Computer simulation of underground truck haulage operations

A computer model of a decline truck-haulage system at Callie mine in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory, Australia, was developed with the use of the dynamic simulation package Planimate, produced by InterDynamics Pty, Ltd. The model was verified and validated as an accurate representation of the real system and then extended to investigate potential upgrades to the haulage operation. Simulation experiments were carried out with models in which standard 35-t trucks were replaced with a new design of 80-t underground truck and in which mining operations were extended to deeper zones of the orebody. The results indicate that high-payload underground trucks can match or exceed the productivity of a conventional truck system with reduced queuing problems. The truck queuing output from the models implies that the size and spacing of passing bays are crucial to the performance of a haulage system.