METHOD FOR SELECTIVE MINING OF DIAMOND-BEARING ORES Russian patent published in 1998 - IPC

FIELD: mining industry. SUBSTANCE: this method is intended for opencast mining of mineral deposits made up of nonuniform rock matter at vertical dipping of ore bodies which are restricted in plan. This particularly relates to working kimberlite pipes. According to method, sections of ore mass are contoured, hard rock matter is loosened by drilling and blasting procedure, worked-out space is formed, and ore mass is dispatched. Loosening and dispatching of mass of valuable ores which are not very hard are carried out by means of rotary-type excavators. Ratio of loaded-out volumes of valuable ore which is not very hard and of ore of high hardness is from 0.75: 0.25 to 0.80:0.20. Content of ore lumps with size exceeding 200 mm in ore of high hardness must be not less than 5% in mass. Application of aforesaid method ensures increased productivity of mining operations and obtaining optimal size of lumps in ore mass. EFFECT: higher efficiency.