Types of quarry sand

Different quarries supply different sand. The extracted material is different in structure, grain size and composition. The color is yellow, red, brown or white, depending on the minerals.

Usually deposits in destroyed rocks are shallow under the soil layer. The size of sand grains ranges from 0.15 mm to 5 mm. There are fine-grained (grain up to 2 mm), medium-grained (from 2 to 2.8 mm) and coarse-grained (up to 5 mm) sand.

The specificity of this type of sand is the heterogeneous composition and impurities (a consequence quarrying), which reduces the technical properties. Often this is a disadvantage, but sometimes it is an advantage. For example, clay gives elasticity and mobility. Cheap and quite versatile. The main application is construction and road works and landscaping.

Uncleaned quarry sand - backfilling trenches or leveling for construction.

Uncleaned quarry sand

To improve its properties, it is additionally processed and cleaned, large parts of the rock are removed. The final properties depend on the extraction option: washing, screening or open pit. As a result, there are:

Alluvial quarry sand

Alluvial quarry sand (washed) - from flooded deposits and quarries. Inclusions are removed from it by hydromechanical devices. Washed quarry sand - clean, without impurities. Alluvial sand is suitable for concrete, reinforced concrete and bricks, road surfaces.

Quarry seeded sand

Quarry seeded sand is sifted technically and mechanically from large particles and stones through a system of sieves. Great for plaster, cement mortar or foundation casting.

How is sand mined in a quarry?

Sand from a quarry: mining features

The most popular is the open method, when the opening method and simple equipment are used: a bulldozer, an excavator, etc. Occasionally explosives are used. Occasionally, specialized equipment may be used. For example, with an open method - a sieve for stones and clay.

In quarries flooded with water, a hydromechanical pump is used to take sand from the bottom. It is placed on a pontoon or ship. The sucked-in mass goes through a special channel and is divided into clean sand and water.

The use of quarry sand

The use of quarry sand

The scope of application is not limited to the children's sandbox. Widely used in construction and national economy. In everyday life, park paths and sidewalks are sprinkled with quarry sand in winter. Add to potting soil. Quarry sand is a good septic tank and filter. Used to protect against spoilage of vegetables at the bases.

Sand is environmentally safe and easy to use, which is very important in the production of bricks and concrete.

For example, large alluvial quarry sand is used in high-strength concrete and reinforced concrete. The absence of impurities gives exceptional strength and durability. Curbs, paving slabs, drainage and a base for the roadbed are also made from it.

The use of quarry sand for plants

Washed fine quarry sand is added to decorative grouts and putties. Screened quarry sand is used in foundations, in cements, asphalt, plasters, self-leveling floors, when decorating flower beds, paths and playgrounds, to create bulk structures.

Washed sand - dry building mixtures, high-quality concrete, reinforced concrete and foundations. Qualitative quartz sand - glass production.

Which sand is better quarry or river?

river sand

According to GOST, river and quarry sand are not distinguished. You can’t say for sure which is better: quarry or river sand? The main difference between quarry and river is the qualitative composition. The river one is clean, without impurities and third-party particles, and the quarry contains other clay.

Clay and organics occupy up to 10% of the composition. In river sand, clay is not more than 1%, and in quarry sand it can reach up to 10% or more. Organic impurities can cause fermentation in the mortar. In the river - there is little or no organic matter at all. Because of this, uncleaned quarry sand is almost unsuitable for construction, because. their cement strength decreases.

River sand grains are round and smooth from the long-term action of water. Essential filter media.

Quarry sand

The uneven surface of quarry sand gives good adhesion to the mortar and after cleaning, it is preferable for cement than river sand.

The price of river sand is 1.5 - 2 times higher than quarry sand due to the development process and properties.

The choice of “quarry or river” will require an assessment of the composition and technical capabilities, as well as the nature of the construction.

Processed sand from a quarry is often qualitatively superior to river sand. It all depends on the source and degree of processing.

Specifications

The grain is uneven, with a rough porous surface, which gives adhesion of grains of sand to cement.

The specific gravity of bulk materials is equal to the ratio of mass in kilograms to volume in cubic meters. The density of quarry sand is equal to the specific gravity.

Bulk density is also measured - the density of uncompacted sand, which varies from humidity and mechanical shaking. For example, an increase in moisture reduces density. Sand grains are covered with water and move apart. Compaction reduces the grain distance, on the contrary, increasing the density.

