun 2014, (2) nilai LoI sebesar 8,4%, (3) nilai total oksida logam (penjumlahan SiO2, Al2O3, dan Fe2O3) sebesar 66,1% (kelas C menurut ASTM C618012a dan SNI 2460:2014), (4) pencampuran tanah dengan abu batubara dapat menaikkan nilai CBR (4-18%), dan (5) aktivitas radionuklida setiap parameter kurang dari 1Bq/gram. Dinyatakan bahwa pencampuran abu batubara pada lapisan tanah dasar (road base) secara teknis dapat memberikan peningkatan kekuatan daya dukung tanah dasar dengan menaikkan hydraulic conductivity dan menurunkan permeabilitas tanah. Pemanfaatan ini (yang mana telah mendapatkan izin sesuai peraturan perundangan yang berlaku) dapat diaplikasikan pada jalan akses di area reklamasi timbunan batuan penutup dengan ketebalan 2.00 meter atau jalan umum di area sekitar Batu Hijau dengan ketebalan 0.50 meter. Komposisi abu batubara yang dicampurkan maksimal 50% dari berat total campuran tanah dasar Keywords: Abu batubara, Limbah B3, pemanfaatan, 3R ABSTRACT Coal ash utilization (Fly Ash B409 dan Bottom Ash B410) that has been conducted by PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara (PTAMNT) in Batu Hijau Mine as cement substitute for concrete production was only be able to absorb 1.7% of the total coal ash produced. PTAMNT’s Coal Power Plant can produce ±1,000 m3 coal ash each month. The purposes of utilizing coal ash as road base material blend are to increase the principal application of hazardous waste 3R internally (up to 100%) and to reduce road maintenance and repair cost by increasing the road base quality. In the early 2018, PTAMNT has started the study to utilize coal ash as a road base material blend and acquired the permit based on The Decree of Minister of Environmental Affairs and Forestry Number SK.337/Menlhk/Setjen/PLB.3/5/2019 dated 13 May 2019. Several tests had been run according to the regulated requirements on Government Regulations Number 101 Year 2014, in which include Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) test, Loss on Ignition (LoI), Total Metal Oxide, California Bearing Ratio (CBR) laboratory test with several composition of blend between soil and coal ash, and radionuclide activity test. The result of the given test showed that (1) all TCLP analysis were below the quality standards written on Attachment III and IV PP101 Year 2014, (2) LoI value of 8.4%, (3) total metal oxide (addition of SiO2, Al2O3, dan Fe2O3) value of 66.1% (class C according to ASTM C618012a and SNI 2460:2014), (4) increased CBR value (4-18%) as a result of soil-coal ash blend, (5) radionuclide activity for each parameter is less than 1 Bq/gram. It is stated that coal ash blending on road base material can increase the strength capacity technically by increasing the hydraulic conductivity and reducing soil permeability. This utilization (which already obtained the permit pursuant to prevailing laws and regulations) can be applied on the access road of waste rock dump reclamation with 2,00 meter thickness or primary access road around Batu Hijau with 0.50 meter thickness. The maximum total composition of coal ash is 50% of the total weight of the road base. Keywords: Coal Ash, Hazardous Waste, Utilization, 3R

Remote sensing data have allowed detecting and monitoring of arrangement of mining and haulage machines in open pit mines producing coal and iron ore in Russia. In coal mining, the highest concentration of mining and haulage equipment is revealed in open pit mines in Kuzbass; in the iron ore industry, open pit mines in the Belgorod and Kursk Regions operate 70% of the total equipment employed in the mining sector. The authors draw a conclusion on the essentiality of strengthening of in-house mining machine engineering in Russia and on creation of interregional centers for maintenance and repair of mining and haulage equipment.

