Undergraduate

Course Outline
MINE3430
Mining Systems
Session One, 2016

Dr Rudrajit Mitra
E: [email protected]
CONTENTS

1. INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURSE ........................................................................................2

2. AIMS, LEARNING OUTCOMES AND GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES ................................................3

3. REFERENCE RESOURCES .........................................................................................................4

4. COURSE CONTENT AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES .....................................................................5

5. COURSE ASSESSMENT ..............................................................................................................6

6. STUDYING A UG COURSE IN MINING ENGINEERING AT UNSW .............................................7

Document Management:
Filename: CourseOutline_MINE3430 _S1_2016
Date last update: 9 Feb 2016
Changes made by: Rudra Mitra
Revision number: V1.1

MINE3430: Mining Systems 1|Page

1. INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURSE

Course Code: MINE3430 Semester: S1, 2016 Level: UG Units/Credits 6 UOC

Course Name: Mining Systems

Course Convenor: Dr Rudrajit Mitra

School of Mining Engineering EMAIL: [email protected],
Contact Details
Old Main Building, Rm 159D Phone: +61 2 9385 5161
Contact times are scheduled for:
Contact times • Monday: 12 noon – 2 PM; Tyree LG07
• Wednesday: 10 AM – 12 noon; Red Centre M032

1.1. Course Description

This course presents a systems approach to the principles, design and application of the major surface
and underground mining methods together with the associated equipment, services and infrastructure.

1.2. Course Completion

Course completion requires:

• submission of all assessment items; failure to submit all assessment items will result in the
award of an Unsatisfactory Failure (UF) grade for the Course.

1.3. Assumed Knowledge

This course assumes that students have a good understanding of mining terms and descriptions, have
been exposed to surface and underground mining methods and are familiar with mining development,
operations and production.

1.4. Course Content

 Principles of systems engineering

 Mine services and infrastructure
 Surface mining methods
• Method selection
• Strip mining
• Open pit mining
• Highwall mining
• Solution mining
• Surface miners and other mining methods
 Underground mining methods
• Mine access and development
• Longwall coal mining
• Thick seam coal mining
• Bord and pillar coal mining
• Underground metalliferous mining method selection
• Room and pillar mining
• Cut and fill mining
• Sublevel stoping
• Narrow vein mining
• Caving methods

MINE3430: Mining Systems 2|Page

2. AIMS, LEARNING OUTCOMES AND GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES

2.1. Course Aims

The aim of this course is to provide students with the capability to select the appropriate mining
method, together with its associated equipment, services and infrastructure, for a given deposit.

2.2. Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Identify, assess and select mining methods appropriate to specific types of deposits;
2. Appraise mining methods with respect to productivity, safety, efficiency, risks, and
sustainability;
3. Describe and illustrate major mining methods and their related equipment, supporting
infrastructure, key performance drivers, and constraints;
4. Be conversant with the key principles of a systems approach to mining, and be able to
describe a mining operation in terms of an array of interrelated processes and systems;
5. Demonstrate awareness of the major technological trends in mining methods and
equipment.

2.3. BE (Hons) Program Learning Outcomes

1. Comprehensive, theory based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical

sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline.
2. Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer
and information sciences which underpin the engineering discipline.
3. In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline.
4. Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering
discipline.
5. Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering
discipline.
6. Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable
engineering practice in the specific discipline.
7. Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving.
8. Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources.
9. Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes.
10. Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and management of engineering projects.
11. Ethical conduct and professional accountability.
12. Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains.
13. Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour.
14. Professional use and management of information.
15. Orderly management of self, and professional conduct.
16. Effective team membership and team leadership.

