EA043086B1 - CONVEYOR FOR MATERIAL, SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MOVING MATERIAL - Google Patents

Description

The field of technology to which the invention belongs

This invention relates to a material conveyor, system and method for moving material from a job site. The invention relates in particular to a conveyor for overburden or minerals, and to a system and method for handling overburden or minerals, for example for use in open pit mining. The material conveyor, system and method are further configured to classify the transported material.

State of the art

In mining operations such as open pit coal mining, significant amounts of material must be handled and removed from the job site. First, a large volume of material, known as overburden, must be removed and disposed of before gaining access to the minerals of interest. Then the minerals of interest must be removed.

For large scale overburden/mineral removal operations, earthmoving machines such as draglines can be used as the primary carrier tools to move material. These machines were developed on a huge scale.

Using material handling machines to load trucks is another common way. Trucks can then be used to transport the mined mineral to a large mineral processing plant located elsewhere in the mine. While loading a truck with a material handling machine is not always as cost-effective as removing overburden or minerals with a dragline, it provides more flexibility in removing overburden or minerals.

Problems associated with loading a truck by means of a material handling vehicle include those associated with ensuring full and efficient loading of an individual truck, as well as those associated with the essentially periodic process of filling individual trucks.

In particular, the process, which requires the truck to return to its original position before being filled, to be filled by the material handling machine, and then drive out, requires the excavation operation to be periodically suspended when the truck is not present. The material handler may not be adequately equipped to efficiently distribute the overburden/mineral in the truck. The relatively large loading capacity of the loading/unloading machine, say 100 tons, and the consequent relatively small number of loadings of the loading/unloading machine, which may therefore be sufficient to fill a truck, make it difficult to achieve 100% filling efficiency.

Each of these factors may tend to mean that loading a truck with a material handling vehicle is relatively inefficient both in terms of truck loading efficiency and handling volumes.

Various devices are known for converting batch input to a more continuous output. For example, it is known to use pump conveyors provided with a material receiving apron suitable for receiving material, such as overburden or mineral, at the job site, and an endless conveyor positioned between the material receiving apron and a remote discharge end to cause the material received to be moved. on the material receiving apron, to guide to the discharge end and unload. If the relative capacities of the intake apron and the endless conveyor are properly calculated, it is possible to convert the batch input into a relatively more continuous output.

Moreover, the use of large trucks to transport raw material to a large mineral processing plant located elsewhere in the mine is becoming less and less attractive due to the large amount of fuel they consume during operation and additional maintenance costs. e.g. due to tire wear. As a result, in some cases it may be desirable to provide a mobile processing plant that can move around the mine during mining and perform at least some initial processing functions, and in particular the function of grading the mined mineral to a reduced size suitable for further processing. An example of such an installation is described in WO 2008032057.

To maximize the production of processed mineral, it may be desirable to maintain a continuous supply of recovered mineral to the mobile processing plant so that downtime is reduced to a minimum. This can be achieved by adjusting the feed end of the mobile processing plant to match the typical feed rate of the material handling machine so that it functions as a pump conveyor. Alternatively, the entire mobile processing plant may be designed to have redundant capacity so that it can handle the batch feed from the material handling machine.

In the context of the present invention, an ore can be considered as a rock or other solid material from which one or more economically valuable minerals and, in particular, metals can be commercially extracted. Typically, various levels of target minerals such as metals are found in material recovered from mine workings or quarries. Generally speaking,

- 1 043086 material from which economically advantageous amounts of target minerals can be extracted can be considered as economically useful ores, and materials that do not contain such target minerals in economically recoverable amounts can be considered as waste. Before further processing in a targeted mining operation, it is generally necessary to separate the economically useful ore from the waste.

Whether in the case of an excavated mineral or after such initial processing and sizing, for example, it is now common practice to transport all excavated material from a mining site or quarry that may contain useful ore away from the mining site to a processing plant where it is sorted. and evaluated for further processing.

Such material is likely to include ores with higher grades and significant recoverable amounts of the target mineral, lower grade ores with more economically marginal recoverable amounts of the target mineral, and wastes, including non-economic ores (i.e., ores without economically recoverable levels of the target mineral). ) and other waste.

At a concentrator remote from a mining or quarrying site, household ore is processed to extract the target mineral, and waste is disposed of accordingly.

Such a process is inherently wasteful of transportation resources, as potentially much of the material transported from the mining or quarrying site to the processing plant may end up being discarded as waste. Thus, there is a general desire to reduce the amount of material that will eventually be classified as waste because it does not contain economically recoverable amounts of the target mineral from the mined product for transport before such mined product is transported to the processing site.

A further complication is that the classification of material between at least two broad categories of ore and waste may vary. In this context, ore ultimately means material from which the amount of the target mineral or minerals is present at a level that makes recovery economically viable, and waste includes material in which such mineral is absent or present in an amount below an economically recoverable amount. Since what constitutes an economically recoverable amount depends on a number of variable factors, some of which, in particular economic factors, may constantly change over time, an overly rigid classification of the waste to be disposed of is not necessarily desirable. A degree of flexibility is desirable in classifying ores with lower grades and higher marginal recoverable amounts of target minerals.

The present invention addresses one or both of the aforementioned problems in a manner that is further compatible with the general desire to maintain efficient and flexible throughput of mined material, and which is preferably further compatible with a system that maximizes throughput by providing a continuous supply of recovered mineral to the system. loading trucks directly or through a local processing facility such as a mobile sorter.

In a particular case, the present invention is directed to a screening solution for further processing of a mining or quarrying material product that includes a range of target mineral concentrations, including higher grade ores, lower grade economically marginal ores, and waste, thereby reducing unnecessary transportation. unnecessary part of the product, where possible.

The essence of the invention

According to the invention, in a first aspect, there is provided a material conveyor plant, comprising a conveyor device having:

a material receiving end configured to receive material, such as overburden or site material;

a material unloading end remote from the material receiving end;

a material conveying system disposed between the material receiving end and the material unloading end so as to, in use, cause material at the material receiving end to move towards the material unloading end;

a scanning system comprising a scanning device arranged to scan the material moving towards the material unloading end and obtain a response from the material, according to which the material can be classified into at least two classes, including at least a waste class and a usable ore class, based on the answer

a chassis supporting the conveyor device and the scanning device;

a transport cart supporting the chassis and configured to move the chassis over a surface for movement in use.

