Grade Control

The Vulcan grade control module allows the user to display blast hole samples and block model estimations along with other related Vulcan data such as geological mapping and registered face photos.

Material classification boundaries are digitised on the screen using standard Vulcan tools.

Solid triangulation models of the blast are used for accurate volume calculations.

Once material/grade boundaries have been digitised, the blockout process cuts the blast solid (using tri-boolean methods) into individual solid blocks for the purpose of ore - waste delineation. These individual blocks can then be labelled automatically or manually. Several advanced features allow for reblocking and partial reblocking of a blast. Users can also perform blockouts on both block models and/or drill samples if required.

Data used and created by the process is stored in a Vulcan ISIS database that can be customised to the exact requirements of each mine. This database can be linked to external databases, such as Oracle, Ingres and Access, using ODBC (Open Data Base Connectivity). This data includes samples, grade boundary strings, triangulations and results.

Features include:

• ODBC connectivity to external databases
• Using blast solids rather than simple polygons for blocking out
• Ability to perform partial reblocking of a blast
• Block models generated on-the-fly