Raw materials aspects of national security of Ukraine

Abstract

Improving the national security of Ukraine is possible by expanding raw materials base of mining enterprises by substantiating prospective quarries contours. When determining the quarry boundaries, economic stripping ratio is calculated according to technical and economic indicators achieved at the time of design and its value is constant. However, the analysis of mining and processing plants operation showed that their economic indicators and stripping ratios change over time. It is proved that economic stripping ratio is not constant, but varies over time. The analytical method substantiates the condition of competitiveness ofthe designed quarry. On the example of quarries, which reflect the characteristic features of the development of steeply dipping deposits in Ukraine, the influence of technological indicators (cu rrent stripping ratio) of the existing quarries operation on the value of the economic stripping ratio and, accordingly, on the quarry final depth is graphically substantiated. The methodology was developed for determining the boundaries of quarries, which provides for the application of the economic stripping ratio as a value that is not constant, but varies over time, and one that depends on changes in the current stripping ratio at competing quarries. The result of the study is that the theory in the field of determining quarries final contours has been improved.It is proved that the deviation of the final mining depth of the designed quarry, determined by comparing its current stripping ratio with the current stripping ratios of the conditional base competing quarries, from the final mining depth determined by theconstant economic stripping ratio can reach 50%.