Preferably, the scanning system further comprises a classification module for classifying the material into at least two classes, including at least a waste class.

- 2 043086 and the class of usable ore, based on the response of the scanning device.

The device according to the invention is specifically designed to carry out material classification at or near a mine or quarry, in particular in that it provides continuous operation and off-the-shelf automation. The key to the invention is that the installation is mobile. At least the conveyor device and the scanning device are mounted on the chassis, and the transport cart supporting the chassis is configured to allow the mobile unit to move across the deployment surface in use. Other elements of the scanning system, such as the classification module, can also be mounted on the chassis and form part of the mobile unit. Alternatively, they may be fully or partially remotely provided with a suitable data link to receive and process said response from the scanning device and perform said classification.

The invention is a mobile unit with at least dual functionality in that it receives material at the receiving end, for example in normal operation of a material handling machine, having a bucket adapted to lift material and move material from a working front, and transports it to the material unloading end, where it can be unloaded onto an additional transport vehicle for further processing, for example, at a remote site, but it further classifies the material at least between a waste class and a useful ore class. Based on this classification, different handling decisions can be made and, for example, materials of the respective classes can be distributed differently for further transportation. Increased flexibility is provided by implementing the feeding device and at least the scanning device in a mobile installation deployed at the workplace.

To achieve this dual functionality, the invention requires at least a conveyor device having a material-receiving end, a material-discharging end remote from the material-receiving end, and a material-transporting system located between the material-receiving end and the material-discharging end; and further requires a scanning device located at a suitable point relative to the conveyor device to scan the material being conveyed to the material unloading end.

The material conveying system includes one or more conveyor devices. For each conveyor fixture, any suitable conveyor means may be used. Optionally, each conveyor fixture may comprise an endless conveyor, such as an endless belt conveyor. Optionally, each conveyor fixture may include any or all of the following: drive means; control means for controlling drive parameters, including travel speed.

In an exemplary embodiment, the material conveyor plant according to the first aspect of the invention is a simple single conveyor design in which the material conveying system is configured to move material received at the material receiving end directly to the material discharge end. In such an embodiment, the material conveying system, for example, comprises one or more endless conveyors, such as endless belt conveyors, for conveying material received at the material receiving end directly to the material unloading end.

Alternatively, the material conveying system may comprise a plurality of conveyor means arranged in series to convey material received at the material receiving end to the material discharge end.

The material conveyor installation may, for example, be a transport conveyor, a lift conveyor, a wave conveyor, or a combination of more than one such function. For example, a material conveyor installation may be in the form of a wave conveyor feeder and include an endless belt conveyor or apron feeder.

The material conveyor plant according to the first aspect of the invention may further comprise one or more material processing modules configured to perform a material processing operation as the material moves from the material receiving end to the material unloading end. Said material processing module or modules may include a crusher or calibrator to separate the pieces of material into smaller pieces of a preferred size for further processing. In such an embodiment, the material conveying system, for example, comprises a plurality of conveyor means, each of which, for example, comprises one or more endless conveyors, such as endless belt conveyors, arranged in series to convey material received at the material receiving end through a material processing module. or modules to the material-unloading end.

A scanning device positioned to scan material being conveyed to the material discharge end may be suitably placed adjacent to the material conveying system and, for example, suitably located proximate its endless conveyor to scan the material as it travels to the material discharge end. When,

- 3 043086 when the material conveyor installation according to the first aspect of the invention comprises one or more material processing modules, the scanning device can be suitably positioned relative to such modules to effect the desired classification.

The plant according to the invention is particularly suited to classify material by binary classification into a waste class in which target mineral levels are below economically recoverable levels to be excluded from supply for further processing, and a useful ore class in which target mineral levels are above an economically recoverable level. , for acceptance and transfer for further processing. In this case, there are exactly two classes, including waste and useful ore. However, the invention is equally applicable to classifying a material into multiple classes associated with the level of target mineral in each such class.

The scanning system includes a scanning device configured to scan a mineral and monitor some response from it, the response being chosen to characteristically vary depending on the proposed classification. In particular, a response is chosen that characteristically varies depending on the level of one or more target minerals present in the material and, as a consequence, characteristically varies depending on the quality of the ore, where the quality in this context means the economic recoverability of the target mineral. In particular, a property that is constantly changing is preferably selected.

The scanning system and, where applicable, the classification module of the scanning system is preferably configured to classify material into at least two classes based on predetermined classification boundaries between said at least two classes, for example, based on a variable response as described above, whereby the predetermined boundaries between classes may be adjusted so that they may be changed by the user from time to time, for example, to account for economic factors such as material prices.

Thus, especially when using a scanning device that scans continuously changing properties, the classification of material into different classes and, for example, into two broad categories of useful ore and waste, can be made, and can be carried out in such a way that in the preferred embodiment, allows you to change the distinction between definitions of classes and, for example, between definitions of useful ore and waste, over time, for example, taking into account economic factors such as material prices.

A suitable scanning device may include one or more signal emitters for emitting a signal in the direction of the material as it passes through the scanner, and one or more signal detectors for detecting a signal response generated by the material after the emitted signal interacts with it. In particular, the scanning device may include one or more emitters and one or more electromagnetic radiation detectors, and, for example, may include one or more gamma ray emitters and one or more gamma ray detectors.

The scanning system includes a scanning device for scanning the material being conveyed to the material unloading end and monitoring some response from it. A scanning device may be located in close proximity to the material transport system to scan the material as it is transported to the material discharge end and monitor some response from it. Alternatively, a scanning device may be located at or behind the material discharge end to scan the material after it has been moved to and beyond the material discharge end and monitor some response from it.

Typically, the scanning device may need to scan material for a predetermined data collection time in order to obtain a signal.

In a possible more complete embodiment, the material transport system may include a scanning conveyor comprising a first conveyor section for transporting material into and through the scanning system and a second conveyor section for transporting material from the scanning system to a delivery point, the second conveyor section being configured as to have a combined transport speed and length to deliver material to a delivery point after at least a predetermined collection time. If sorting capability is provided, the delivery point may be a sorter, as described below. If this is not possible, the delivery point may be the discharge end of the material transport system.

In an exemplary arrangement, the endless conveyor of the material conveying system may be configured to constitute such a first conveyor portion, or such a first conveyor portion and a second conveyor portion. Alternatively, a separate scanning conveyor may be provided downstream of the discharge end of the material conveying system to receive material directly or indirectly from the material conveying system.

