Determining bulk density of mine rock piles using ground penetrating radar frequency downshift

Abstract

New mining processes are moving toward driverless, autonomous vehicles, however, these will require the ability to detect and avoid large fragments which may block crusher activities. A detection system that can penetrate the surface of the rock pile and determine the presence of over-sized fragments could assist the system in avoiding large fragments. This paper presents the results of experiments with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) showing it is possible to use centroid frequency downshift to determine bulk density of the media as an indicator of fragment size. This research is based on an underground mine currently under construction.