We design MSE walls for mining structures to support the full range of mining and mineral operations.
Mining and mineral operations sites require a network of roads, crossings, tunnels, and dump walls that support processing facilities. These infrastructures are intended to perform at maximum production levels under heavy loading. Our professional engineers develop unique durable MSE walls for mining structures using high-end sustainable construction materials for these operations.
We deliver materials that are tailored in a way that makes installation rapid, efficient, and dependable.
Processing dump walls
Mining operations involve heavy trucks for material handling. Dump walls, or tip walls allow run-of-mine (ROM) trucks to access the top of a crusher pit for transferring the raw material into a hopper by tipping or bottom dumping. Our experience with ROM dump walls extends over many years having designed MSE walls for mining structures for some of the largest primary crushing facilities in Canada’s largest mining operations. These walls can reach heights of over 40m tall, and carry extreme live loads, even under severe climatic conditions.
We optimize the design of your dump wall structure based on the best selection of materials to suit your project. The choices for facing elements for our MSE walls for mining structures include precast concrete Reinforced Earth® panels or TerraTrel® welded wire steel mesh. Soil reinforcements come in the form of high-adherence steel strips, geosynthetic strips, or steel bar mats.
Precast concrete tunnels
TechSpan® precast concrete arches are the ideal solution for the construction of precast segmental tunnels throughout mining sites. TechSpan® has the capacity to withstand loads from the highest mineral stockpiles and the heaviest mine plant activity. Our TechSpan® solution is commonly used to build:
- Reclaim conveyor tunnels
- Rail and vehicle tunnels
- Short-span bridges
- Shaft portals
- Rockfall sheds
- Utility vaults and pipeline cover
Storage “slot” bunkers
Our solutions for storing and reclaiming ore, minerals, coal, and other mined materials typically consist of inclined Reinforced Earth® MSE walls for mining structures, built linear or octagonal. Most of these structures are built below ground, although may also be set above ground as well. These walls are built with facings set at a calculated incline for bulk material drawdown. These slope-faced walls are referred to as “V-slots” or bunkers or conical storage. Reinforced Earth® slots have storage capacities ranging from 2,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes each, with depths reaching above 25m.
Reservoirs, tanks, ponds and pipelines
Mining operations often require liquid storage and sediment separation facilities. We provide highly engineered solutions to build and protect:
- Reservoirs
- Settling basins
- Tailings dams and ponds
- Froth tank pads
- Leaching pads
- Hydro-transport pipelines
Reinforced Earth® MSE walls for mining structures built to be watertight in combination with geosynthetic clay liners and geocomposite drainage systems will mitigate and control leakage, seepage, and undermining from erosion and chemical assault.
Access roads
Mine sites are often located in remote areas and require their own network of roadways and railways. We provide MSE retaining walls for roads, embankments, soil stabilization, buried bridge structures, tunnels, access ramps, bridge abutments, and more to fulfill these requirements.
Risk mitigation
Our specialists will address natural risk mitigation (such as rockfall and avalanche) that would minimize interruptions to operations. We have expertise in assessing the capacity of existing MSE walls for mining structures to accommodate increased loads through upgrades, or to find solutions to make expansions, re-use, or repairs.
