Causes and Methods of Reducing Dilution at the Seabee Mine

Open stope mining is one of the most commonly used mining methods in Canada because of the strong
rock types of the Canadian shield, high production rates and the high extraction ratios associated with
this mining method. However, dilution associated with this mining method can add significant costs to
mining. This research looks at factors that may especially influence the dilution associated with
narrow veined orebodies. These factors include:
? induced stress changes,
? blast damage
? undercutting
Induced stress changes may weaken the rock mass prior to mining and blast damage as well as
undercutting could play a factor in stope dilution. It is difficult to obtain good blast fragmentation in
narrow vein mining, without using a high explosive concentration. These factors will be coupled with
established empirical design methods for assessing stope performance.
Through quantifying the above design parameters, this study aims to improve the prediction of open
stope dilution for narrow veined orebodies.

Faculty Supervisor:

Doug Milne

Student:

Partner:

Claude Resources Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

University:

University of Saskatchewan

Program:

Accelerate