The density is also affected by the quality composition. The more clay, the higher the density and vice versa. The size of the grains also matters. Larger fraction - less density.

Larger fraction - less density

How many tons in 1 cube of quarry sand? Depends on density and fraction. The specific gravity of fine-grained sand is 1700-1800 kg / cu. Medium and coarse-grained - 1500-1600 kg / cu. The wetter the sand, the greater its mass. 1 cube of quarry sand with a moisture content of 5 - 7% weighs, respectively, about 1.7 - 1.8 tons.

Filtration coefficient - the ability to pass water. For quarry sand, this is 0.5 to 7 m / day, depending on the amount of clay and grain composition.

The radioactivity is associated with the deposit. Mining developments, usually with an increased radiation background. For housing and facilities Agriculture, goes the sand of the first class of radioactivity. For roads, the second and third are allowed.

Sand is a bulk substance that is mainly used in the construction industry. Most of its production is used to meet the needs public utilities, creating landscape designs, glass production and construction.

Where is the sand mined?

Sand is an irreplaceable natural raw material, but some people do not even think about where the sand is mined. Material can be retrieved from the following locations:

• In the rivers
• In the seas
• On the plains.
• In the mountains.

Raw materials mined in different places have different properties that are taken into account when choosing the scope of use.

Features of individual species

On the river bottom, fine-grained sand is mined, which, thanks to a constant flow of water, is washed from impurities of clay and silt. It is well suited for finishing work.

Sand extracted from the sea is used to create concrete and building mixtures. This is due to the fact that for such production it plays an important role where exactly the raw materials were obtained from. Sea sand is richer in impurities and after cleaning and enrichment is excellent for these purposes.

On the plains and in the mountains, mining is carried out in a quarry way. Material brought to the ground is often contaminated with impurities such as clay or lime inclusions. Therefore, during extraction, all raw materials are sifted and washed. The sand mined in this area is well suited for use in construction and asphalt production.

Quartz sand

Quartz sand deserves special attention - which is a material obtained by mining natural rounded sand or processing rocks based on silicon.

Quartz has excellent sorption capacity and allows removing iron and manganese from water. Such sand is quite resistant to mechanical, physical, atmospheric and other influences, due to which it is actively used in the production of finishing materials and in landscape design. One of its unusual uses is catering because it is used to make coffee.

Mining methods

If we talk about how sand is mined, it is worth noting that there are two main methods:

• Underwater.
• Open.

The first method involves mining in quarries, previously flooded, using special equipment:

• Draglaynov.
• Skeperov.
• Excavator.

To obtain raw materials in this way, special floating installations are used, which are a pontoon that can be fixed in one place with the help of cables and anchors.

Dredge pumps are necessarily placed on the installations, which are nothing more than powerful centrifugal pumps. Their throats sink to the bottom where they suck up the sand and crush it with their built-in baking powder. After mining, the material is pumped through the slurry pipeline to the shore where it is dried. The main advantage of this method is that it allows you to clean the material from all impurities.

With an open-pit mining method, quarries can be both dry and flooded. In this case, the depth of the substance can be different both under the surface itself and below the groundwater level. At the same time, the quarry, depending on the method by which the extraction is planned, can be either flooded or dry.

Mining sites located on the slopes of the mountains, as a rule, are called slope quarries. They are characterized by the fact that the location of the material is located above the level of the terrain, in connection with this, an exclusively dry method of obtaining is used.

Holding construction works, regardless of their complexity, requires high-quality sand. This building material is of natural origin and is mined in special quarries. Due to its immense popularity, every specialist involved in the construction industry should know how sand is mined. With such knowledge, one can assess the relevance of its application for a particular type of construction!

Basic characteristics

In its natural form, it is a sedimentary rock and in most cases consists of natural mineral quartz. By composition and origin, it can be divided into several types:

1. Natural, mined through the destruction and subsequent grinding of natural rocks to the state of a homogeneous substance from small grains;
2. Arising from natural phenomena: raw materials belonging to this species can be divided into alluvial, deluvial, marine, lacustrine and ash;
3. Heavy artificial, resulting from the deliberate loosening and crushing of various hard mineral rocks. In this case, a substance with different grain size and fineness is obtained.

When used for construction purposes, it is important to know where the sand is mined, how it is processed, and other characteristics.

