Optimization of interaction between sections of the combined transport during open-cast mining

Purpose: The rational manufacturing schemes of mining by an open method require optimization of functioning and co-operation of motor, railway and conveyer transport. It is possible to minimize outage and demurrage of minerals transporting facilities, taking into account the stochastic nature of processes of unloading and loading, due to correct organization of arriving of the transport on the transfer point of the quarry. Minimization of expenses first of all can be provided by the rational forming of cargo traffic for transportation of the minerals by the shortest way, and also by optimization of 'bottlenecks' in the quarry transport system. Methodology: Cooperation of different types of transport on the joints of a transport network, with the account taken of casual variation of co-operation parameters, requires the stochastic approach to transport optimization task. The author has developed the special purpose criterion of optimality of transport streams which allows reducing expenses on transportation of the minerals and eliminating outages of transport vehicles in the transport system of the quarry. Findings: The article considers the unsteadiness of functioning of transfer points between motor-car and railway transport at deep quarries. The analysis showed the considerable fluctuations of mineral mass transportation depending on time in the transport network that requires the construction of probabilistic models of functioning of the mining transport system. The stochastic arrangement and the objective function are presented for optimization of dynamic task of cooperation of contiguous links of the combined transport in the quarry. Originality: The criterion of minimization of losses depending on the law of distribution of arrival of transport vehicles at transfer points was developed. Practical value: The stochastic arrangement of the losses minimization task caused by problems in co-operation of transport streams in the transport system of the quarry allows optimizing of the work of contiguous transport links involved into mineral mass transportation process.