A key feature of this embodiment is the provision and configuration of a second conveyor section that transports material away from the scanner. For practical purposes, any detection system, and in particular known detection systems using electromagnetic technology, requires data acquisition time to determine the appropriate classification. Combined conveying speed, capacity, length, etc. of the second conveyor section are preselected to result in a transport time between the scanner output and the delivery point that is at least this predetermined acquisition time.

In this way, the process can be fully automated and thus particularly adapted to work at or near a mining or quarry site.

A suitable acquisition time may be at least 15 s and possibly at least 30 s. A suitable data collection time may preferably be no more than 2 minutes, and more preferably no more than 1 minute. The second conveyor section is conveniently configured to have a combined conveying speed and length, for example to deliver material to a delivery point at the end of such a predetermined collection time.

The scanning conveyor system includes a first conveyor section and a second conveyor section. Optionally, the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section may be configured as discrete and separate first and second conveyor devices, optionally of different manufacture and/or operating at different speeds, capacities, orientations, etc. In other cases, the first conveyor section and the second conveyor section may be respective first and second portions of a single conveyor fixture, such as being an endless conveyor of a material conveying system.

In a possible more complete embodiment, the installation preferably further comprises a material sorter associated with the scanning device and, for example, under the control of the classification module of the scanning system, and configured to physically separate the material classified in each one of the mentioned classes from the material classified in each other of the specified classes.

Preferably, the sorter is also mounted on a chassis so that it forms part of a single mobile unit.

A feature of many mineral deposits is that they are stratified so that higher quality ore is not randomly distributed but tends to occur in such strata with lower quality ore/waste strata in between. Thus, when material extracted from such a deposit is passed through the plant according to the invention, there will be a gradual change in ore quality rather than a random distribution of high quality ore and waste. The plant according to the invention is particularly suited to the efficient continuous processing of such distributions of ore, since it switches between one classification and another with a gradual change in quality.

The sorter is configured to physically separate the material classified in each one of the mentioned classes, for example, by means of a classification module, from the material classified in each other of the mentioned classes.

In an embodiment, the sorter is a binary sorter adapted to physically separate material classified into only two classes, such as a classification module, said classes being, for example, economic ore accepted for processing and waste rejected for disposal. Other embodiments may be adapted to sort across more classes.

The sorter, for example, includes a material inlet for receiving material and a plurality of material outlets, including at least one outlet corresponding to an outlet intended for material classified in each of the above classes, for example, by a classification module, and further comprises a selective diverter for diverting material from an inlet to a corresponding outlet according to its classification, for example by means of a classification module. The selective diversion system may include one or more flaps for selectively diverting material within the selective path sorter from an inlet to a respective outlet, selectively opening covers for the respective outlets, selectively controlled internal conveyors, and the like. In an exemplary embodiment, the separator comprises a closure device that can selectively open only one of the respective outlets at a time.

Optionally, the sorter is located in an elevated area and uses at least some of the force of gravity to ensure that the material passes through the appropriate outlets. In such a case, at least part of the material conveying system is a lift conveyor that lifts material from a first height, such as substantially ground level, to a second height where the sorter is located. Optionally, at least the second conveyor portion of the scanning conveyor is a lift conveyor that lifts material from a first height where the scanner is located to a second height where the sorter is located.

This allows the use of physical separators that use increased height to

- 5 043086 material sorting by gravity. In an exemplary embodiment, each outlet includes a chute through which material can fall, and the separator includes a gate that can selectively pass material through only one of the respective chute at a time.

Advantageously, the plant according to the invention is mobile and can be deployed and moved at the workplace to facilitate the movement of material, such as overburden or mineral, from the working surface to a further conveying system for transport for further processing, for example, to a remote site, and its classification by means of scanning system before further transportation.

Thus, in accordance with the invention in a second aspect, a system for moving material, such as overburden or mineral, from a job site comprises:

a material handling machine having a bucket configured to lift material and move material from a working front;

a material conveyor station according to the first aspect of the invention, arranged to receive material discharged from the bucket into a material receiving end of the material conveyor station and transport it to a material discharge end of the material conveyor station;

a further conveying system disposed to receive material from the material unloading end of the feeder.

A further conveying system is positioned to receive material from the discharge end of the material conveyor plant according to the first aspect of the invention, which has been classified by the material conveyor plant at least between a waste class and a usable ore class and optionally between a large number of classes correlated with the level of the target mineral in each such class. Based on this classification, the materials of the respective classes can be distributed differently for further transport.

Where possible, a separate further conveying system may be provided for receiving materials classified in each one of the specified classes, separately from materials classified in another of the specified classes.

If possible, the sorter described above is configured to distribute the material classified in each one of the mentioned classes into such, respectively, separate further conveying systems.

The further transport system may comprise one or more transport carts, each of which includes a material transport volume positioned to receive material from the material discharge end of the feeder. The further transport system may include one or more ground conveyors, each of which is designed to receive material from the material unloading end of the feeder.

In the event that the further transport system includes one or more transport carts, the system according to the second aspect of the invention preferably includes a sensor system for detecting the fill level when the cart is filled. Conveniently, the plant according to the first aspect of the invention includes a sensor system for detecting the fill level when the truck is full in use. Conveniently, such a sensor system is configured to interact with the conveyor control system to cause the material conveyor system to stop when it is determined that the truck is full, allowing an empty truck to be replaced. The capacity of the material receiving end is preferably such as to ensure continuous operation of the material handling machine during this period.

Additionally or alternatively, in the case where the further transport system includes one or more transport trucks, the system in accordance with the second aspect of the invention and conveniently the installation in accordance with the first aspect of the invention includes a sensor system for determining the distribution of cargo within the truck. Conveniently, such a sensor system is configured to be compatible with the conveyor control system so that the conveyor unit more evenly distributes the material in the transport volume of the truck.

The use of sensors can be advantageous in some cases, for example in facilitating process automation. However, in a possible alternative mode of operation, manual signaling can be used as an alternative to sensors to monitor fill levels and fill distribution.

