Civil Engineering Journal
Vol. 11 No. 11 (2025): November

GPR-Driven Geomechanical Modeling and Drill-Blast Optimization for Enhanced Efficiency in Open-Pit Gold Mining

Almenov, Talgat (Unknown)
Zhanakova, Raissa (Unknown)
Shautenov, Mels (Unknown)
Askarova, Guljan (Unknown)
Agybayev, Nurdaulet (Unknown)
Assylkhanova , Samal (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
01 Nov 2025

Abstract

This study seeks to raise the operational efficiency and economic return of the Vasilkovskoye open-pit gold mine by integrating real-time ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) monitoring, geomechanical modeling, and digital optimization of drilling-and-blasting parameters. Continuous GPR scanning identified hazardous fracture zones that were subsequently characterized in DIPS and RS2 to model slope stability, while ShotPlus-based blast simulations and OrePro 3D displacement modeling guided the redesign of hole spacing, charge distribution, and delay timing. Fragmentation quality was verified with high-resolution photogrammetry and correlated to blast design through statistical analysis; a comparative techno-economic assessment quantified cost and dilution differentials between conventional and optimized schemes. The integrated workflow established a robust predictive link between blast geometry and fragment size, reducing oversize generation by 17% and ore dilution by 9%, while increasing gold grade in mill feed from 0.84 g t⁻¹ to 0.94 g t⁻¹. GPR-informed hazard mapping eliminated unplanned wall failures, and the revised pattern lowered specific explosive consumption without compromising fragmentation, cutting total unit costs by 8%. Unlike previous studies that treat slope stability and blasting as separate tasks, this study couples deformation dynamics with blast design in a single digital loop, offering a transferable framework for automation-ready, risk-aware mine planning at complex geological sites.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

cej

Publisher

Subject

Civil Engineering, Building, Construction & Architecture

Description

Civil Engineering Journal is a multidisciplinary, an open-access, internationally double-blind peer -reviewed journal concerned with all aspects of civil engineering, which include but are not necessarily restricted to: Building Materials and Structures, Coastal and Harbor Engineering, ...