The need to identify oversized fragments in underground mining operations is discussed. The relationship between relative permittivity and bulk density is examined using established mixture models. A method of measuring the relative permittivity of ore in an industrial context is presented using a two channel Ground Penetrating Radar system in a trans-illumination arrangement. This method also provides a solution to the problem of time zero drift which affects spatially and/or temporally separated antennas. Results of experiments using sifted samples of fragmented ore show there is a relationship between bulk density and relative permittivity for fragmented ore.
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GiannopoulosA. and DiamantiN.2004. A numerical investigation into the accuracy of determining dielectric properties and thicknesses of pavement layers using reflection amplitude GPR data, Tenth International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar, 655–658.
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JacobR. W. and HermanceJ. F.2005. Random and non-random uncertainties in precision GPR measurements: identifying and compensating for instrument drift, Subsurf. Sens. Technol. Appl., 6, 59–71.
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KalogeropoulosA., Krukvander J. and HugenschmidtJ.2011. Monitoring the evolution of water and chloride in concrete using GPR full-waveform inversion, Proc. 6th Int. Workshop on Advanced Ground Penetrating Radar, Aachen, Germany, 1–6.
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MaerzN. and PalangioT.2004. Post-muckpile, pre-primary crusher, automated optical blast fragmentation sizing, Int. J. Blast. Fragment., 8, (2), 119–136.
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MaerzN. and ZhouW.2000. Calibration of optical digital fragmentation measuring systems, Int. J. Blast. Fragment., 4, (2), 126–138.
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MardeniR.2010. Road pavement density analysis using a new non-destructive ground penetrating radar system, Progr. Electrom. Res. B, 21B, 399–417.
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ReppertP., MorganF. and ToksözM. N.2000. Dielectric constant determination using ground penetrating radar reflections coefficients, J. Appl. Geophys., 43, 189–197.
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ToppG., ZegelinS. and WhiteI.2000. Impacts of the real and imaginary components of relative permittivity on time domain reflectometry measurements in soils, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 64, 1244–1252.
18.
YelfR.2004. Where is true time zero?Tenth International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar, 279–282.