In accordance with the invention in a third aspect, a method for moving material, such as overburden or a mineral, from a work site includes providing a conveyor installation for the material, comprising a conveyor device having:

a material receiving end configured to receive material, such as overburden or site material;

a material unloading end remote from the material receiving end;

material transport system located between the material receiving end and

- 6 043086 material unloading end so as to cause the movement of the material at the material receiving end towards the material unloading end when used;

a scanning system comprising a scanning device arranged to scan the material moving towards the material unloading end and obtain a response from the material, according to which the material can be classified into at least two classes, including at least a waste class and a usable ore class, based on the answer

a chassis supporting the conveyor device and the scanning device;

a transport cart supporting the chassis and configured to move the chassis on a surface for movement in use;

moving the conveyor unit into position on the working front on the job site;

lifting material from the working platform;

transferring material to a material receiving end;

transferring material to a material unloading end of the conveyor installation such that the material is moved to and through the scanning device;

operating a scanner to scan the material and monitor a response from the material, and thereby classify the material into at least two classes including at least a waste class and a usable ore class based on the response.

More specifically, the method may include:

provision of material handling machine at the work front;

moving the material conveyor installation to a position where the material receiving end is adjacent to the material handling machine;

positioning a further conveying system for receiving material from the material-discharging end of the conveyor device;

selection of material from the working front by means of a bucket of a material handling machine;

transferring material from the bucket of the material handling machine to the material receiving end;

transporting material to the discharge end of the conveyor device and, as a result, to a further conveying system.

The method includes classifying the material between at least a waste class and a usable ore class, and optionally between a wide variety of classes correlated with the target mineral level in each such class.

Thus, the method is a method of sorting the material product recovered from mining/quarrying to at least separately classify ore from waste and optionally to separately classify more classes related to the target mineral level in each such a class.

Preferably, the method includes performing classification after a predetermined data collection time.

Thus, preferably, the method includes using a scanning system comprising a scanning device and a classification module to classify the material into at least two classes, including at least a waste class and a useful ore class, based on the response;

moving material from mining/quarrying to and through the scanning system;

after at least a predetermined collection time, classifying the material into each of said classes by means of a classification module.

Preferably, the method further comprises sorting the materials into appropriate classes.

Preferably, the separating step is carried out by a suitable sorter and, for example, comprises moving material from a scanning system to a sorter, with the material not being delivered to the sorter until a predetermined collection time has elapsed;

controlling the sorter, for example, in controlling communication with the classifying module, to physically separate the material classified in each one of said classes from the material classified in each other of said classes.

Preferably, the method further comprises different distribution of materials into respective classes for further transport.

Optionally, a separate further conveying system may be provided for receiving materials assigned to each one of said classes, for example by means of a classifying module, separately from materials assigned to each other of said classes.

If possible, a sorter is provided, as described above, for distributing the material,

- 7 043086 classified in each of the mentioned classes, according to such respective separate further transport systems.

The further transport system may comprise one or more transport trucks, each of which includes a material transport volume positioned to receive material from the material unloading end of the feeder. The further conveying system may include one or more ground conveyors, each of which is designed to receive material from the material unloading end of the feeder.

The method is preferably a method using the apparatus according to the first aspect or the system according to the second aspect, and the preferred features of each aspect will be understood to be interchangeable by analogy.

In the preferred use of the plant according to the first aspect of the invention, the preferred system according to the second aspect, or the preferred method according to the third aspect, the material receiving end of the material conveyor can be positioned for supply and can be fed with material such as overburden/mineral directly from the material handling machine. . The material discharge end of the material conveyor installation may be positioned for supply and may feed material such as overburden/mineral directly to a truck or other conveying system.

Alternatively, the supply of material such as overburden from the bucket to the receiving end of the material conveyor and/or the supply of material such as overburden/mineral from the discharge end of the material conveyor to the truck or other further conveying system may be indirect in the sense that that it passes through intermediate equipment. For example, in an exemplary embodiment or use, a calibrator or other material processor may be positioned between the material handling machine and the receiving end of the material conveyor and process material passing between the material handling machine and the receiving end. Thus, the system and method can be configured to process raw or calibrated material and is not limited to a particular size of material.

The material receiving end of the material conveyor installation is, for example, a material receiving hopper. The material receiving hopper may have a capacity and/or shape generally corresponding to the capacity and/or shape of the material transport volume of the truck or other further transport system for which it is intended to be used.

The material conveyor installation can be configured as an inclined conveyor feeder by providing an endless conveyor positioned between the material receiving end and the discharge end to, in use, cause material received at the material receiving end to move towards the material discharge end. An endless conveyor is, for example, an endless belt conveyor or an apron feeder.

The material conveyor is provided with a chassis supporting the material conveyor and a transport cart supporting the chassis and adapted to allow the chassis to move across a deployment surface in use. Thus, the material conveyor is designed to be used as a mobile conveyor and classifier.

The transport cart in an exemplary embodiment includes one or more ground contact transport devices configured to move the chassis over the ground in use. For example, the transport cart may include a pair of parallel driven tracks in contact with the ground.

In an exemplary embodiment, the transport cart may include a pair of parallel, separately driven tracks in contact with the ground and one or more controls for selectively driving respective said tracks at different speeds to control the transport cart.

In an exemplary embodiment, the chassis may be rotatably supported on the transport cart to allow rotation of the chassis and the conveyor unit thereon relative to the transport cart.

The loading and unloading machine is also desirably mobile. For example, a material handling machine may include a mounting chassis, a transport trolley, and a driving device as described above.

In a possible application of the invention in the context of moving material, such as overburden or mineral, using the principles of loading a truck by means of a material handling machine, a material conveyor according to the first aspect of the invention may be located between a material handling machine, such as an overburden rock or mineral to a material receiving end and, for example, to a material receiving hopper, as well as to a truck into which material such as overburden or mineral is fed from the material unloading end.

- 8 043086

The three distinctive features of the material conveyor system according to the first aspect of the invention serve to facilitate more efficient handling of material in a truck loading/handling system.

First, the combination of a material receiving station and a conveying system, which may be a continuous conveyor for moving material to a material discharge end, means that the material conveyor installation in an exemplary embodiment can be readily adapted to function as an equalizing conveyor. As a result, the discontinuous batch feed from the material handling machine at the material receiving end can be converted to a more uniform continuous feed at the discharge end.

This contributes to a more even loading of the truck and increases the likelihood of achieving load levels close to 100%. In addition, by appropriately designing the container for the apron area of the hopper at the material receiving end, it is possible to continue feeding the apron by the loading/unloading machine, whether the truck is immediately on site or not, increasing the average throughputs.

