Analysis of the Impact of Rolling Resistance on Performance Indicators of Loading and Hauling Operations in Open-pit Mining

One of the variables studied in mining is rolling resistance. This term could be defined as the opposite force to the vehicle’s movement generated as a result of contact between tire and surface. It was shown through simulations that rolling resistance directly influences operational indicators. The simulation was carried out with TALPAC software. The results show that increased rolling resistance reduces the average speed of a truck fleet, the consequences of which are increased travel and cycle times, which in turn affects the productivity of the fleet and increases total operating costs. In terms of system efficiency, the increase in rolling resistance implies a decrease in the Match Factor; the loading equipment begins to decrease its efficiency by increasing the waiting times to load a new truck. In simple words, if Rolling Resistance increases, more trucks are needed to keep loading equipment saturated. Therefore, it is of vital importance to adopt a suitable selection of materials for the rolling folder in the first stages of construction, to design a maintenance program for the transport routes according to the volume of traffic, type of vehicles and associated costs; and establish methods for estimating the rolling resistance coefficient regularly.