GPR-Driven Geomechanical Modeling and Drill-Blast Optimization for Enhanced Efficiency in Open-Pit Gold Mining
Almenov T. Zhanakova R. Shautenov M. Askarova G. Agybayev N. Assylkhanova S.
November 2025Salehan Institute of Higher Education
Civil Engineering Journal (Iran)
2025#11Issue 114602 - 4634 pp.
This study seeks to raise the operational efficiency and economic return of the Vasilkovskoye open-pit gold mine by integrating real-time ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) monitoring, geomechanical modeling, and digital optimization of drilling-and-blasting parameters. Continuous GPR scanning identified hazardous fracture zones that were subsequently characterized in DIPS and RS2 to model slope stability, while ShotPlus-based blast simulations and OrePro 3D displacement modeling guided the redesign of hole spacing, charge distribution, and delay timing. Fragmentation quality was verified with high-resolution photogrammetry and correlated to blast design through statistical analysis; a comparative techno-economic assessment quantified cost and dilution differentials between conventional and optimized schemes. The integrated workflow established a robust predictive link between blast geometry and fragment size, reducing oversize generation by 17% and ore dilution by 9%, while increasing gold grade in mill feed from 0.84 g t⁻ ¹ to 0.94 g t⁻ ¹. GPR-informed hazard mapping eliminated unplanned wall failures, and the revised pattern lowered specific explosive consumption without compromising fragmentation, cutting total unit costs by 8%. Unlike previous studies that treat slope stability and blasting as separate tasks, this study couples deformation dynamics with blast design in a single digital loop, offering a transferable framework for automation-ready, risk-aware mine planning at complex geological sites.
Digital Mine Planning , Drill-And-Blast Optimization , Geomechanical Modeling , Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) , Open-Pit Gold Mining , Rock Fragmentation
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Satbayev University, Almaty, 50013, Kazakhstan
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Joint-Stock Company “Altynalmas”, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Satbayev University
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Joint-Stock Company “Altynalmas”
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
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