HOSTED BY Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Sustainable Mining journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jsm Research paper Numerical modeling of transport roads in open pit mines Adila Nurić * , Samir Nurić Faculty of Mining, Geology and Civil Engineering, University of Tuzla, Univerzitetska 2, 75000, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Numerical modeling Computer simulation Transport/haul roads Open-pit mining Construction Finite element method ABSTRACT Transport of overburden and mineral raw materials in surface mining is one of the most complex and costly processes today. Good transport roads are essential for successful transportation by trucks in open pit mines. Poor design, and maintenance of the roads has the greatest impact on the high transport costs and possible risks in terms of security. Numerical modeling was performed to analyze the effects of the properties of the built-in materials used in the construction of roads, the thickness of the layers and the interaction of tires with the road surface. The distribution of stress and strain determined in the construction of a road depends on the char- acteristics of the road and the structure and mass of the truck. For this reason, numerical modeling and computer simulation is considered a very suitable method in the design of roads, because in a short period of time and at a lower cost calculations for the construction of a large number of models can be implemented and the best model available will be chosen. The most favorable construction will be considered to be the one that will, at minimum construction costs and with low costs of maintenance, enable the efficient use of transport equipment for a longer period of exploitation. 1. Introduction 1.1. Introducing the problem The occurrence of many accidents due to incidents on the roads in mines is noticeable. In the goal to increase productivity larger capacity truck are used. But, to use trucks of larger capacity haul roads must be adapted/improved to avoid and reduce the occurrence of accidents (Ding-Bang, Chuan-Bo, Yang-Bo, & Jian-Yi, 2014; Hustrulid & Kuchta, 2009; Nuric, 2009; Nuric, Nuric, Kricak, & Husagic, 2013). That is why the improvement of the structure of transport roads is essential because it would lead to increased effectiveness of trucks, increased pro- ductivity, reduced maintenance costs and also important increases in the safety of truck operators and other employees of the mine. Haul road design consists of two main aspects, these being structural and geometric design. The structural design of roads refers to determining the thickness of the various layers of the haul road, special combina- tions of structural materials and the configurations of load. Geometric design of the transport roads refers to physical dimensions, such as width, cross-sections of slopes, the height of channels and the height of safety berms. 1.2. Exploring the importance of the problem Empirical methods of road design with the usage of previously ac- quired experience are commonly used in mines, but this approach does not always result in the optimum design of roads (Hustrulid & Kuchta, 2009; Nuric, 2009; Thompson, 2009; Milne & Jenkins, 2005; Yukio, 2007; Hadjigeorgiou, Kyriakou, & Papanastasiou, 2006; Nawar et al., 2009; Behbahani, 2004; Tannont & Regensburg, 2001; Kumar, 2000). It is therefore necessary to explore the possibility of including information technology in the decision-making process and the choosing of an op- timal project solution for opening and developing a surface mine. Nu- merical modeling and computer simulation is a well-researched meth- odology in various fields and has specificities in each discipline. In this case, the application of the finite element method for the simulation of the construction of transport roads on surface mines will be investigated because of the previously stated assertion that transport makes up the largest share of the total cost of exploitation. Reduction in the cost of the exploitation of minerals and satisfying the basic conditions of human and ecological environmental safety is the primary task of any mining company. Determining the optimal road construction will cer- tainly go a long way to achieving such a goal. Efficient use of all available simulation software will help to make road construction de- cisions easier. In combination with previous research on this subject, consideration will be given to the general problems of the construction https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsm.2019.02.005 Received 24 October 2018; Received in revised form 24 December 2018; Accepted 17 February 2019 * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: adila.nuric@untz.ba (A. Nurić), samir.nuric@untz.ba (S. Nurić). Journal of Sustainable Mining 18 (2019) 25–30 Available online 19 February 2019 2300-3960/ © 2019 Central Mining Institute. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY-NC-ND/4.0/). T