Modeling the Effect of Simultaneous Usage of Chainsaw Machine and Diamond Wire Cutting on the Productivity of Dimensional Stone Mines Using Discrete Event Simulation Approach

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Dept. of Mining Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Dimensional stones industry has a significant position in most countries for supplying materials required for civil and industrial projects. The most important issue for the optimal exploitation of dimensional stone mines is the effective management of the extraction process and production planning with the aim of enhancing production and productivity. Diamond wire cutting and chainsaw machine are usually utilized for the extraction of dimensional stone mines. Therefore, the management process for simultaneously application of them have a significant effect on the production and productivity of the mining operations. In this research, according to the performance of each machine in the mining operations, four scenarios were defined for cutting the stone blocks by employing the discrete event simulation approach. In this way, firstly, the time-related data of cutting rate of chainsaw machine, drilling length, and cutting surface of the diamond wire cutting in each shift for both vertical and horizontal orientations were recorded in Shayan mine, and a suitable probability density function was then fitted for each data series. Thereafter, four scenarios of different mining modes using diamond wire cutting and chainsaw machines had subsequently been simulated, assuming a single active bench face. In the first scenario, a diamond wire cutting was alone used to cut all three sides of the block. In the second scenario, in addition to the diamond wire cutting, a chainsaw machine was added to the mining process to cut the back face of the block. In the third scenario, in addition to the diamond wire cutting, a chainsaw machine was also added to the mining process to cut the bottom face of the block. In the fourth scenario, two chainsaw machines were used to cut both the back and the bottom of the block. Based on the results, the production rate for the first to fourth scenarios were 36, 95, 56.5 and 50 thousand tons in 300 working days, respectively. Therefore, the second scenario with the highest production rate and maximum productivity has been proposed as the best scenario for Shayan mine.

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References

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History

  • Receive Date: 18 April 2024
  • Revise Date: 27 December 2024
  • Accept Date: 28 December 2024

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