MiningServices

 

Mining for metals, coal, mineral sands or any commodity requires extensive infrastructure such as access roads, haul roads, rail, airports, ports, accommodation camps, stock pile yards, processing plants, tailings dams, heavy duty hardstands, buildings. In addition operating mines have heavy haul roads that can have a large impact on operating costs if not adequately maintained. Infra Tech ground and pavement solutions can reduce the cost of earthworks, foundations.

We add value to new infrastructure such as camp developments, light and heavy duty roads, stockpile yards, rails, pipelines, process plant and tank storage areas and many other components. Infra Tech can also improve operating infrastructure such as mine haul roads, soft tailings in tailings dams.

Pit to Port Consultancy Services

Infra Tech’s mine consultancy services covers the following areas;

  • Risk assessment, mitigation and management
  • Advanced geotechnical modelling
  • Advanced mine design and extraction sequencing, to optimise slope design
  • Design and development of slope support regimes for optimum excavation
  • Open pit and underground void interaction, i.e. mining through old workings
  • Data collection, interpretation and analysis
  • Hydro-geological evaluation and modelling, including recommendations for pit dewatering
  • Geotechnical Studies: Scoping, PFS, FS
  • Strategic design of slope monitoring systems and back analysis of data for pit optimisation purposes
  • Forensic review / analysis of pit slope failures
  • Review / formulation of ground control management plans
  • Mining methods and operation planning criteria
  • Workforce training and competency evaluation
  • Mentoring and skills transfer/ training
  • Open pit mine consulting
 

Construction Services

The construction services division can manage and deliver the following;

  • Ground improvement for mine infrastructure
  • Bulk earthworks by Deep Lift Compaction of earthworks at waste dumps, plant pads, haul roads
  • Haul road running surface management
  • Tailings consolidation
 

Ground improvement for new mine infrastructure construction

Our ground engineering solutions are applicable to Accommodation camps, Airports, Haul roads, Process plant, Tailings dams, heavy vehicle pads, workshop pavements and slabs reduced.

Ground improvement of existing materials allows the use of on site materials for earthworks and pavements. This is achieved by a variety of technologies ranging from HIEDYC, CDYC, Stabilisation, Soil mixing etc.

Once the ground is strengthened, foundation and pavements can be redesigned by our in house Engineering team who will work with the Client or their Engineers or Contractors to enable very economical foundation & pavement solutions.

Deep Lift Compaction for mine site earthworks:

Earth is the most common construction material, earthworks practices have not changed for 80 years, Infra Tech pioneered Deep Lift Compaction whereby the fill is palced in layers ranging from 800mm to 2m thickness and compacted by our HIEDYC Tria , HIEDYC Penta or HIEDYC Qadra compaction plant. The shape of the compaction plant, number of passes moisture requirements are all decided based on the type of materials, weather in the site area. The advantages are lower cost of compaction, greatly reduced water requirements for compaction, less emissions during compaction.

Keeping true to our motto of Aster, Stronger, Cheaper, Greener Infra Tech has developed Deep Lift Compaction for earthworks.

Earth is the most common construction material, earthworks practices have not changed for 80 years, Infra Tech pioneered Deep Lift Compaction.

Deep Lift Compaction means placing fill in loose layers of 1m to 1.5m at natural moisture content or near Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) and compacting these layers with HIEDYC Tria HIEDYC Qadra or HIEDYC Penta compaction modules. The shape of the module is selected based on the depth of fill, type of fill material and the level of strength to be achieved. Deep Lift Compaction by HIEDYC will save water for compaction( upto 70% reduction in compaction water can be expected), save emissions associated with compaction (reduction of upto 60% can be expected) and will leave a fill that has a much higher bearing capacity and modulus.

 

Haul road improvements in operating mines

By Improving Haul roads, a reduction in rolling resistance in achieved this has numerous advantatges including; increased tyre life, reduced manatine consts, redusing operational costs. Therefore the saving produced by haul road improvement are significant.

How and Why?

Several factors contribute to the operating cost of a mining operation. Some of these costs are:

  • Tyre cost
  • Haul fleet operation and maintenance cost
  • Drilling costs
  • Building up of dumps
  • Operator injuries

Tyre and haul fleet operation costs are influenced by the

  • Geometry of haul roads
  • Tyre management
  • Plant maintenance
  • Operator training

The above factors are addressed adequately by well designed and managed mines.

Three other important factors that also need to be recognised and managed are;

  • Properties of materials on the running surfaces
  • Strength of the running surface (for maximum performance from tyres and haul fleet)
  • Smoothness of the running surfaces(for increasing operator safety and reducing truck damage)

HIEDYC compaction is applicable for

  • Haul Roads, and Ramps on soft ground
  • Hard rock surface on rock dumps & pit floors

HIEDYC is a cost effective tool for haul fleet operational cost reduction and safety improvement delivering value for money through a Total Solution Approach.

 

Mine tailings Consolidation & Strengthening

Mining tailings are disposed in tailings dams and ponds. Tailings ponds can be as deep as 40m. Most tailings are very soft with a dried crust of 0.5m. Rehabilitation of the tailings ponds normally requires placement of fill, landscaping and similar works. However the trafficking the tailings and placing the fill is not always possible due the very low ground strength. Infra Tech personnel bring more than 40 years of soft ground treatment experience to the Mining Industry to offer mine tailings consolidation and strengthening.

Volume reduction for tailings dams volume reduced, strength increased can use the same area for packing is more tailings, water recovery as well

Techniques used range from HIEDYC, CDYC, PVD, Soil mixing, Stone Columns

Our techniques include

  • Electro osmosis
  • Band Drains
  • Dynamic Consolidation
  • Vacuum consolidation

Our services include Investigations of the tailings characteristics, formulating solutions and executing the strengthening using specialised in house equipment capable of traversing very low strength ground.