DRILL BIT MONITORING AND REPLACEMENT OPTIMIZATION IN OPEN-PIT MINES

Since 2012, low commodity prices have forced many mining companies to suspend or cease operations. To remain in business, some mine managers are exploring strategies reduce operational costs. Given its importance as a cost element, increasing bench drilling efficiency and performance open-pit mines has the potential generate considerable savings. Efficiency gains can be realized by monitoring operation, analyzing data with statistical tools optimizing variables. Finding best configuration of controllable parameters would help increase penetration rate optimize drill bit replacement time so that fewer bits consumed. In this paper, optimal tricone is formulated minimization problem solved genetic algorithm (GA). demonstrate proposed approach, effects variables on experimentally quantified methods used for optimization. Results show approach determine mines.