Institute of Mining of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (Ekaterinburg, Russia):

Sokolov I. V., Head of Laboratory, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, e-mail: geotech@igduran.ru
Smirnov A. A., Senior Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences
Antipin Yu. G., Senior Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences
Baranovskiy K. B., Researcher

“Yakutniproalmaz“ Institute (Mirny, Russia):
Kulminskiy A. S., Deputy Chief Underground Mining Engineer

This article presents the technology of adjustment of reserves of transitional area of Udachny mine from open cast to underground mining. Extraction of reserves is carried out under ore or rock protective „bag“. Near-edge pillars of open pit, which form the upper part of area, are adjusted by sublevel caving system with front ore drawing by self-moving load-haul-dump machines with diesel engine drive with the sublevel height of 60 m. At the same time, only 30-40% of broken ore is extracted. The lower part of area, which includes pit reserves, is processed by the system of layer induced caving from one-stage extraction. Ore output is realized on areal trench bottom. At the same time, residual reserves of broken ore of upper sublevel are manufactured together with lower sublevel reserves. In this case, load-haul machines with electric drive are used for production and delivery of ore, which makes possible to decrease the required air amount significantly. There are presented the graphic schedules of ore extraction, according to which, reaching of project capacity of underground mine on the forth year of exploitation and its stable supporting are possible only with simultaneous working on two layers with high intensity of development and face-entry operations. This possibility is provided by mainly ore preparation of levels and application of combination cutting and loading machines.

1. Sokolov I. V., Smirnov A. A., Antipin Yu. G., Kulminskiy A. S. Gornyi Zhurnal — Mining Journal, 2011, No. 1, pp. 63–66.
2. Smirnov A. A., Sokolov I. V. Bezopasnost truda v promyshlennosti — Labor safety in industry, 2011, No. 4, pp. 36–39.
3. Rukovodstvo po proektirovaniyu, organizatsii i provedeniyu massovykh vzryvov na podzemnykh rudnikakh Vsesoyuznogo Proizvodstvennogo Obedineniya «Soyuzmetallurgprom» (Guidance for designing, organization and carrying out of mass explosions at underground mines of All-Union Production Enterprise „Soyuzmetallurgprom“). Novokuznetsk : Eastern Scientific-Research Mining Institute, 1982.