Alternatively, the material conveyor may simply be oversized to allow batch loading.

Secondly, the transport trolley supporting the chassis on which the material conveyor unit itself is located makes the unit mobile so that it can be brought into and out of the desired working position as needed, interacting with the movement of the work front and the movement of trucks, for improve work efficiency.

Thirdly, it allows the classification of materials and, in the preferred case, additional sorting of materials at the production site.

An advantage of applying all aspects of the invention to truck loading/handling is that at least a portion of the material transport system can function as a mobile feeder positioned between the material handling machine and the truck. This contributes to a more even loading of the truck and increases the likelihood of achieving load levels close to 100%. For example, fill levels of greater than 90% and more preferably at least 95-98% are achievable, which is typically not achievable with batch filling using conventional loader filling protocols. The capacity of the perforating feeder can be designed to match the cycle time of the material handling machine so that the material handling machine operator cannot overload it, ensuring efficient continuous operation of the material handling machine.

As long as this mobile pulsating conveyor or feeder according to the first aspect of the invention is provided for use between a material handling machine and a truck in the system and method of the second and third aspects of the invention, the material handling machine and the truck may themselves be of conventional known design.

If the device according to the invention is to be optimized for sequential classification, it is generally desirable that the regenerated material passing through the scanning system be of a constant and suitable size. Accordingly, the apparatus of the present invention preferably further comprises a mineral sizing module having a mineral outlet located upstream of the scanning system in a material transport direction, wherein the material transport system is configured to deliver graded mineral from the mineral outlet to and through the scanning system.

Suitable calibration technology is well known, and in particular can be easily provided at a mining or quarry site, either by being built into a mobile plant according to the first aspect of the invention, or by a separate mobile or static device. Preferably, the installation according to the first aspect of the invention includes a calibrator.

The desired piece size may be, for example, less than 250 mm, more preferably less than 150 mm. The calibrator according to the invention is conveniently designed for this piece size. The plant calibrator of the present invention preferably further comprises a mechanism for removing fine particles from the extracted material.

The technology of mineral calibrators is well known. Such an apparatus typically comprises at least two crusher drums having crusher teeth protruding outwards therefrom and generally substantially radially arranged side by side with parallel axes in a common housing. For example, such drums may have relatively large teeth cooperating with opposing drums to break the mineral chunks. Opposite drums are usually configured to rotate in opposite directions, but are not limited to this, and can rotate in any direction. Examples of such a device are described in general terms in EP0096706. The calibrator, for example, contains at least two crushing drums, each of which has teeth extending around the circumference, protruding from it outwardly from the drum body and, for example, essentially radially, the drums being rotatably mounted and their axes

- 9 043086 are parallel. The rotation of the at least two drums causes the mineral to be caught between the respective teeth and break, in particular by being caught and split.

In a preferred modification, at least some of the teeth on the drum are arranged with a gradual relative offset. That is, the rotational position of each such tooth is displaced relative to its neighbor. Thus, the engagement point for a given particle size gradually moves in the longitudinal direction and distributes the load across the drum during use. For example, the teeth are arranged to define a series of discrete, circumferentially spaced, translational and, for example, helical formations extending along the drum, such a term being understood to encompass a longitudinal row of teeth with translational offset causing the teeth in the row to spiral around the drum, whether in a strictly mathematical spiral or part of it, or otherwise.

Preferably, the teeth on at least a pair of adjacent drums are arranged in discrete helical formations extending along each drum. Preferably, the axial positions of the drums are arranged such that, during rotation, each tooth of the helical formation on one drum protrudes towards and, for example, into the gap between adjacent teeth of the helical formation on the other drum.

In a possible embodiment, the teeth on each drum are conveniently arranged in circumferential groups of teeth, with the groups of teeth on one drum located between adjacent groups of teeth on the other drum, and the teeth on at least one of said pair of drums are located so as to form a series of discrete, circumferentially spaced translational and, for example, helical formations extending along the drum as described above.

The plant of the present invention preferably includes a mineral calibrator module having any combination of the above features.

The calibrator preferably includes a fines outlet that discharges smaller product material and, for example, has a fines sorter such as a fines sieve that facilitates removal of the smaller product from the calibrator.

The calibrator preferably includes a bulky outlet which facilitates removal from the calibrator of bulky product that has not crumbled to the desired size.

Thus, the calibrator discharges material above the minimum size and below the maximum size, with the respective minimum size and maximum size selected as appropriate for subsequent classification and processing steps. Pieces of material smaller than the specified minimum size are removed by unloading the fines. Pieces of material larger than the specified maximum size are unloaded by unloading oversized material.

The calibrator is configured to receive extracted material from a mining site or quarry through the calibrator inlet. In particular, the calibrator has a continuous supply of recovered material. Accordingly, it is preferred that the plant further comprises a calibrator feeder for continuously supplying recovered material to the calibrator inlet.

The calibrator feeder, for example, has a material receiving end having a material receiving end suitable for receiving a material product at a work station;

a material unloading end located remotely from the material receiving end;

an endless conveyor disposed between the material receiving end and the material unloading end to, in use, cause the material received at the material receiving end to move towards the material unloading end.

The calibrator feeder, for example, includes an apron feeder/surge loader.

In use, it is assumed that the feeder is located between a batch loading system, such as a material handling machine, feeding mined or quarry product to a material receiving area, and a calibrator inlet that is continuously supplied with material product from the material discharge end.

In such a preferred case, the calibrator is embodied in a calibrator module which forms part of the mobile installation according to the first aspect of the invention, located in front of the scanning system in the material transport direction and having a material receiving end of the calibrator module and, for example, a hopper that can be supplied directly from the loading unloading machine, and having a mineral outlet that passes the sorted mineral forward in the direction of material transport to the scanning system. Such a combined setup is usually advantageous.

Alternatively, a separate calibrator may be provided upstream of the plant according to the first aspect of the invention in the material transport direction to receive the material, such as overburden, directly or indirectly from the handling machine, to calibrate it and pass through the mineral outlet, which passes the sorted mineral forward in the direction of conveying the material to the plant according to the first aspect of the invention.

