Uppers and Wagon Drills in Cut-and-Fill Stoping

CIM Bulletin, 1965

This paper describes one approach in our search for greater stope efficiency and lower costs. The uppers technique with wagon drills in cut-and-fill stopes was commenced, on an experimental basis, in our Sudbury mines in 1961. To date, the method has developed into an accepted production operation. This technique minimizes the intermittent aspects of the drilling, blasting, mucking and filling operations associated with other cut-and-fill methods. However, studies show that not all cut-and-fill stopes are suitable for uppers, the governing factors being ore width, dip of the orebody, and ground conditions where large areas of unsupported back remain stable for extended periods of time until rockbolting can be accomplished.

Mots Clés: chalcopyrite, Drill Stope, Falconbridge Nickel Mines Limited, ore, Sudbury, Drill, Drilling, Drills, Mines, Ore, Ores, stope, stopes