Improvement of mining procedure at steep slope

Abstract

Some limestone limestone quarries in Japan require technical improvements to their mining procedure, especially at steep slopes .
One of the critical concerns in mine scheduling is to define when these steep slopes need to be mined, and to plan how they can be mined safely.
Large equipment can be used to dig the edge of steep slopes, but it must be ensured the safety of the operation and protect against rock block failure.
Blasting may also be used, but it must be controlled to ensure the wall and block stability.
Une mine operation has been using pre-split blasting with ANFO to conform to the design line of the final wall.
This pre-split blasting technique can limit blast energy transmission, reduce vibration and protecting the final wall from the damage of main production blasts.
At the slope side, which is also steep, pre-split blasting techniques will reduce the risk of slope instability and rock mass failure.
However different methods may be required depending on geological structure conditions and mine scheduling requirements.
The author has applied pre-split blasting techniques and combined its usage with large equipment for the steep slope mining.