- 10 043086

Brief description of the figures

In the drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention:

fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a conveyor plant of the first aspect of the invention in an example of use with another plant, thereby constituting an embodiment of the system of the second aspect of the invention and illustrating an embodiment of the method of the third aspect of the invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment of a conveyor plant of the first aspect of the invention in an example of use with an alternative arrangement of another plant, thereby constituting an alternative embodiment of the system of the second aspect of the invention and illustrating an alternative embodiment of the method of the third aspect of the invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment of a conveyor plant of the first aspect of the invention in an example of use with an alternative arrangement of another plant, thereby constituting an alternative embodiment of the system of the second aspect of the invention and illustrating an alternative embodiment of the method of the third aspect of the invention;

in fig. 4 and 5 show alternative schemes for the delivery of calibrated, classified and optionally sorted material for further transportation.

Description of Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

Various embodiments of the conveyor installation according to the first aspect of the invention are shown as an example of use in the figures.

In FIG. 1 shows a possible system that implements the principles of the second aspect of the invention, in which the conveyor installation is in the form of a simple conveyor with a scanner to perform the classification function. The mobile feeder 5, constituting an exemplary embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, and the truck 15 are shown sequentially from left to right. The system may use alternative transportation to a truck, such as involving ground conveyors, without deviating from the principles of the invention. In FIG. 2 the system shown in FIG. 1 is modified by equipping the mobile feeder with a material sorter after the scanner.

In the arrangement in FIG. 3 conveyor installation includes a mobile sorter of minerals. In FIG. 4 and 5 show alternative schemes for delivering calibrated, classified and optionally sorted material for further transportation.

Trucks are shown in all cases, but the system may use alternative onward transport to trucks, such as involving overland conveyors, without deviating from the principles of the invention. In all cases, loading using a material handling machine is discussed, but other means of loading, such as draglines, may be used without departing from the principles of the invention.

Another alternative additional processing facility may be provided here or elsewhere in the system without departing from the principles of the invention, or such additional processing facility may be omitted entirely, as shown in FIG. 1 and 2.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the conveyor plant comprises a simple conveyor 5 with a scanner 6 for performing a classification function. Preferably, in the embodiment, the conveyor installation is in the form of a pump feeder, but this is not a requirement of the invention.

The overburden/mineral material is removed by a mobile material handling machine in a conventional manner (not shown, but similar to that shown in FIG. 3). In the preferred mode of operation, it is fed directly into the rock drill 5 from the bucket of the mobile material handling machine directly into the bin 7 of the perforation feeder 5. The overburden/mineral material is fed by the material handling machine directly or indirectly into the bin 7 in the apron area of the expansion feeder 5. It is transported along the endless conveyor belt 9 to the unloading end 11, where the truck 15 is waiting to take it into its cargo volume 16.

The installation is mobile due to the fact that it is mounted on a chassis 12 and has parallel tracks 13 in contact with the ground.

The installation is additionally characterized by the presence of a scanner 6, which performs the function of classification. The scanner 6 is located partly along the conveyor belt 9 in a suitable position to receive a response from the material as it passes along the belt. The scanner has a sensor, which is, for example, a gamma ray sensor, which is known to the person skilled in the art to be useful for automatic sorting of various ores. The gamma ray sensor, for example, includes one or more gamma ray emitters and one or more gamma ray detectors.

The material to be classified passes through the scanner 6 and the detection zone of the sensor and moves further along the endless belt conveyor 9. It serves as a scanning conveyor, the first section of which transports the material to and through the scanner, and the second section transports the material further to the discharge end 11. This second section conveyor serves not only for

- 11 043086 material transportation, but also requires at least a predetermined time to complete. The scanner sensor will take data acquisition time to make the necessary determination.

A suitable acquisition time may be, for example, at least 30 seconds. The conveyor 9 operates at a length and speed which together are selected to provide at least this collection time as the material passes from the scanner 6 to the discharge end 11.

The scanner may include a classifier or have remote communication with a remote classifier. The classifier may classify the material into at least two classes, including at least a waste class and a useful ore class, based on the scanner response. At the very least, the class of the material being loaded into truck 15 can be known.

In FIG. 2 shows a development of the variant shown in FIG. 1, which has a generally similar design up to the discharge end.

The overburden/mineral material is fed into the feeder 115 from the bucket of the mobile material handling machine into the hopper 117 of the expansion feeder 5. It is conveyed along the endless conveyor belt 119 to the discharge end 111. The plant is mobile due to the fact that it is mounted on a chassis 112 and has parallel tracks 113 interacting with the earth. The scanner 106 performs a classification function.

However, in this case, two trucks 115, 125 are waiting to receive material in their respective cargo volumes 125, 126.

The installation is characterized by having a separation module 119 at the discharge end 111 for performing a sorting function in addition to the classification function.

The material passes through the scanner 106 and the sensor detection zone and is transported along the endless belt conveyor 109 to a separation module containing a physical material separator. It serves as a scanning conveyor, the first section of which transports the material into and through the analysis module, and the second section transports the material further to the separator. This second conveyor section serves not only to transport the material, but also to obtain at least a predetermined collection time as the material passes from the sensor to the separator.

In the preferred embodiment, the conveyor 105 is a lift conveyor and the separator 119 is located above the level of the scanner. This allows the use of physical separators that use increased height to sort material under gravity.

The slope at which the belt will operate will depend on the length of the belt as well as the height required to load the hopper. The gradient can affect the way the material is transported to the separator. In the case of a slope between 0 and 9°, a conventional grooved belt can be used. For a slope of 1020°, a chevron grooved belt should be used. For slopes greater than 20°, the use of a special lifting strap should be considered.

In an embodiment, it is envisaged that the material will be binary sorted into one of two classes, for example, accept and reject, which will represent an economically useful ore from which economically recoverable quantities of the mineral can be obtained, and waste, since they do not contain such economically recoverable quantities. mineral. The first truck 115 receives the first and the second truck 116 receives the second. Other vehicles may be used.

The physical separator 119 operates under the control of the scanner 116 and directs the material to one or the other of these trucks depending on the response of the sensor. In an exemplary embodiment, the physical separator comprises a closure device that can selectively open one or the other of the two openings respectively feeding the trucks. For example, the physical separator may include individual trays through which material can fall into trucks, respectively, and a gate that selectively opens one and closes another of said trays under control of the analyzer in response to a signal detected by a sensor.