2.4. Graduate Attributes

This course will contribute to the development of the following Graduate Attributes:
1. Appropriate technical knowledge
2. Having advanced problem solving, analysis and synthesis skills with the ability to tolerate
ambiguity
3. Ability for engineering design and creativity
4. Being able to think and work individually and in teams
5. Having Health, Safety, Environment and Community (HSEC) consciousness

MINE3430: Mining Systems 3|Page

3. REFERENCE RESOURCES

3.1. Recommended Texts

• Darling, P (ed.), 2011. Mining Engineers Handbook, 3rd edition, SME, Littleton, USA

3.2. Reference Materials

• Kininmonth, RJ and Baafi, EY, 2009. Australasian Coal Mining Practice Monograph 12, 3rd
edition, The AusIMM: Melbourne. ISBN. 0 978 1 921522 07 9.
• Hartman, HL, 2002. Introductory Mining Engineering, 2nd edition. Wiley, New York.
• Hustrulid, W and Kuchta, M, 2006. Open Pit Mine Planning & Design, Balkema, Rotterdam.
• Kennedy, BA (ed.), 1990. Surface Mining, 2nd edition, SME, Littleton, Colorado, USA. ISBN
0–87335–102–9.
• Noakes, M and Lanz, T. 1993. Cost Estimation Handbook for the Australian Mining Industry,
Monograph No: 20/ Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
• Hustrulid, WA, and Bullock, R. (eds.), 2001. Underground Mining Methods: Engineering
Fundamentals and International Case Studies, SME, Littleton, USA.
• Gertsch, RE and Bullock, RL (eds.), 1998. Techniques in Underground Mining, SME, Littleton,
USA.

3.3. Online Resources

Selected readings as well as other supporting material (e.g. course outline and lecture notes will be
made available on LMS.

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4. COURSE CONTENT AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES

4.1. Learning Activities Summary

Week Date Activity Hours Area Content Presenter

Course Introduction
29/02 Lecture 2 Generic RM
Introduction to Systems Engineering
1 Mine Services & Infrastructure
02/03 Lecture 2 Generic Surface vs Underground Mining - Method RM
Selection
Strip Mining – Introduction and Principles
07/03 Lecture 2 Surface Strip Mining – Draglines, Bucket Wheel Excavators
2 & Dozers RM
Mining
09/03 Tutorial 2 Tutorial 1 – Dragline Selection & Productivity
Open Pit Mining – Introduction and Principles
14/03 Lecture 2
Surface Open Pit Mining – Loading Equipment
3 RM
Mining Tutorial 2 – Open Pit Mining – Bench and Pit Slope
16/03 Tutorial 2
Geometry
Open Pit Mining – Truck Haulage
21/03 Lecture 2
Surface Highwall Mining
4 RM
Mining Tutorial 3 – Truck & Shovel Selection including
23/03 Tutorial 2
Haul Road Design
25/03 – 03/04 MID-SESSION BREAK
5 04/04 – 10/04 NON-TEACHING WEEK
Surface Miners
11/04 Lecture 2 Surface
6 Solution Mining & Other Mining Methods RM
Mining
13/04 Tutorial 2 Tutorial 4 – Truck Fleet Dispatch and TALPAC
Surface
18/04 Tutorial 2 Tutorial 5 – Systems Engineering RM
Mining
7
Surface Quiz 1
20/04 Lecture 1 RM
Mining Guest Lecturer (TBC)
Underground Mine Access & Development
25/04 Lecture 1 Underground RM
8 UG Coal – Introduction & Longwall Mining
Mining
27/04 Tutorial 2 UG Coal – Thick Seam Mining BH
UG Metal – Introduction
02/05 Lecture Underground RM
9 2 UG Metal – Method Selection
Coal Mining
04/05 Tutorial Tutorial 6 – Shaft vs Decline RM
Bord & Pillar Coal Mining and Room & Pillar Metal
Underground
09/05 Lecture Mining RM
Coal Mining
10 2 UG Metal – Cut & Fill
Underground
11/05 Tutorial Tutorial 7 – Longwall Mining RM
Metal Mining
UG Metal – Sublevel Stoping
16/05 Lecture RM
Underground UG Metal – Narrow Vein Mining
11 4
Metal Mining Tutorial 8 – UG Metal Mining Method Selection &
18/05 Tutorial RM
Stoping
23/05 Lecture Underground UG Metal – Caving Methods RM
12 4
25/05 Tutorial Metal Mining Tutorial 9 – Room & Pillar RM
30/05 Lecture 2 Tutorial 10 – Caving Methods RM
Underground
13 A2. Quiz 2
01/06 Quiz 1 Metal Mining RM
Guest Lecturer (TBC)