Main mining and processing methods

To understand how they get it, you should study the main sources of its extraction.

1. River. The most common building material that is mined near riverbeds or from the bottom of rivers and reservoirs. Differs in extreme purity and lack of impurity, clay deposits and small stones;
2. Career. There are two varieties: washed and seeded. In the first case, it is extracted by digging quarries and subsequent crushing of the resulting raw material by washing and cleaning from various impurities and deposits. The second option involves drying and further sieving, which allows you to rid the raw material of harmful impurities.
3. Naturally educated. The current legislation determines that such raw materials can be classified as bulk materials of inorganic origin. According to GOST, it has special requirements for grain size and fineness.

The material mined in special deposits is different from the raw materials from places where river sand is mined. Considering that one type or another may be required for various repair and construction work, special attention should be paid to the choice.

High-quality building materials from the company "Inert Group"

Over the years of successful activity in the segment of the supply of high-quality construction consumables, we have managed to establish ourselves as one of the best partners for private or large-scale construction, offering high-quality materials at the best prices!

Elite Stroy-VNV has many years of experience, holds a leading position in the mining market, implements projects of any complexity, is a multifunctional company and a reliable partner for your business. The main activity of our company is the development of quarries for the extraction of clay and sand.

The open pit mining of minerals and non-metallic materials is by far the most common for a number of reasons. The main one is the low cost of open pit mining. The development of quarries is a complex process that requires the contractor to have extensive experience in carrying out such work, the availability of its own fleet of trucks and special equipment, qualified personnel of both workers and engineering specialties. We fully comply with all these requirements.

Quarry development begins with a set of preparatory work. At this stage, it is necessary to collect and analyze information about the geological characteristics of the object: the properties of the base rock, the location of aquifers, etc. Based on the collected data, a quarry project is being developed, which includes information about its maximum design depth, side slope angles, ledge heights and many other nuances. The quarry plan is coordinated in Gosgortekhnadzor. After the plan is drawn up and all the necessary permits are obtained, work on the ground begins.

Clay quarrying

Clay is usually mined from the ground in places where rivers once passed. It is a product of the earth's crust and sedimentary rock, washed out and formed due to the destruction of rocks in the process of weathering. The occurrence of clay is monotonous and selective.

Before the extraction of clay, a surveying survey is carried out both of the quarry itself and the base of the clay warehouses. Mine surveyors also mark the boundaries of land and mining allotments, where mining will take place in the future and access roads will be formed.

Clay is mined using excavators. In order to extract clay, it is necessary to remove the SRS (soil and plant layer) with excavators or bulldozers, put it in a separate herd for subsequent reclamation of the same worked-out area in the quarry.

The next stage of work is overburden - removal of sand, gravel and other impurities. The overburden is removed so that the mineral (clay) is cleaner.

The overburden is dumped by dump trucks or also packed for subsequent reclamation.

After stripping and preparatory work has been carried out, namely, access roads to the deposit, roads for transporting clay and overburden, as well as preparing sites for storing clay (cone), the mining process begins. Excavators remove the clay in layers so that it can be rolled on a cone and loaded into dump trucks for further transportation to the warehouse. In the warehouse, it is taken by a bulldozer or a vibratory roller and then rolled into a cone.

The extraction of clay in the mining area ends when sand or gravel begins to appear under the clay. After that, the complex moves to another prepared site. In this sequence, clay is mined.

It is important to know that in unlit quarries, as well as clay warehouses, work at night is prohibited!

Clay quarries are usually flooded, so it is necessary to use motor pumps to pump out water, as well as dig the quarry with drainage ditches, otherwise flooding of the mineral and the loss of significant volumes of clay may follow!

In winter, production does not stop. To prevent freezing of the soil, the quarry is insulated with sawdust, peat and other materials with a low level of thermal conductivity. Sometimes the thickness of the insulation reaches 70 cm. The transported clay is covered with a tarpaulin so that it does not freeze during delivery to the place of production. In the closed quarries of the northern regions, where the earth seriously freezes in winter, greenhouses are equipped - closed-type structures with equipped heating devices.

As an example, we can consider the involved equipment for the development of a site of 6 hectares with a capacity of 90,000 m3 of clay and 200,000 m3 of overburden for a period of 7 months of quarry operation.

