Design of Mobile Facilities Used in Surface Mining Projects

Abstract

The surface-mining industry provides essential sources of energy in North America and has a major impact on the economy. Little information and few guidelines are available in current codes of practice to feed the engineering demands of the mining industry. Design of mobile mining facilities is a cost-effective concept that has recently evolved in the industry to increase production and meet market demands. This paper illustrates challenging issues that are encountered in the design of mobile structures that will be of interest to practicing engineers and construction contractors. A brief description is first provided to describe the major facilities used in surface mining plants. The economic aspects and cost savings that result from using mobile facilities are also highlighted. The transportation procedure and some of the major design requirements are briefly discussed. Recommendations are provided to compute the center of mass and the structural analysis procedure. The paper contains numerous industrial illustrations to aid the presentation and to describe the challenges encountered in the engineering and construction phases. Unfortunately, there are no design rules or guidelines available to practicing engineers for this type of heavy steel construction.