Authors: M. Cehlár, J. Janočko, D. Márasová, D. Cagáňová, M.A. Tyulenev, S.O. Markov, E.I. Bareshova

Title of the article: Selecting an efficient configuration for excavator-truck complexes in a mining site without changing the total number of transport units

Year: 2026, Issue: 3, Pages: 71-94

Branch of knowledge: 2.8.8 Mining machines, geotechnology (engineering)

Index UDK: 622.271.3:622.822.22

DOI: 10.26730/2618-7434-2026-3-71-94

Abstract: This article examines the importance of optimizing the planning of excavation, loading, and transportation processes in open-pit mining operations with a goal of increasing productivity and reducing costs. It highlights the characteristics of the time distribution for loading of blasted rock by various excavators under real conditions at a mining operations site. The identified patterns of time distribution density were taken into account in the simulation modeling of an excavator-truck complex (ETC) at a mining site, consisting of several excavators and a corresponding fleet of dump trucks. The simulation model of the site’s ETC was verified for adequacy and demonstrated its stability under changes in input parameters, specifically the number of dump trucks presented for loading. The identified “bottlenecks” in the ETC’s operation (namely: uneven excavator utilization rates, increased downtime, and the average number of dump trucks waiting in line at an excavator) were mitigated using the developed model. This made it possible to make several management decisions: either to increase the site’s rock-handling capacity or to balance the load on the excavators without reducing the site’s existing capacity – all without changing the existing fleet of dump trucks. The proposed solutions also made it possible to balance the overall load on the dump truck fleet by reducing the average queue length at the excavators.

Key words: geotechnical systems open-pit mining excavator-truck complex loading time simulation modeling

Receiving date: 02.04.2026

Approval date: 03.07.2026

Publication date: 17.09.2026

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