The process included the following pieces of equipment: 2 excavators with a bucket capacity of 1.8 m3, 4 articulated dump trucks with a load capacity of 30 tons, and 2 bulldozers weighing 25 tons each on a shoulder up to 400 m.

At the end of mining operations in the quarry, reclamation is carried out, which includes backfilling of the worked-out areas with overburden and spreading of the soil and vegetation layer. Reclamation can be done with both bulldozers and excavators, if your shoulders allow.

Sand quarrying

Sand is one of the most sought-after materials in any construction, and the most common way to extract it is by quarrying. Excavators, scrapers, cable cars and other equipment are used to develop sand pits.

The first stage in the development of a sand pit is stripping, during which various impurities are prevented from entering the sand. Further, trenches are laid for working ledges and transport routes are organized. To effectively perform these works, we have an extensive own fleet of Komatsu, CAT, ChTZ, Shantui and other brands of bulldozers. After all the preparatory work is completed, you can start mining and transporting sand.

We use our own tracked and wheeled excavators of CAT, JCV, Hitachi, John Deere and Hyunday brands to perform direct quarrying. The models presented in our fleet show excellent performance and are able to perform a large amount of work in a short time. Any necessary attachments are also owned by the company.

Limestone quarrying

Limestone is a mountain-sedimentary rock of organic or chemogenic origin. Limestone is one of the most popular building materials and is widely used for the production of quicklime and crushed limestone.

The extraction of limestone is usually carried out by quarrying. Ledges 10-15 m high are cut along the strike of carbonate layers and drilling and blasting is carried out. The extraction of raw materials, as well as the removal of upper alluvial rocks (overburden), are carried out by excavators. The resulting mass is transported from the quarry by trucks.

JCB, XCMG and other brands of front and telescopic loaders are used for loading soil and mined rock. All models available in the Elite Stroy-VNV fleet are distinguished by their maneuverability, high speed movement, large bucket capacity and have repeatedly proven their effectiveness in quarrying. For transportation of soil and mined rock, Elite Stroy-VNV has its own fleet of high-capacity and off-road dump trucks.

Peat Quarry Development

Peat quarries are quarries with a surface type of development and are characterized by shallow depth. Preparation for the development of the deposit consists in removing the surface vegetation layer with uprooting of stumps, draining the site, preparing fields for drying peat, building roads and bridges through drainage channels. When working on waterlogged soil, special all-terrain vehicles with low ground pressure are used.

Peat excavators excavate peat to a depth of 5 meters. After that, the peat goes to the press for processing, is pressed in the form of a strip and must be dried naturally (the cut strips are laid out on the fields to dry). The width of the development depends on the size of the swamp where peat is mined.

Diorite Quarry Development

Diorites are a mountain igneous rock. As building material diorite is widely used for making crushed stone, as well as building cladding, making pedestals, vases, countertops, etc. Diorite is a strong and heavy material and in its mechanical properties close to granite.

Fluorite Quarry Development

Fluorite is a mineral found mainly in hydrothermal veins, dolomites and limestones. This material is widely used in metallurgy (as a flux), in chemical industry and ceramic production. It is also mined by open pit mining as part of fluorite and complex ores.

Elite Stroy-VNV is your reliable partner

In the company "Elite Stroy-VNV" you can order a range of services for the development of a turnkey quarry. All equipment is supplied with experienced and highly qualified machinists who have been trained and instructed in safety. For the prompt repair of special equipment and trucks, we have our own service base.

Our experience and material and technical base allow us to successfully cope with the development of quarries of any size and complexity.

Sand is an important building material used in many processes during the execution of works. The volumes of its consumption on an industrial scale are several times higher than the use of crushed stone and other non-metallic building materials. That is why the extraction of sand and the constant development of existing deposits are important.

For activities carried out by residents in daily life, sand is easy to find, as it is found on roads, farmlands and other public places. But in order to use the material in industrial volumes, you need to know how the process is carried out correctly and be guided strict rules on mining technology and further transportation.

Registration of business law

Sand is of natural origin and is mined in special quarries. As a rule, mining sites are sandy or with an admixture of granite.

Obtaining a large amount of sand to use for further commercial purposes is not an easy task. First of all, you need to know all the nuances of the production technology and the characteristics of the extracted sand. This problem can be solved if there are extra finances, since it is possible to hire specially trained personnel.

