Development of Models for Fragmentation Prediction Based on Digital Image Analysis of Muck Piles in Large Opencast Coal Mines in India

摘要

Optimum fragmentation is essential to maintain the overall mining cost to minimum. Digital image analysis method of fragmentation assessment, which is simple, fast and quite reliable, has not only replaced other conventional methods but also largely facilitated the site engineers to optimise the fragmentation. The technique was used in three large opencast coal mines of India to the assess the blast fragmentation. The observations were used to develop empirical models for mean fragment size and uniformity index prediction in Indian geo-mining conditions. The models account for many important variables which were not considered in the available models.