SLOPE STABILITY MONITORING
A monitoring technique using Maptek™ Sentry has been safely controlling the shape of a secondary leach pad to avoid landslides at a copper mine in South America
rather than relying on a weight sensor in the spreader .
Maptek Sentry DMS integrates a Maptek XR3- CT MkII laser scanner that captures a 3D point cloud , with Maptek Sentry Field software to display data in real time . Users can configure monitoring windows to establish alarms that notify by email and text message when there is movement outside the defined range , allowing quick action in response to events of high operational risk .
Processing of the point cloud data and quantisation of the leach pad advance material was achieved with Maptek PointStudio™ software Design Conformance tools . Compliance was determined between triangulations that were generated daily over a sixweek period .
Data from the most representative week of the Sentry monitoring period were selected for a recent study . Sentry Field automatically alerted users to displacements of built cones and enabled the spreader operator to observe the material discharge point . Because discharge stop alerts were also provided , additional personnel were not required for geometric control and stability .
Geometric control of material discharge requires knowing the slope angle of the discharge cone and the heights of the cone and low zone blind spots . In one profile , PointStudio showed slope angles of 33.8 ° for the cone and 27.8 ° for the low zone , while heights were 49.7 m and 9.4 m , respectively .
The ability to observe material discharge minute by minute , along with managing the slope angle and covering the discharge blind spot , provides greater control and safety to mining operations .
Unloading volumes and tonnages were tabulated in the unloaded and low cone advance zones . Areas of the triangulated stockpile coloured in red and white corresponded to the highest concentration of material . Red indicates an accumulation of material of more than 5 m in one week and white indicates an accumulation of more than 10 m .
Maptek states : “ Monitoring the construction of secondary leach pad cones has shown that the design parameters can be correctly determined , providing reportability , quantification , calculation and geometric control . Importantly , this was achieved without exposing the equipment operator to the deposition area .”
Specific monitoring must be carried out for deposits of already leached material because the granulometry of the mineral varies . Particulate material , with lower slip resistance is generated , affecting the stability of the pile . In addition , the humidity level is key to maintaining particle cohesion . “ With the stability of the pile depending on multiple factors , this study has focused on the monitoring process for material deposits and how that contributes to the reportability and calculation of volumetrics and geometric control of the pile .”
The technique used in this study provides a remote , safe , autonomous and sustainable way to manage blind spots when an operator is building cones and / or slopes , avoiding landslides after the particulate material has settled . IM
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