Industry Survey on the Current State of Stope Design Methods in the Underground Mining Sector

Abstract

Stope design is a core discipline within mining engineering. This study analyzes the current state-of-the-art of stope design through a survey addressed to mining industry professionals. In stope design research the dominance of empirical methods has slowly shifted towards numerical methods. Recent advancements have mostly focused on the development of stope optimization algorithms. The survey consisted of 19 questions and was distributed to stope design experts via email, LinkedIn messages, and the Mining Industry Professionals network forum. In total, 36 responses of satisfying quality from 20 countries were received and analyzed. No dominance of a single stope design method was recognized. Empirical methods and personal expertise are still used widely. However, a readiness for change in stope design practice was indicated in 87% of responses. The current needs of the stoping-based underground mining sector are to increase the amount of geotechnical data, automate stope design and implement related software, and integrate these into general mine planning. According to 70% of the participants, acquired geotechnical data should be available within three days to be employed in design practice. The industry is ready to implement more efficient stope design methods if they offer results proven in case studies.

Optimisation of Three-Dimensional Stope Layouts Using a Dual Interchange Algorithm for Improved Value Creation

“…Janiszewski et al [19] stated that the benefits to be realised from an algorithm must be showcased by case studies, hence the approach to use four different scenarios in this paper. The four scenarios demonstrated the robustness and benefits of using the DIA compared to the MSO for the stope layout optimisation problem.…”

Stope Structural Parameters Design towards Green and Deep Mining: A Review

“…Underground stope design involves determining the geometric shape and size of underground stopes, which play a crucial role in safe production and have economic benefits [1][2][3]. Designing the stope structural parameters entails tackling a complex optimization problem involving numerous decision variables [4,5], which include the occurrence of the ore body, geological structures [1,6,7], rock mass quality [8,9], mining-induced ground pressure [10][11][12], the ore loss rate, the dilution rate [13,14], and the required production capacity of the mine, among others [15,16].…”