MINE3430: Mining Systems 5|Page

5. COURSE ASSESSMENT

5.1. Assessment Summary

All assessments are due 12 noon Sydney time on Monday of the week, unless otherwise indicated in
the table below.

Learning
Assessment Weight
Due date Method of Assessment outcomes
task (%)
assessed
Wk 7
A01. Quiz 1 20 Quiz on Surface Mining Systems 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
(Apr 20)

Wk 13 Quiz on Underground Mining

A02. Quiz 2 20 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
(Jun 1) Systems
On the same
A03. 10 tutorials for the complete
day of each 20 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Tutorials portfolio
session
A04. Final Jun 20, 2016 End of semester exam covering the
40 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Exam (2 PM) whole course

In addition to achieving an overall pass in the course, a student is required to achieve a

minimum mark of 40% in the final exam.

Please bring smartphone, tablet or notebook computer with wi-fi connection to all classes for
random on-line quizzes.

5.2. Tutorial Portfolio

Students need to submit their worked tutorials at the end of each session. Each submission will be
added to their individual portfolio. Marking of the tutorials will be based on the completeness of the
portfolio. The first 15 minutes of each tutorial will be used to discuss the previous tutorial’s solution.
Solutions of each tutorial will be given to students a week later and not on the same day.

The portfolio will be worth 20% of the total course marks.

MINE3430: Mining Systems 6|Page

6. STUDYING A UG COURSE IN MINING ENGINEERING AT UNSW

6.1. How We Contact You

At times, the School or your lecturers may need to contact you about your course or your enrolment.
Your lecturers will use the email function through Moodle or we will contact you on your
@student.unsw.edu.au email address.

We understand that you may have an existing email account and would prefer for your UNSW emails
to be redirected to your preferred account. Please see these instructions on how to redirect your
UNSW emails: www.it.unsw.edu.au/students/zmail/redirect_external.html

6.2. How You Can Contact Us

We are always ready to assist you with your inquiries. To ensure your question is directed to the
correct person, please use the email address below for:

Enrolment or other admin questions regarding your program: [email protected]

Course inquiries: these should be directed to the course convenor.

6.3. Computing Resources and Internet Access Requirements

UNSW Mining Engineering provides blended learning using the on-line Moodle LMS (Learning
Management System).

It is essential that you have access to a PC or notebook computer. Mobile devices such as smart
phones and tablets may compliment learning, but access to a PC or notebook computer is also
required. Note that some specialist engineering software is not available for Mac computers.

You can access the School’s computer laboratory in-line with the School laboratory access guidelines
and Class bookings.

It is recommended that you have regular internet access to participate in forum discussion and group
work. To run Moodle most effectively, you should have:

• broadband connection (256 Kbit/sec or faster)

• Chrome browser or FireFox
• ability to view streaming video (high or low definition UNSW The Box options)

More information about system requirements is available at www.student.unsw.edu.au/moodle-system-

requirements.

6.4. Accessing Course Materials through Moodle

Course outlines and support materials are uploaded on a Learning Management System (LMS) -
Moodle. All enrolled students are automatically included on the Moodle for each course. To access
these documents, please visit: www.moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au

6.5. Assignment Submissions

The School has developed a guideline to help you when submitting a course assignment. Please take
a closer look at all these details on our website: www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/mining-
engineering/assignment-submission-policy

We encourage you to retain a copy of every assignment submitted for assessment for your own
record either in hardcopy or electronic form. On a rare occasion, assignments may be mislaid and we
may contact you to re-submit your assignment.

