Ore-age: a hybrid system for assisting and teaching mining method selection

Mining method selection is among the most critical and problematic points in mining engineering profession. Choosing a suitable method for a given ore-body is very important for the economics, safety and the productivity of the mining work. In the past studies there are attempts to build up a systematic approach to help the engineers to make this selection. But, these approaches work based on static databases and fail in inserting the intuitive feelings and engineering judgments of experienced engineers to the selection process. In this study, a system based on 13 different expert systems and one interface agent is developed, to make mining method selection for the given ore-bodies. The agent Ore-Age, to follow his goal of supplying the maximum assistance to engineers in selecting the most suitable method for a specific ore-body, tries to learn the experiences of the experts he has faced. After this learning process the knowledge base is evolved to include these experiences, making the system more efficient and intuitive in mining method selection work. To realize the above goal, the system's tutoring procedure is executed by the agent, in case an inexperienced user enters the system, to complete his/her missing knowledge about mining method selection. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.