Summary

This review describes the current state of technology of the equipment and technical processes involved in shovels and excavators in open pit and underground mine operations. Topics covered include suppliers of shovels and related equipment, the types and varieties of shovels and excavators available on the market, the cost and technical characteristics of shovels and excavation equipment and operation, jobs and employment involving the design, procurement, operation, and maintenance of shovels and excavators at mines.

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INTRODUCTION

You have drilled the rocks and maybe blasted too. Time to pick it up and put it in a truck. Or maybe you have soft soil and rock and can simply dig away. Either way you need a shovel. A case history for proof:

Ore production at Bingham Canyon is approximately 100,000 metric tons per day. With a waste-to-ore stripping ratio of 3:1, this calls for drilling, blasting, and removing an average of 400,000 tons of material per day, using power shovels with 5 to 20 m3 capacity dippers, rail cars of 65 to 80 metric-ton capacity, and trucks designed to haul 60 to 140 metric tons of ore and rock. Shovels of this size require a bench at least 30 m wide. Heights of bench faces range from 4 to 8 m in weak rock and from 15 to 20 m in moderately strong rock.

Here is a brief review of the technology and equipment used in excavation: SHOVELS.

If you have more recent and relevant information about shovels than appears in this review, please contact us gregf@infomine.com or jcaldwell@infomine.com and help us spread the word and keep the users of InfoMine informed & up-to-date.