6.6. Late Submission of an Assignment

Full marks for an assignment are only possible when an assignment is received by the due date. In
MINE3430: Mining Systems 7|Page
fairness to those students who do meet the assignment due date and time, deductions will apply to
submissions made after this time. Details on deductions that are automatically applied to late
submissions are available on our webpage: http://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/mining-
engineering/late-submissions

We understand that at times you may not be able to submit an assignment on time, and the School
will accommodate any fair and reasonable extension. We would recommend you review the UNSW
Special Consideration guidelines as soon as possible: https://student.unsw.edu.au/special-
consideration

6.7. Course Results

For details on UNSW assessment policy, please visit: https://student.unsw.edu.au/assessment

In some instances your final course result may be withheld and not released on the UNSW planned
date. This is indicated by a course grade result of either:

• WD – which usually indicates you have not completed one or more items of assessment
or there is an issue with one or more assignment; or
• WC – which indicates you have applied for Special Consideration due to illness or
misadventure and the course results have not been finalised.

In either event it would be your responsibility to contact the Course Convener as soon as practicable
but no later than five (5) days after release of the course result. If you don’t contact the convener on
time, you may be required to re-submit an assignment or re-sit the final exam and may result in you
failing the course. You would also have a NC (course not completed) mark on your transcript and
would need to re-enroll in the course.

6.8. Special Consideration

You can apply for special consideration through UNSW Student Central when illness or other
circumstances interfere with your assessment performance. Sickness, misadventure or other
circumstances beyond your control may:
• Prevent you from completing a course requirement,
• Keep you from attending an assessable activity,
• Stop you submitting assessable work for a course,
• Significantly affect your performance in assessable work, be it a formal end-of-semester
examination, a class test, a laboratory test, a seminar presentation or any other form of
assessment.

We ask that you please contact the Course Convenor immediately once you have completed the
special consideration application, no later than one week from submission.

More details on special consideration can be found at: https://www.student.unsw.edu.au/special-

consideration

6.9. Students Needing Additional Support

The Student Equity and Disabilities Unit (SEADU) aims to provide all students with support and
professional advice when circumstances may prevent students from achieving a successful university
education. Take a look at their webpage: http://www.studentequity.unsw.edu.au/

6.10. Academic Honesty and Plagiarism

Your lecturer and the University will expect your submitted assignments are truly your own work.
UNSW has very clear guidelines on what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. Plagiarism is using the
words or ideas of others and presenting them as your own. Plagiarism is a type of intellectual theft. It
can take many forms, from deliberate cheating to accidentally copying from a source without
acknowledgement. The University has adopted an educative approach to plagiarism and has
MINE3430: Mining Systems 8|Page
developed a range of resources to support students. All the details on plagiarism, including some
useful resources, can be found at https://www.student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism.

All Mining Engineering students are required to complete a student declaration for academic integrity
which is outlined in the assignment cover sheets. By signing this declaration, you agree that your work
is your own original work.

If you need some additional support with your writing skills, please contact the Learning Centre or view
some of the resources on their website: http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/. The Learning Centre is designed
to help you improve your academic writing and communication skills. Some students use the Centre
services because they are finding their assignments a challenge, others because they want to improve
an already successful academic performance.

6.11. Report Writing Guide for Mining Engineers

The School has a report writing guide (RWG) available for all mining engineering students.
View this website to download a copy of this guide: http://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/mining-
engineering//mining-engineering/sites/mine/files/uploads/MEA_ReportWritingGuide_2014_eBook.pdf

6.12. Continual Course Improvement

At the end of each course, all students will have the opportunity to complete a course evaluation
form. These anonymous surveys help us understand your views of the course, your lecturers and the
course materials. We are continuously improving our courses based on student feedback, and your
perspective is valuable.

We also encourage all students to share any feedback they have any time during the course – if you
have a concern, please contact us immediately.

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