It is envisaged that the plant according to the present invention will be used and the method according to the present invention will be carried out at or near a mining or quarrying site, so that the waste does not need to be transported any significant distance, but only the economically useful ore needs to be transport for further processing. A particular advantage of the design is that the classification parameters of the scanning system can be adjusted to produce a variable classification between economically useful ore and waste, which can thus take into account factors such as economic factors that may vary over time.

The specifications of the final plant will vary depending on each individual application. So the concept needs to be scalable across different quarries and locations. Design components will be modular to facilitate this.

As an example of the use of FIG. 1 and 2 illustrate the truck loading operation. In such a case, the conveyor installation is preferably designed as a pump feeder.

The material handling machine and trolley(s) may be of conventional construction. 12 043086 Surface mining operations are constantly looking for more flexible solutions to match truck and material handling capacity and processing speed, and in particular to improve fill level accuracy and efficiency. In direct loading systems where a loader such as the one shown in the embodiment loads the truck directly batch by batch, the trucks rarely reach 90% load and there may be a typical loading rate of say 6000 t/h when the loader could in principle have a capacity of 10,000 t/h due to delays in changing each truck. The pulsating feeder according to the present invention is an excellent solution.

The feeder in the embodiments is located between the loading and unloading machine and the trolley(s). The surge feeder can continuously process the surface rocks/minerals from the material handling machine and load them into the truck. The mobile design of the feeder allows the truck to move near the outlet end of the feeder, eliminating the need for it to return to a position directly adjacent to the excavator. This potentially improves the driving efficiency of the truck.

An embodiment provides a perforated feeder that is movable so that it can move with the material handling machine, allowing the material handling machine to operate at maximum capacity, and which further classifies and preferably sorts material as the truck is loaded. The surge feeder is located between the material handling machine and the trolley and therefore can continuously process the overburden/minerals supplied by the material handling machine, either directly to the apron area or indirectly through intermediate processing equipment. The equalizing feeder can be moved along the tracks and rotated on the chassis, allowing it to be optimally positioned for gradual loading of trucks. The truck must never return to its original position. He can simply position himself nearby. The capacity of the surge feeder is larger than that of the material handling machine, so the material handling machine can work continuously.

Truck loading via surge feeder offers potential efficiency benefits for a number of reasons. More stable continuous operation enables more uniform loading for higher fill levels and avoids the impact effect of 100 tonne batches being dropped onto a truck bed.

The benefits of such a system may include the following potential efficiency savings:

maximum work volume due to improved truck fill factors;

savings on operating costs by reducing unnecessary truck operations; reduced wear and damage to trucks;

cleaner and more precise work in the processing area with the possible increase in the life of truck tires due to cleaner pit floors;

preventing damage to truck bodies by loading buckets.

Thus, in the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 and 2, the material conveyor plant according to the first aspect of the invention is a simple single conveyor structure in which the material conveying system is configured to cause the material received at the material receiving end to move directly to the material discharge end through a suitable scanner and optionally a sorter.

Alternatively, the material conveyor installation according to the first aspect of the invention may further comprise one or more material processing modules configured to perform a material processing operation as the material moves from the material receiving end to the material unloading end.

In FIG. 3, an embodiment of a conveyor plant 200 according to the first aspect of the invention includes a mobile mineral grader. The variant shown in Fig. 3 is shown in side view.

The overburden/mineral material to be classified and optionally sorted is first calibrated. The material must be of the appropriate size to obtain a stable, sufficiently uniform piece size for processing by the scanning device. The approximate size of the piece may be, for example, less than or equal to 150 mm. You can also remove too small materials.

The overburden/mineral material is fed by the bucket 204 of the material handling machine 202 into the hopper 207 in the apron area of the feed conveyor 205 of the mobile calibrator. It is transported along an endless conveyor belt to the discharge end where it passes to the 211 calibration module.

To accomplish this, the calibrating module includes a calibrator or crusher, containing in the example two counter-rotating rollers, which are usually provided with radially protruding crushing teeth (not shown in the drawing) in a known manner.

The material in the drawing is fed into the calibrator from left to right, and large pieces are broken

- 13 043086 rollers, and, in particular, are typically broken by being caught between opposing teeth and breaking due to the stress breaking action. The calibrator is suitably designed to produce pieces of the desired size, in an exemplary embodiment up to a maximum of, for example, 150 mm.

It is also desirable to screen out too small material. Again, this can be done in the usual way by means of a screen (not shown) through which fine particles fall and are removed by means of a fine particle conveyor.

It may be desirable to provide a constant supply to and through the ore analyzer. This can be achieved with a suitable continuous feeder/loader, such as an apron feeder with an equalizer loader.

Appropriately sized pieces of material then pass into a material analyzing module containing a scanner 219 located near the intermediate conveyor 221 of the calibrator. The scanner is conveniently placed at or close to the exit of the intermediate conveyor 221 which feeds material to and through the scanner.

The scanner may include a classifier or have remote communication with a remote classifier. The classifier may classify the material into at least two classes, including at least a waste class and a useful ore class, based on the scanner response. In this way, at least the grade of the material passing through the calibrator's discharge conveyor 223 to be loaded onto the truck 225 can be known.

In FIG. 4 and 5 show alternative arrangements for supplying calibrated, graded and optionally sorted material for onward transport, each viewed from above. In each case, the system includes the same mobile calibrator attachment because the scanner and similar numbers are used for the same components.

The overburden/mineral material is fed by the bucket 204 of the mobile material handling machine 202 into the bin 207 in the area of the apron of the mobile loading conveyor 205 of the grader. It is transported along an endless conveyor belt to the discharge end, where it passes through a calibrating module and a scanner (not visible in the figures) to the discharge end 221 of the calibrator's intermediate conveyor.

At this point the design changes. In each case, physical diverters 222A, 222B are used to distribute classified materials between one of two discharge conveyors 223A, 223B. Thus, the embodiments shown in FIG. 4 and 5 have the possibility of bulk sorting on the surface. Two unloading conveyors 223A, 223B respectively load trucks 225A, 225B. Other vehicles such as ground conveyors may be used. The variant shown in Fig. 4, loading trucks directly from the unloading ends of the unloading conveyors. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, intermediate surge feeders 227A, 227B are deployed.

In all embodiments, a mobile unit is provided that provides bulk scanning for at least bulk classification and optionally for bulk sorting that is carried out at the mining surface. In accordance with this requirement, elements of various embodiments will be considered interchangeable.

