2.2. Mining equipment selection problem
Excavation, loading and hauling are fundamental activities inmine development and exploitation which utilise significant num-ber of equipment. Selecting the proper size, type, and number of equipment has significant effects on mine profitability because thecost of mine equipment is over several million dollars and maintenance costs are high. For example, the operating costs for haultrucks alone may account for one-third to one-half of the total mining operation costs, and poor selection will directly result in highercosts and significantly lower economic performance of the mining operation [36]. Given the significant influence of the equipmentselection problem (ESP) on the mine productivity, the goal is to optimise efficient material transfer systems from a set of origins todestinations considering the unique mine plans and features of themine in question so that the total mining cost will be minimised by optimising the equipment selection over the life of the mine. Someof typical surface and underground mining equipment is shown inFig. 2.