A comprehensive approach to selecting mine transportation system using AHP and FUZZY-TOPSIS

Mine transportation approximately accounts for more than half of operating costs. Therefore selection of the appropriate mine transportation system by considering the effective criteria has become an important issue in mining engineering. A hybrid decision support system based on Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS) was proposed to assess criteria and alternatives for balancing haulage distance, continuity, flexibility and reliability, which could provide the suitable balance between different goals, such as costs and safety. An application of this approach is carried out through the Sungun copper mine as case study. For this purpose, the production capacity, medium and short-term production plan, conditions of mining benches and ramps and future development plans collected from chosen mine located at the East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. This research has been studied comprehensively in terms of technical, economic, environmental, society, site information, geological and geo-mechanically criteria. More than 170 criteria were identified and classified under six main categories. To select the mine transportation system, the importance of each criteria is first measured relative to each other, then the importance of each option is evaluated for each criteria and were filtered to 55 items. The proposed model is based on the combination of the AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS. The hybrid model has advantages such as the possibility of using paired comparison and considering uncertainty. Finally, the in-pit crushing and conveying is selected as the best alternative, the truck-front shovel and truck-backhoe system are in the next priorities, respectively 45.2, 28.4 and 26.4%. In summary, from the results of the research, it can be mentioned to present the effective criteria in the selection of the transport system of open pit mines, to calculate their weight, to provide a framework for the selection of the transport system of open pit mines by considering the uncertainties.