For bulk sorting at the surface, the plant will be designed to be loaded into the quarry by means of a material handling machine, loaders or draglines after blasting. The size of the material will initially vary from very large to very small. In order to carry out sorting, the known sensors provided require the ore to be crushed to <150 mm. This means that a jaw crusher/screen can be used as discussed above.

The installation, or at least some of its modules, must be mobile and manoeuvrable. The installation or module can be tracked. Track systems with steel tracks are likely to be the most stable.

The invention thus provides a mobile material classifier, optionally with sorting capability and optionally with other material handling, for example with calibration capability. Thus, a solution has been proposed that provides much greater flexibility in the classification and choice of sorting the mineral at or near its extraction or quarrying, while avoiding the economic and technical disadvantages that can be associated with traditional methods when the mineral is sorted and classified on site. processing.

Claims (20)

1. A material conveyor installation comprising a conveyor device capable of transporting overburden or mineral from a mining or quarrying operation to a job site, having a material receiving end configured to receive overburden or mineral at the job site ; - 14 043086 material unloading end remote from the material receiving end; a material conveying system disposed between the material receiving end and the material unloading end so as to, in use, cause material at the material receiving end to move towards the material unloading end; a scanning system comprising a scanning device disposed to scan the material being moved towards the material discharge end and obtain a response from the material in which the material can be classified into at least two classes, including at least a waste class and a usable class. using the ore based on the response, the scanning system further comprising a classification module for classifying the material into at least two classes including at least a waste class and a usable ore class based on the response of the scanning device; a chassis supporting a conveyor device and a scanning device; a transport cart supporting the chassis and having a pair of parallel, driven, ground engaging tracks so as to be able to move the chassis over a surface for movement in use; wherein the conveyor installation for the material contains an equalizing loader. 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, which comprises one or more material processing modules configured to perform a material processing operation while moving material from a material receiving end to a material discharging end, including a processing module containing a crusher or calibrator, and the material transporting system comprises a plurality of conveyor means arranged in series to move material received at the material receiving end through the material processing module or modules to the material unloading end. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the crusher or mineral calibrator has a mineral outlet located upstream of the scanning system in the direction of material transport, the material conveying system being configured to deliver calibrated mineral from the mineral outlet to and through the scanning system. 4. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the scanning system is configured to scan the material and monitor some response from it, being the response chosen to be a response that characteristically varies depending on the level of one or more target minerals present in the material . 5. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the scanning system is configured to classify the material into at least two classes based on predetermined demarcations correlated with target mineral levels, wherein the predetermined demarcations between the at least two classes are adjustable. 6. Installation according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the scanning device includes one or more signal emitters to emit a signal in the direction of the material, and one or more signal detectors to detect the response signal produced by the material following the interaction of the emitted signal with it. . 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the scanning device includes one or more gamma emitters and one or more gamma radiation detectors. 8. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a scanning conveyor, including a first conveyor section for moving material to and through the scanning system and a second conveyor section for moving material from the scanning system to the delivery point, the second conveyor section being configured to have such a combined travel speed and length as to move the material to the delivery point after at least a predetermined collection time has elapsed, and the material transporting system includes an endless conveyor configured to form such a first conveyor section or such a first conveyor section and a second conveyor plot. 9. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a material sorter in communication with a scanning device and capable of physically separating material classified in each one of said classes from material classified in each other of said classes, the sorter being mounted on a chassis and the sorter comprises a material inlet for receiving material and a plurality of material outlets, including at least one outlet corresponding to an outlet intended for material classified in each one of said classes, and further comprises a selective diversion system for diverting material from the inlet to the corresponding one. output according to its classification. 10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the selective evacuation system comprises one or more closures for selectively evacuating material within the sorter via selective paths from inlet to respective outlet and/or selectively opening lids for respective outlets. 11. Installation according to any one of claims 8-10, in which the sorter is located in an elevated position and uses, at least in part, the action of gravity to carry out the passage of material - 15 043086 rials through the corresponding outlets, and at least part of the material transporting system is a lifting conveyor that lifts the material from the first height to the second height, where the sorter is located. 12. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the material receiving end of the material conveyor installation is a material receiving hopper. 13. Installation according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the transport trolley comprises one or more ground-contact transport devices, configured to carry out, in use, the movement of the chassis on the surface of the earth, containing a pair of parallel, driven, ground-engaging tracks, while the chassis with rotatably supported on the transport trolley to allow rotation of the chassis and mounting on it in relation to the transport trolley. 14. The system for moving material from the working platform, containing a material handling machine having a bucket configured to lift material and move material from the working front; a material conveyor plant according to any one of claims 1 to 13, arranged to receive material discharged from the bucket to a material receiving end of the material conveyor plant and transport it to a material discharge end of the material conveyor plant; a further conveying system disposed to receive material from the material discharge end. 15. The system according to claim 14, in which there is a separate further transport system for receiving material classified in each one of these classes, separately from material classified in each other of the specified classes, and the installation contains a material sorter that interacts with a scanning system and configured to physically separate the material classified in each one of said classes from the material classified in each other of said classes and distribute the material classified in each one of said classes to such, respectively, separate further conveying systems. 16. The system according to one of claims 14 or 15, wherein the further transport system comprises one or more transport trucks and/or one or more overland conveyors. 17. A method of moving overburden or a mineral obtained from a mining or quarrying operation from a work site, comprising providing a conveyor installation for material according to any one of claims 1 to 13; moving the conveyor unit into position on the working front on the job site; lifting material from the working front; transferring material to a material receiving end; transferring material to a material unloading end of the conveyor installation such that the material is moved to and through the scanning device; operating a scanner to scan the material and monitor a response from the material, and thereby classify the material into at least two classes including at least a waste class and a usable ore class based on the response. 18. The method according to claim 17, containing additional steps: provision of a loading and unloading machine for material on the working front; moving the material conveyor to a position adjacent the material receiving end to the material handling machine; arranging a further conveying system disposed to receive material from a material unloading end of the feeder; lifting material from the working front using the material handling bucket; transferring material from the material handling machine bucket to a material receiving end; moving material to the discharge end of the conveyor installation and, as a result, to the conveying system. 19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, further comprising the step of sorting the materials between respective classes. 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the material is sorted by binary classification into a waste class in which target mineral levels are below economically recoverable levels and a useful ore class in which target mineral levels are above economically recoverable levels.