3D Stockpiles

3D Stockpile Geometry

Coordinate System

A Cartesian coordinate system is used for 3D stockpiles, where the axes correspond to:

  • Z—The vertical axis of the model. Origin is at the bottom, value increasing upwards.
  • X—The 'short' axis of the stockpile base. The stockpile 'width' lies along this axis.
  • Y—The 'long' axis of the stockpile base. This is the axis parallel to the rail on which the stackers and reclaimers move. The stockpile 'length' lies along this axis.

The grid has a nominal resolution of 1 metre by 1 metre. Selecting a finer resolution results in larger data storage requirements.

Stockpile Base

The stockpile base is made up of two parts:

  1. A function that describes the base's cross-sectional shape along the X-axis
  2. A regular grid superimposed on the base, in the X-Y plane

The base does not need to be flat. CHASM allows for a non-regular base with the only restriction being that this shape is consistent along the Y-axis. It can be thought of a cross-sectional shape in the X-Z plane, extruded along the Y-axis.

A stockpile can be viewed with the origin at the left, or mirrored horizontally with the origin at the right.

Diagram showing 2D and 3D view of stockpile base co-ordinates

Stackers and Reclaimers

Each 3D stockpile must have an assigned stacker and reclaimer. See Stackers and Reclaimers.