With the continuous advancement of technology and the growing demands of the mining industry, traditional manual blasting methods can no longer meet the need for efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly operations in open-pit mining. The emergence of intelligent blasting construction technology brings new opportunities and challenges to open-pit mining. By integrating information technology, automation, and artificial intelligence, intelligent blasting construction significantly improves mining efficiency and quality and reduces safety risks and environmental impact. So, how can we achieve intelligent blasting construction in open-pit mining?
Pain Points of Traditional Blasting Construction
Open-pit mining is one of the primary methods for extracting mineral resources and involves a complex and dynamic operational environment that demands high technical standards. In the past, blasting construction in open-pit mining mainly relied on manual labor and mechanical assistance. This approach had many drawbacks:
- Low Efficiency: The manual processes of drilling, loading explosives, and detonating are time-consuming and cumbersome, affecting the overall mining progress.
- Safety Hazards: The uncertainty and limitations of manual operations often lead to safety incidents such as flying rocks injuring workers or shockwaves damaging equipment.
- High Costs: The large amounts of labor, materials, and time invested result in high blasting construction costs.
Advantages of Intelligent Blasting Construction
Intelligent blasting construction technology addresses the pain points of traditional blasting operations. It utilizes advanced information technology, automation technology, and artificial intelligence technology to realize blasting construction’s precision, efficiency, and safety.
Improving Efficiency
- Automated Drilling: With RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) line layout technology, precise and efficient placement of blast holes is possible. The operator only needs to input blasting parameters in the control room, and the system automatically calculates the hole locations and guides the drill to perform the drilling operations, saving time.
- Intelligent Loading of Explosives: Intelligent mixing trucks automatically adjust the explosive ratios and loading amounts according to the blasting parameters, ensuring accuracy and consistency. The intelligent hole-following system can precisely locate blast holes for fast and accurate loading.
Enhancing Safety
- Precise Control: The intelligent blasting system accurately calculates the amount of explosives and detonation sequence based on rock explosiveness and blasting requirements. It effectively controls the spread and intensity of shockwaves and flying rocks, minimizing the impact on surrounding environments and personnel.
- Real-time Monitoring: By installing equipment such as vibration monitors and noise monitors, the impact of blasting operations on the surrounding environment can be monitored in real-time. Once abnormalities are detected, the system can immediately issue an alarm and take appropriate safety measures.
Reducing Costs
- Reduced Labor Input: Intelligent blasting construction significantly decreases manual labor requirements, reducing labor costs.
- Improved Equipment Utilization: Optimizing blasting parameters and operation processes enhances the efficiency and utilization of equipment, thus reducing equipment costs.
Core Technologies of Intelligent Blasting Construction
BP Neural Network for Rock Explosiveness Evaluation
The first step in intelligent blasting construction is evaluating the rock’s explosiveness. Traditional methods often rely on subjective experience, leading to uncertainty. The application of BP neural network technology offers a new solution for evaluating rock explosiveness. By inputting the physical and mechanical parameters of the rock mass, such as density and uniaxial compressive strength, the BP neural network can automatically learn and output the explosibility grade of the rock mass. It improves the accuracy and objectivity of the assessment and provides a scientific basis for the design of subsequent blasting parameters.
RTK Line Layout Technology for Drilling Operations
Drilling operations are a crucial part of blasting construction, and their accuracy directly affects the blasting results. Traditional drilling methods, like measuring with a tape measure or total station, can have large errors and low efficiency. The application of RTK line layout technology resolves this problem. By using satellite positioning, the RTK system can provide real-time 3D coordinates of blast holes, ensuring high-precision and high-efficiency drilling. It improves the blasting results and reduces labor intensity and safety risks for workers.
Smart Detection Vehicles and Mixing Trucks in Blasting Operations
In addition to the above core technologies, smart detection vehicles and mixing trucks are indispensable in intelligent blasting construction. Smart detection vehicles integrate various sensors like geological radars and laser scanners to detect rock layer distribution and geological structures in real time, providing data support for designing blasting parameters. Mixing trucks enable on-site mixing and automated loading of explosives, improving the precision and efficiency of loading. These two systems work together to further enhance the overall quality of intelligent blasting construction.
How to Achieve Intelligent Blasting Construction in Open-Pit Mining?
- Strengthen R&D and Innovation: Increase investments in the research and development of intelligent blasting technologies and encourage collaborations between enterprises and research institutions. Continuously improve technological capabilities through innovation.
- Promote Intelligent Equipment: Actively promote the application of intelligent equipment such as smart detection vehicles and mixing trucks. Through demonstration and policy support, facilitate their widespread adoption in open-pit mining operations.
- Enhance Talent Training and Recruitment: Focus on cultivating and recruiting professionals with backgrounds in intelligent blasting construction technologies. Provide training and education to improve employee skills while actively attracting top talent to support company development.
- Develop Standards and Management Systems: Establish a comprehensive set of standards and management systems for intelligent blasting construction. By creating relevant standards and guidelines, ensure the effective implementation of these technologies and procedures.
Conclusion
Achieving intelligent blasting construction in open-pit mining is an inevitable trend of technological development and a crucial path for transforming the mining industry into a safer, greener, and more efficient sector. By integrating IoT, big data, and artificial intelligence, an intelligent blasting system can significantly enhance blasting effectiveness, improve resource utilization, and minimize safety risks and environmental impact. With continuous technological innovations and expanding application scenarios, intelligent blasting construction will play an even more pivotal role in open-pit mining, leading the industry into a new era of intelligence and digitization.
