Front Range Aggregates Optimizes Feeder Movements at Its Quarry

Front-end loaders extract sand and gravel (aggregate) from a pit and haul it to a feeder, which releases the aggregate onto a conveyor belt that is connected to a stockpile; the material is subsequently distributed to a processing plant. As mining progresses, the mining frontier moves farther away from the feeder, increasing loader cycle time. In turn, plant managers add loaders to maintain production rates. Eventually, the feeder must be moved closer to the mining frontier. Such a move requires shutting down production so that a crew can move the feeder. Historically, because a feeder movement did not occur until all loaders were in operation, such feeder movements overtaxed the loaders and lacked advance warning. We present a model to determine how often the feeder should be moved to the mining frontier. A shortest-path algorithm can quickly solve our model to minimize feeder movement and loader cycle-time costs. This model revolutionizes how aggregate companies, specifically Front Range Aggregates, plan feeder movements.