A new rock cuttability index for predicting key performance indicators of surface miners

The key performance indicators of surface miners, namely production, diesel and pick consumption were considered for the overall operational and economic evaluation of surface miner deployment in Indian mines. The study was conducted in three coal and three limestone mines located in different parts of India. Seven models of surface miner of various makes were studied. The performance of surface miners can be judged better by utilizing the combination of intact rock and rock mass parameters, available machine specifications and operating conditions. Therefore, performance predictive models were developed by considering all these relevant parameters to estimate production, diesel and pick consumption per 1000 t using the rock cuttability index of surface miner. These developed statistical models were validated for different surface miners under varied geotechnical conditions. The study also covers the development of a rock cuttability index nomogram for quick estimation of production. The rock cuttability index values provide a better possibility to determine the machine performance as each parameter can be imitated.