Design and field experimentation of a robotic system for tailings characterization

There is an ongoing requirement to conduct ground surveys of engineered mine tailings deposits to monitor dewatering performance and consolidation prior to completing reclamation work. The deposit variability can make such surveys hazardous for humans. A rover is described that has been developed and deployed for characterizing reclaimed soil regions. This paper presents the functional requirements for unmanned ground vehicles used in this application, including the need for low-risk and timely subsurface sampling and terrain parameter estimations on highly uncertain terrains. Developments of the ďŹ eld-ready prototype wheeled rover are summarized, including tooling; and ďŹ eld tests are described in an industrial site at an Athabasca oil sands facility. Experiments on tailings treatment cells showed the feasibility of the sampling technologies and parameter estimation methods based on classical terramechanics models. The rover capabilities were further demonstrated by collecting samples from production treatment cells and estimating the cohesion and internal friction angle of tailings sand used in ďŹ uid containment dykes. The limitations of the current system helped identify future work for the design and development of new mobile robot systems for tailings characterization.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author