Abstract

HOLCK, C. et al. Technical and economic assessment of subsurface rock mass deformation and pore pressure monitoring using a network of wireless devices. J. S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall. [online]. 2018, vol.118, n.11, pp.1217-1223. ISSN 2411-9717.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/2018/v118n11a12.

Steepening of slopes provides the means to reduce waste extraction and increase ore recovery in open pit mines; however, it may also adversely affect safety by posing a higher risk of slope failure. The implementation of slope monitoring programmes is recommended to manage this risk inherent in steeper slopes. In this paper, the design and evaluation of monitoring campaigns to measure subsurface deformation and groundwater pore pressure in open pit mines is presented. The monitoring programmes were applied to a theoretical case of an open pit mine designed using DeepMine software (BOAMine SpA, 2015). Mine plans were developed based on the initial base case scenario with monitoring programmes considered for four types of monitoring instrumentation: two established technologies, in-place inclinometers (IPIs) and vibrating wire piezometers (VWPs); one emerging technology, the ShapeAccelArray (SAA); and a novel technology under development, the Enhanced Networked Smart Markers (ENSMs). Technical and economic appraisals of the monitoring programmes and sensitivity analysis of the developed mine plans showed that using ENSMs spaced every 4 m had the lowest cost per unit of data gathered.

Keywords : open pit optimization; slope stability; subsurface deformation monitoring; pore pressure; ENSM technology.

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