摘要：An optimal layout or three-dimensional spatial distribution of stopes guarantees the maximum profitability over life span of an underground mining ***,stope optimization is one of the key areas in underground mine planning ***,the computational complexity in developing an optimal stope layout has been a reason for limited availability of the algorithms offering solution to this *** article shares a new and efficient heuristic algorithm that considers a three-dimensional ore body model as an input,maximizes the economic value,and satisfies the physical mining and geotechnical constraints for generating an optimal stope *** implementation at a copper deposit demonstrates the applicability and robustness of the algorithm.A parallel processing based modification improving the performance of the original algorithm in terms of enormous computational time saving is also presented.

摘要：underground mines require complex construction activities including the shaft, levels, raises, winzes and ore passes. In an underground mine based on stoping method, orebody part(s) maximizing profit should be determined. This process is called stope layout optimization (SLO) and implemented under site-specific geotechnical, operational and economic constraints. For practical purpose, the design obtained by SLO shows consecutive stopes in one path, which assists in defining the mining direction of these stopes. However, this direction may not accommodate the spatial distribution of the ore grade: if the orebody orientation and mining direction differ, the value of the mining operation may decrease. This paper proposes an approach whereby paths in the SLO are defined as decision variables to avoid the cost of mining in the wrong direction. Furthermore, in the genetic-based formulation, which accounts for orebody uncertainty, a robust cluster average design process is proposed to improve SLO’s performance regarding metal content. A case study in narrow gold vein deposit shows that the profit of an underground mining operation could be underestimated by 25%-48% if the algorithm ignores stope layout orientation.