Leveraging UAS in Underground Mining for Process Improvement and Rock Mass Monitoring

Henderson mine has engaged in concerted efforts to better understand the impacts of drilling quality on cave development and other excavation blasting. Building upon earlier successes, Henderson has implemented a multi systems approach to remotely map and monitor cave development. Utilizing a UAS with high-definition video and a LIDAR payload, coupled with production drill data, Henderson Mine has enacted a step-change improvement in remote excavation mapping, leading to improved accuracy of planned versus actual cave geometry and refinements to blast design. This data aids in optimizing the drilling/blasting cycle and cave management during initiation through production. These efforts, coupled with existing geomechanical monitoring technologies (micro-seismic, TDR, smart markers) also provide improved insight into cave morphology, behavior, and rock mass modelling.