Introduction Almost all industries in Australia today have adopted digital media in some way. However, uses in large scale activities such as mining may seem to be different from others. This article looks at mining practices with a media studies approach, and concludes that, just as many other industries, mining and media have converged. Many Australian mine sites are adopting new media for communication and control to manage communication, explore for ore bodies, simulate forces, automate drilling, keep records, and make transport and command robotic. Beyond sharing similar digital devices for communication and computation, new media in mining employ characteristic digital media operations, such as numerical operation, automation and managed variability. This article examines the implications of finding that some of the most material practices have become mediated by new media. Mining has become increasingly mediated through new media technologies similar to GPS, visualisation, game remote operation, similar to those adopted in consumer home and mobile digital media. The growing and diversified adoption of digital media championed by companies like Rio Tinto aims not only ‘improve’ mining, but to change it. Through remediating practices of digital mining, new media have become integral powerful tools in prospective, real time and analytical environments. This paper draws on two well-known case studies of mines in the Pilbara and Western NSW. These have been documented in press releases and media reports as representing changes in media and mining. First, the West Angelas mines in the Pilbara is an open cut iron ore mine introducing automation and remote operation. This mine is located in the remote Pilbara, and is notable for being operated remotely from a control centre 2000km away, near Perth Airport, WA. A growing fleet of Komatsu 930E haul trucks, which can drive autonomously, traverses the site. Fitted with radars, lasers and GPS, these enormous vehicles navigate through the open pit mine with no direct human control. Introducing these innovations to mine sites become more viable after iron ore mining became increasingly profitable in the mid-2000s. A boom in steel building in China drove unprecedented demand. This growing income coincided with a change in public rhetoric from companies like Rio Tinto. They pointed towards substantial investments in research, infrastructure, and accelerated introduction of new media technologies into mining practices. Rio Tinto trademarked the term ‘Mine of the future’ (US Federal News Service 1), and publicised their ambitious project for renewal of mining practice, including digital media. More recently, prices have been more volatile. The second case study site is a copper and gold underground mine at Northparkes in Western NSW. Northparkes uses substantial sensing and control, as well as hybrid autonomous and remote operated vehicles. The use of digital media begins with prospecting, and through to logistics of transportation. Engineers place explosives in optimal positions using computer modelling of the underground rock formations. They make heavy use of software to coordinate layer-by-layer use of explosives in this advanced ‘box cut’ mine. After explosives disrupt the rock layer a kilometre underground, another specialised vehicle collects and carries the ore to the surface. The Sandvik loader-hauler-dumper (LHD) can be driven conventionally by a driver, but it can also travel autonomously in and out of the mine without a direct operator. Once it reaches a collection point, where the broken up ore has accumulated, a user of the surface can change the media mode to telepresence. The human operator then takes control using something like a games controller and multiple screens. The remote operator controls the LHD to fill the scoop with ore. The fully-loaded LHD backs up, and returns autonomously using laser senses to follow a trail to the next drop off point. The LHD has become a powerful mediator, reconfiguring technical, material and social practices throughout the mine. The Meanings of Mining and Media Are Converging Until recently, mining and media typically operated ontologically separately. The media, such as newspapers and television, often tell stories about mining, following regular narrative scripts. There are controversies and conflicts, narratives of ecological crises, and the economics of national benefit. There are heroic and tragic stories such as the Beaconsfield mine collapse (Clark). There are new industry policies (Middelbeek), which are politically fraught because of the lobbying power of miners. Almost completely separately, workers in mines were consumers of media, from news to entertainment. These media practices, while important in their own right, tell nothing of the approaching changes in many other sectors of work and everyday life. It is somewhat unusual for a media studies scholar to study mine sites. Mine sites are most commonly studied by Engineering (Bellamy & Pravica), Business and labour and cultural histories (McDonald, Mayes & Pini). Until recently, media scholarship on mining has related to media institutions, such as newspapers, broadcasters and websites, and their audiences. As digital media have proliferated, the phenomena that can be considered as media phenomena has changed. This article, pointing to the growing roles of media technologies, observes the growing importance that media, in these terms, have in the rapidly changing domain of mining. Another meaning for ‘media’ studies, from cybernetics, is that a medium is any technology that translates perception, makes interpretations, and performs expressions. This meaning is more abstract, operating with a broader definition of media — not only those institutionalised as newspapers or radio stations. It is well known that computer-based media have become ubiquitous in culture. This is true in particular within the mining company’s higher ranks. Rio Tinto’s ambitious 2010 ‘Mine of the Future’ (Fisher & Schnittger, 2) program was premised on an awareness that engineers, middle managers and senior staff were already highly computer literate. It is worth remembering that such competency was relatively uncommon until the late 1980s. The meanings of digital media have been shifting for many years, as computers become experienced more as everyday personal artefacts, and less as remote information systems. Their value has always been held with some ambivalence. Zuboff’s (387-414) picture of loss, intimidation and resistance to new information technologies in the 1980s seems to have dissipated by 2011. More than simply being accepted begrudgingly, the PC platform (and variants) has become a ubiquitous platform, a lingua franca for information workers. It became an intimate companion for many professions, and in many homes. It was an inexpensive, versatile and generalised convergent medium for