Mobile Safety Screen for Secondary Breaking

Research objective: Development and implementation of a mobile safety screen for secondary breaking. Research methodology: Analysis of secondary breaking of oversize boulders. Research results: blasting creates oversize chunks of rock (boulders) in the pit walls and floor, which affects the productivity of the pit and the mining operation as a whole. Open pit mines with large volumes of rock formations have to handle hundreds of cubic metres of boulders every day bearing significant labour and material costs of these activities. Various methods of boulder breaking are used in open pit mining, including electrical treatment, mechanical impact, blasting, etc. A common disadvantage of these techniques is their relatively low capacity. Out of all the applied methods, drilling and blasting of boulders is the most effective, but the use of this method is limited due to the use of various equipment, increased hazards and the presence of certain other disadvantages. The autonomous mobile safety screen has been developed to solve this bottleneck. The use of this safety screen enables breaking boulders using blasting techniques, reduces the size of the hazardous area, increases the efficiency of the air shock waves, prepares safety trenches in open pits and for road construction, prepares the rock mass for long-distance transport by road or railways. Conclusions: The use of this safety screen enables breaking boulders using blasting techniques, reduces the size of the hazardous area, increases the efficiency of the air shock waves, prepares safety trenches in open pits and, during road construction, prepares the rock mass for long-distance transport by motor and railroads.