Modern Solution for Fast and Accurate Inventorization of Open-Pit Mines by the Active Remote Sensing Technique—Case Study of Mikoszów Granite Mine (Lower Silesia, SW Poland)

Abstract

Mining industry faces new technological and economic challenges which need to be overcome in order to raise it to a new technological level in accordance with the ideas of Industry 4.0. Mining companies are searching for new possibilities of optimizing and automating processes, as well as for using digital technology and modern computer software to aid technological processes. Every stage of deposit management requires mining engineers, geologists, surveyors, and environment protection specialists who are involved in acquiring, storing, processing, and sharing data related to the parameters describing the deposit, its exploitation and the environment. These data include inter alia: geometries of the deposit, of the excavations, of the overburden and of the mined mineral, borders of the support pillars and of the buffer zones, mining advancements with respect to the set borders, effects of mining activities on the ground surface, documentation of landslide hazards and of the impact of mining operations on the selected elements of the environment. Therefore, over the life cycle of a deposit, modern digital technological solutions should be implemented in order to automate the processes of acquiring, sharing, processing and analyzing data related to deposit management. In accordance with this idea, the article describes the results of a measurement experiment performed in the Mikoszów open-pit granite mine (Lower Silesia, SW Poland) with the use of mobile LiDAR systems. The technology combines active sensors with automatic and global navigation system synchronized on a mobile platform in order to generate an accurate and precise geospatial 3D cloud of points.

Mining Technologies Innovative Development: Economic and Sustainable Outlook

“…Wajs et al [18] presented an innovative method for obtaining and integrating digital data for the accurate inventorying of surface mines, including the physical and technical parameters of overburden and mineral, mining and geometric data on its occurrence and mine workings, the boundaries of support pillars and buffer zones, the success of mining operations in relation to established boundaries, the impact of mining operations on the land, documentation of the hazards of landslides and the environmental impact of mining operations, etc. The implementation of the author's method is presented in the form of the results of a measurement experiment carried out at the Mikoszów granite surface mine (Poland) using mobile LiDAR systems, combining sensors with automatic and global navigation on a mobile platform, which generates a precise 3D cloud of geospatial points.…”

Development of a Hydraulic System for the Automatic Expansion of Powered Roof Support

“…This issue also applies to the mining industry of solid, liquid and gaseous minerals, which is expected to intensify production while minimizing negative impacts on the environment [4][5][6]. This determines the conduct of research and the search for new solutions-both in terms of improving the reliability of machines [7][8][9][10] and optimizing production processes [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] as well as improving work safety [18][19][20][21][22] and caring for the environment [23].…”

Numerical Study for Determining the Strength Limits of a Powered Longwall Support

“…Currently, the dynamically developing area of automation and robotization of machines in accordance with the idea of modern technologies [1][2][3] brings about changes in the processes of their design and production. These changes force producers to use modern methods and techniques [4][5][6], influencing the improvement of safety and reduction of costs and time [7][8][9].…”