communication and control. And yet, writers such as Gregg observe, the flexibility of networked digital work imposes upon many workers ‘unlimited work’. The office boundaries of the office wall break down, for better or worse. Emails, utility and other work-related behaviours increasingly encroach onto domestic and public space and time. Its very attractiveness to users has tied them to these artefacts. The trail that leads the media studies discipline down the digital mine shaft has been cleared by recent work in media archaeology (Parikka), platform studies (Middelbeek; Montfort & Bogost; Maher) and new media (Manovich). Each of these redefined Media Studies practices addresses the need to diversify the field’s attention and methods. It must look at more specific, less conventional and more complex media formations. Mobile media and games (both computer-based) have turned out to be quite different from traditional media (Hjorth; Goggin). Kirschenbaum’s literary study of hard drives and digital fiction moves from materiality to aesthetics. In my study of digital mining, I present a reconfigured media studies, after the authors, that reveals heterogeneous media configurations, deserving new attention to materiality. This article also draws from the actor network theory approach and terminology (Latour). The uses of media / control / communications in the mining industry are very complex, and remain under constant development. Media such as robotics, computer modelling, remote operation and so on are bound together into complex practices. Each mine site is different — geologically, politically, and economically. Mines are subject to local and remote disasters. Mine tunnels and global prices can collapse, rendering active sites uneconomical overnight. Many technologies are still under development — including Northparkes and West Angelas. Both these sites are notable for their significant use of autonomous vehicles and remote operated vehicles. There is no doubt that the digital technologies modulate all manner of the mining processes: from rocks and mechanical devices to human actors. Each of these actors present different forms of collusion and opposition. Within a mining operation, the budgets for computerised and even robotic systems are relatively modest for their expected return. Deep in a mine, we can still see media convergence at work. Convergence refers to processes whereby previously diverse practices in media have taken on similar devices and techniques. While high-end PCs in mining, running simulators; control data systems; visualisation; telepresence, and so on may be high performance, ruggedised devices, they still share a common platform to the desktop PC. Conceptual resources developed in Media Ecology, New Media Studies, and the Digital Humanities can now inform readings of mining practices, even if their applications differ dramatically in size, reliability and cost. It is not entirely surprising that some observations by new media theorists about entertainment and media applications can also relate to features of mining technologies. Manovich argues that numerical representation is a distinctive feature of new media. Numbers have always already been key to mining engineering. However, computers visualise numerical fields in simulations that extend out of the minds of the calculators, and into visual and even haptic spaces. Specialists in geology, explosives, mechanical apparatuses, and so on, can use plaftorms that are common to everyday media. As the significance of numbers is extended by computers in the field, more and more diverse sources of data provide apparently consistent and seamless images of multiple fields of knowledge. Another feature that Manovich identifies in new media is the capacity for automation of media operations. Automation of many processes in mechanical domains clearly occurred long before industrial technologies were ported into new media. The difference with new media in mine sites is that robotic systems must vary their performance according to feedback from their extra-system environments. For our purposes, the haul trucks in WA are software-controlled devices that already qualify as robots. They sense, interpret and act in the world based on their surroundings. They evaluate multiple factors, including the sensors, GPS signals, operator instructions and so on. They can repeat the path, by sensing the differences, day after day, even if the weather changes, the track wears away or the instructions from base change. Automation compensates for differences within complex and changing environments. Automation of an open-pit mine haulage system… provides more consistent and efficient operation of mining equipment, it removes workers from potential danger, it reduces fuel consumption significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and it can help optimize vehicle repairs and equipment replacement because of more-predictable and better-controlled maintenance. (Parreire and Meech 1-13) Material components in physical mines tend to become modular and variable, as their physical shape lines up with the logic of another of Manovich’s new media themes, variability. Automatic systems also make obsolete human drivers, who previously handled those environmental variations, for better or for worse, through the dangerous, dull and dirty spaces of the mine. Drivers’ capacity to control repeat trips is no longer needed. The Komatsu driverless truck, introduced to the WA iron ore mines from 2008, proved itself to be almost as quick as human drivers at many tasks. But the driverless trucks have deeper advantages: they can run 23 hours each day with no shift breaks; they drive more cautiously and wear the equipment less than human drivers. There is no need to put up workers and their families up in town. The benefit most often mentioned is safety: even the worst accident won’t produce injuries to drivers. The other advantage less mentioned is that autonomous trucks don’t strike. Meanwhile, managers of human labour also need to adopt certain strategies of modulation to support the needs and expectations of their workers. Mobile phones, televisions and radio are popular modes of connecting workers to their loved ones, particularly in the remote and harsh West Angelas site. One solution — regular fly-in-fly out shifts — tends also to be alienating for workers and locals (Cheshire; Storey; Tonts). As with any operations, the cost of maintaining a safe and comfortable environment for workers requires trade-offs. Companies face risks from mobile phones, leaking computer networks, and espionage that expose the site to security risks. Because of such risks, miners tend be subject to disciplinary regimes. It is common to test alcohol and drug levels. There was some resistance from workers, who refused to change to saliva testing from urine testing (Latimer). Contesting these machines places the