Industries & applications / Primary breaking in quarries / Rock mining without blasting
Rock mining without blasting
Rock mining with heavy-duty hydraulic breakers might be not feasible in every quarry.
For operations with an output of up to 600,000 tpy, feasibility studies should be carried out to show whether the use of heavy-duty hydraulic breakers represent an economic alternative to drilling & blasting.
Higher annual volumes may require additional mining units.
Arguments to use hydraulic breakers for primary breaking:
Enhancing productivity
- by allowing continuous operations without interruptions for blasting and clearing
- by obtaining the optimal yield from the approved mining volume
- be reducing the load on the primary crusher, as preliminary reduction is effected by the hydraulic breaker
- be increasing the primary crusher output
- by allowing more flexible planning
Minimizing costs
- by reducing the security outlay required to store explosives
- by downsizing or completely eliminating the primary crusher
- be enabling the use of continuous conveying systems
- be simplifying approval procedures with authorities
Improving quality
- by reducing the amount of fines and thus increasing sales revenue in cases where minimum grain sizes are specified
- by reliability controlling grain size distribution
- by allowing reproducible qualities
- by allowing the selective mining of deposits
Reducing environmental pollution
- by eliminating blasting emissions
- by simplifying the mining of existing resources
- by simplifying the restoration of the site upon closure
- by protecting the surrounding rock
Improve safety
- by avoiding flying rock
- no closing off required
Videos
- Interview with Prof. H. Tudeshki, Clausthal Technical University, Germany
- Developments within the mining and minerals industry
- Requirements on minerals today
- Hurdles when establishing and exploiting new deposits
- Alternatives to conventional extraction methods
- Preconditions for alternative extraction methods
- Economical competitiveness of explosive-free methods
For more information about Hydraulic breakers in mining applications, go to Atlas Copco Print shop and search for reference 3390 0513 01.
