1
24-041
Fleet Efficiency Evaluations for Optimal Cycle Times Through
Various Blast Designs in the Sorted Geological Formation Under
Constrained Operating Conditions
Venkata Aneesh, Kona
Pike Industries (A CRH Company), Belmont, NH
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the desired blast fragmentation results
associated with mining fleet performance at Sidney Quarry
of Pike Industries, A CRH Company by reducing cycle
times and hauling less oversize material generated from the
blast to the crusher to increase the overall plant through-
put. We are constrained with blast patterns due to the
poorly sorted and fractured seams in the quarry, which is
angled at 35° NE and dipping at 80° and runs parallel to
the Interstate-95 highway on the east of the quarry bound-
ary about 600 ft, making it challenging to alter the blast
patterns for optimal yield.
We evaluated multiple relationships between blast
patterns in conjunction with loader diggability. Results
analyzed include the digging hours, fleet cycle times, and
the fragment size with the optimized blast design through
3GSM software to arrive at the optimal yield to maximize
the crusher throughput.
Our primary objective is to focus on safety with effi-
cient cycle times and clean floors &clean face generation
for better operational efficiencies. Secondly, to optimize the
crusher yield which is an integral part of quarry operation.
Further, this paper provides the utilization of 3GSM blast-
ing techniques in quarry applications with computer vision
fragmentation analysis and VizaLogix, a fleet management
software to analyze the cycle times sampling.
INTRODUCTION
The Sidney Plant, which produces ~650k tons/year
(590k metric tonnes/year) supporting its vertically inte-
grated asphalt plant for federal and state DOT projects,
and local communities, is in Kennebec County, Maine,
approximately 10 miles (18 kilometers) north of the state
capital Augusta, and adjacent to the major east coast high-
way Interstate-95.
The stone is mined from the quarry by using conven-
tional hammer drilling and non-electric blasting techniques
and transported to the three staged crushing/grinding plants
by a truck-loader mining fleet. A total of approximately
65k tons (59k metric tonnes) of waste material is mined
each year at about a 0.1-unit waste to 1.0 unit of produc-
tion rock. Quarry waste and overburden stripping ratios are
expected to increase in the future and an optimal drill and
blast program is very important to keep mining costs and
productivity meeting the goals. A total of approximately
60 percent of the raw ingredients used in the Asphalt plant
come from this quarry.
GEOLOGY
The rock type in the Sidney quarry is a Silurian rock of
the Waterville Formation (Oshberg, 1968). The Quarry
and the asphalt plant are mainly interested in mining gray
pelite and quartzite wacke for aggregate production. In the
future, the plan is to also mine the gray limestone (part of
the formation) with 1-inch thick phyllite (Oshberg, 1968)
interbedded in lower lifts on the west side of the quarry.
Skow is the name of the lowest lift and is currently
under development. It gets its name from the contact line
where the two stone units are mined together and named
after a former Pike employee. The current pit consists of
one bench with varied terrain, leaving the uneven bench
height being 50–85 feet (15–25 meters).
The rock mass is extensively faulted and fractured. The
fractures can be readily observed in the quarry highwalls.
24-041
Fleet Efficiency Evaluations for Optimal Cycle Times Through
Various Blast Designs in the Sorted Geological Formation Under
Constrained Operating Conditions
Venkata Aneesh, Kona
Pike Industries (A CRH Company), Belmont, NH
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the desired blast fragmentation results
associated with mining fleet performance at Sidney Quarry
of Pike Industries, A CRH Company by reducing cycle
times and hauling less oversize material generated from the
blast to the crusher to increase the overall plant through-
put. We are constrained with blast patterns due to the
poorly sorted and fractured seams in the quarry, which is
angled at 35° NE and dipping at 80° and runs parallel to
the Interstate-95 highway on the east of the quarry bound-
ary about 600 ft, making it challenging to alter the blast
patterns for optimal yield.
We evaluated multiple relationships between blast
patterns in conjunction with loader diggability. Results
analyzed include the digging hours, fleet cycle times, and
the fragment size with the optimized blast design through
3GSM software to arrive at the optimal yield to maximize
the crusher throughput.
Our primary objective is to focus on safety with effi-
cient cycle times and clean floors &clean face generation
for better operational efficiencies. Secondly, to optimize the
crusher yield which is an integral part of quarry operation.
Further, this paper provides the utilization of 3GSM blast-
ing techniques in quarry applications with computer vision
fragmentation analysis and VizaLogix, a fleet management
software to analyze the cycle times sampling.
INTRODUCTION
The Sidney Plant, which produces ~650k tons/year
(590k metric tonnes/year) supporting its vertically inte-
grated asphalt plant for federal and state DOT projects,
and local communities, is in Kennebec County, Maine,
approximately 10 miles (18 kilometers) north of the state
capital Augusta, and adjacent to the major east coast high-
way Interstate-95.
The stone is mined from the quarry by using conven-
tional hammer drilling and non-electric blasting techniques
and transported to the three staged crushing/grinding plants
by a truck-loader mining fleet. A total of approximately
65k tons (59k metric tonnes) of waste material is mined
each year at about a 0.1-unit waste to 1.0 unit of produc-
tion rock. Quarry waste and overburden stripping ratios are
expected to increase in the future and an optimal drill and
blast program is very important to keep mining costs and
productivity meeting the goals. A total of approximately
60 percent of the raw ingredients used in the Asphalt plant
come from this quarry.
GEOLOGY
The rock type in the Sidney quarry is a Silurian rock of
the Waterville Formation (Oshberg, 1968). The Quarry
and the asphalt plant are mainly interested in mining gray
pelite and quartzite wacke for aggregate production. In the
future, the plan is to also mine the gray limestone (part of
the formation) with 1-inch thick phyllite (Oshberg, 1968)
interbedded in lower lifts on the west side of the quarry.
Skow is the name of the lowest lift and is currently
under development. It gets its name from the contact line
where the two stone units are mined together and named
after a former Pike employee. The current pit consists of
one bench with varied terrain, leaving the uneven bench
height being 50–85 feet (15–25 meters).
The rock mass is extensively faulted and fractured. The
fractures can be readily observed in the quarry highwalls.