medium, in a different sense, at the centre of regulation of the workers’ bodies. In Northparkes, the solution of hybrid autonomous and remote operation is also a solution for modulating labour. It is safer and more comfortable, while also being more efficient, as one experienced driver can control three trucks at a time. This more complex mode of mediation is necessary because underground mines are more complex in geology, and working environments to suit full autonomy. These variations provide different relationships between operators and machines. The operator uses a games controller, and watches four video views from the cabin to make the vehicle fill the bucket with ore (Northparkes Mines, 9). Again, media have become a pivotal element in the mining assemblage. This combines the safety and comfort of autonomous operation (helping to retain staff) with the required use of human sensorimotor dexterity. Mine systems deserve attention from media studies because sites are combining large scale physical complexity with increasingly sophisticated computing. The conventional pictures of mining and media rarely address the specificity of subjective and artefactual encounters in and around mine sites. Any research on mining communication is typically within the instrumental frames of engineering (Duff et al.). Some of the developments in mechanical systems have contributed to efficiency and safety of many mines: larger trucks, more rock crushers, and so on. However, the single most powerful influence on mining has been adopting digital media to control, integrate and mining systems. Rio Tinto’s transformative agenda document is outlined in its high profile ‘Mine of the Future’ agenda (US Federal News Service). The media to which I refer are not only those in popular culture, but also those with digital control and communications systems used internally within mines and supply chains. The global mining industry began adopting digital communication automation (somewhat) systematically only in the 1980s. Mining companies hesitated to adopt digital media because the fundamentals of mining are so risky and bound to standard procedures. Large scale material operations, extracting and processing minerals from under the ground: hardly to be an appropriate space for delicate digital electronics. Mining is also exposed to volatile economic conditions, so investing in anything major can be unattractive. High technology perhaps contradicts an industry ethos of risk-taking and masculinity. Digital media became domesticated, and familiar to a new generation of formally educated engineers for whom databases and algorithms (Manovich) were second nature. Digital systems become simultaneously controllers of objects, and mediators of meanings and relationships. They control movements, and express communications. Computers slide from using meanings to invoking direct actions over objects in the world. Even on an everyday scale, computer operations often control physical processes. Anti-lock Braking Systems regulate a vehicle’s braking pressure to avoid the danger when wheels lock-up. Or another example, is the ATM, which involves both symbolic interactions, and also exchange of physical objects. These operations are examples of the ‘asignifying semiotic’ (Guattari), in which meanings and non-meanings interact. There is no operation essential distinction between media- and non-media digital operations. Which are symbolic, attached or non-consequential is not clear. This trend towards using computation for both meanings and actions has accelerated since 2000. Mines of the Future Beyond a relatively standard set of office and communications software, many fields, including mining, have adopted specialised packages for their domains. In 3D design, it is AutoCAD. In hard sciences, it is custom modelling. In audiovisual production, it may be Apple and Adobe products. Some platforms define their subjectivity, professional identity and practices around these platforms. This platform orientation is apparent in areas of mining, so that applications such as the Gemcom, Rockware, Geological Database and Resource Estimation Modelling from Micromine; geology/mine design software from Runge, Minemap; and mine production data management software from Corvus. However, software is only a small proportion of overall costs in the industry. Agents in mining demand solutions to peculiar problems and requirements. They are bound by their enormous scale; physical risks of environments, explosive and moving elements; need to negotiate constant change, as mining literally takes the ground from under itself; the need to incorporate geological patterns; and the importance of logistics. When digital media are the solution, there can be what is perceived as rapid gains, including greater capacities for surveillance and control. Digital media do not provide more force. Instead, they modulate the direction, speed and timing of activities. It is not a complete solution, because too many uncontrolled elements are at play. Instead, there are moment and situations when the degree of control refigures the work that can be done. Conclusions In this article I have proposed a new conception of media change, by reading digital innovations in mining practices themselves as media changes. This involved developing an initial reading of the operations of mining as digital media. With this approach, the array of media components extends far beyond the conventional ‘mass media’ of newspapers and television. It offers a more molecular media environment which is increasingly heterogeneous. It sometimes involves materiality on a huge scale, and is sometimes apparently virtual. The mining media event can be a semiotic, a signal, a material entity and so on. It can be a command to a human. It can be a measurement of location, a rock formation, a pressure or an explosion. The mining media event, as discussed above, is subject to Manovich’s principles of media, being numerical, variable and automated. In the mining media event, these principles move from the aesthetic to the instrumental and physical domains of the mine site. The role of new media operates at many levels — from the bottom of the mine site to the cruising altitude of the fly-in-fly out aeroplanes — has motivated significant changes in the Australian industry. When digital media and robotics come into play, they do not so much introduce change, but reintroduce similarity. This inversion of media is less about meaning, and more about local mastery. Media modulation extends the kinds of influence that can be exerted by the actors in control. In these situations, the degrees of control, and of resistance, are yet to be seen. Acknowledgments Thanks to Mining IQ for a researcher's pass at Mining Automation and Communication Conference, Perth in August 2012. References Bellamy, D., and L. 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