For mining operations to develop properly, it is essential that various mechanisms related to mine infrastructure are in place to support and ensure that the desired production is achieved. A good drainage project and the correct structuring of the sidewalk are some of these mechanisms that can bring gains, reduce costs, and provide greater safety to the operation.

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IMPORTANCE OF DRAINAGE PROJECTS FOR MINE OPERATION:

Drainage projects have the mission of collecting and adequately directing water from roads to natural or artificial outlets, or other retention systems. Their elaboration and execution are essential for mine roads, because one of the main reasons for wear and tear on these roads is due to erosion caused by surface runoff and the accumulation of water on the bed and margins. Thus, they aim for better working conditions, improve slope stability and protect surface and aquifer water.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A CORRECT SIDEWALK DESIGN:

Sidewalk design is the main focus of the structural project of a road, since it consists in defining the thicknesses of the layers that will compose the road. These layers must have a bearing capacity that resists rupture and does not present excessive deformation or wear, when subjected to load efforts due to equipment traffic. For this reason, their good dimensioning is essential for operational safety, besides minimizing the need for excessive maintenance.

PROBLEMS CAUSED BY THE ABSENCE OF A GOOD DRAINAGE SYSTEM AND INCORRECT SIDEWALK STRUCTURE:

The presence of water and a poorly structured sidewalk are potential factors for problems and losses in the operation, besides compromising operational safety and environmental control:

• Interference in slope stability;
• Drastic production reductions;
• Increased contamination in the ore;
• Increased operating costs;
• Greater need for maintenance of the road and the equipment on it.

POTENTIAL EARNINGS:

Well-designed mine accesses provide safer conditions, favoring the health and safety of those who travel on it. In addition, the more efficient the drainage and structuring of the sidewalk, the less maintenance interventions and subsequent adjustments will be required in the layers, which will consequently lead to lower maintenance costs and reduced damage to transportation equipment due to structural problems.

HOW CAN FAST2 MINE CONTRIBUTE TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEMS RELATED TO MINE INFRASTRUCTURE?

To assist in this mission, Mining Control provides a complete and real-time monitoring of operational indicators that are influenced by infrastructure problems, such as: machine utilization, asset availability, movement and average equipment failure time. In addition to having several features that make it possible to locate possible infrastructure problems and act proactively.

Check below some of these features that are useful in identifying infrastructure problems:

• Speed map that favors the identification and quick localization of problematic points in the transportation routes by analyzing the speed reductions of the operators;
• Registration of operational stop codes caused by infrastructure problems;
• Heat map that allows the recognition of the main routes taken by the equipment, route detours, and neglected temporary accesses, which are indicative of the existence of operational bottlenecks on ramps and accesses.
• Cycle recomposition map that facilitates the identification of low efficiency areas.

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