The financial aspect is another problem that can be faced immediately when opening this business. To put the business on stream and start making a profit, you need a lot of investment and a lot of time.

Like any other business, the extraction of material is subject to taxation and registration in the state register. For this type of activity, the registration of LLC - a limited liability company is best suited. You can entrust the execution of documentation and bringing it into proper form to special companies that do this for a fee. If time permits, then you can bypass all instances for collecting information on your own. After completing a number of documents, it is necessary to determine the form of taxation.

To successfully open and develop your own quarry, you need registration for the ownership and use of this deposit, a license. It is issued for a period of five years and can be extended in the future if the entrepreneur wishes.

The whole process of extracting a mineral from a deposit is regulated current legislation. Specifically, in this case, state standard 8736-93 "Construction sand", and TU 4417-75 "Quartz sand intended for welding".

Mining technology

There are many ways to extract layers of sand from a quarry. All methods are divided into open and closed methods. How the sand is extracted depends on the origin of this building material and the characteristics of the product being produced.

Open pit mining

The open method is the most common due to its availability. It is easier to get to the deposits in depth and on the surface. In addition, a minimum amount of construction equipment is used.

To begin with, stripping works are carried out on site. This is done with a bulldozer and a scraper. If the work is not carried out, then there may be a mixture of sand with impurities, which is completely undesirable. At this time, specialists determine the overburden ratio - the ratio of the base material and other minerals in the total volume.

Then trenches for working ledges and transport routes for equipment are carried out. The angle of inclination of the ledge is individual for each locality, since it is determined based on specifications construction equipment.

Despite the fact that this method is quite simple to perform, it has its drawbacks. These include the low quality of the extracted products - they are often orange or yellow, which indicates their low quality.

Improve the performance of the mineral mined open way, helps to clean the sand from impurities. The finished product can be used in plaster and masonry mortars.

Closed way

Such mining is otherwise called the hydromechanical method. Since in Latin "hydro" means the presence of water, you can guess that this method is used if you need to get sand from the bottom of the reservoir.

For the successful development of mineral deposits under water, floating systems or special earthen shells are used.

Pontoons are used for a reason - they serve to securely fix cables and anchors. A powerful earthen pump and a mechanized ripper are lowered to the bottom of the water column. The slurry is sucked through the pipe and enters the hydraulic dumps through special conductors. A mixture of water and sand is otherwise called pulp.

It is in the hydro dumps that the sand is washed away from the water, which flows back into the source. The sand itself at this stage is cleaned of clay and other possible impurities.

The main tasks in the development of a sand pit

The goal of any business is to sell the extracted sand and make a profit. Mining provides for the sale of raw materials in the future. Its importance cannot be overestimated, which means that with properly established contacts and distribution channels, it is necessary to determine the initial volumes, the expected profit.

There may be several distribution channels for a product. These can be small wholesale stores selling building sand, and large companies that will purchase material for their own needs.

Despite the fact that there are many ways to sell a product, you should not be focused only on money to begin with. First, it is important to decide on the initial price, supplies. It is most profitable to start sales closer to the place of production - this way the time and cost of transportation will be reduced to a minimum.

The main tasks after the development of a quarry include:

• pricing;
• establishing contacts for the sale of products;
• purchase necessary equipment. Any sand mining activity cannot do without an excavator, front loader, dump truck.
• purchase of small items. These include a fire shield, a drinking tank, an electricity generator, a change house and equipment for it, walkie-talkies for workers.

Methods for the extraction of sea and river sand

Depending on the type of deposits and the type of building sand produced, the material is divided into:

• nautical;
• river;
• alluvial;
• lacustrine;
• deluvial.

The most common methods of extracting and developing soil are the processing of quarries, rivers and seas. River sand is extracted by a hydromechanical method from the bottom of rivers and channels, which have dried up due to natural disasters.

If the deposit is located at a considerable distance from the storage site, then the extracted raw materials are stacked on a barge, and only then delivered to the site. It also happens that the layer of sand at the bottom of the river is very large. Then excavators and draglines are used.

One of the advanced methods of mining from the bottom of the river is the drainage of part of the channel and the use of centrifugal separators. During operation, the machine separates sand particles and impurities, thereby improving the quality of the extracted raw materials. By washing, the sand is made even cleaner, and after it dries, the material can already be used.

Video: Sand mining