Implementation of state-of-art mining knowledge and technologies in design and operation of a safe and efficient deep gold mine stope for 21st Century.

Abstract

Several new mining, rock engineering and environmental control technologies aimed at improving safety have been developed in the past decade or so. Since several of these developments have either not been implemented properly or only implemented at isolated instances, they have not led to any significant improvements in safety and health and efficiency on the mines. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the suitability of currently available and potential mining technologies for integration into a mining system that would have superior safety, health and efficiency. The ultimate aim of the investigation is to implement and evaluate the derived mining system in a trial stope which could evolve into a benchmark stope for the most common geotechnical conditions in the Witwatersrand goldfields and for certain Bushveld mines. The underground evaluation of the proposed system is envisaged as a follow-up project.