Learning

Itasca Educational Partnership

ITASCA Academics

Software Tutorials

PFC 7 Balls in a Box

This tutorial will guide you through the main steps required to build a simple PFC model with 30 interacting balls in a box using the linear contact model.

MINEDW Tutorial (Part 4: Meshing)

In this tutorial we will go over meshing, from the creation of a 2D mesh and how to import it to MINEDW, to the inclusion of topography, layers, and pinch-outs to different areas of interest in the model.

Bonded Block Model with Cable Ground Support

Cable elements in 3DEC may be assigned a tensile yield force limit and an axial rupture strain in order to simulate cable rupture. 3DEC can also simulate the shearing resistance along the cable length between the grout and either the cable or the host material.

Technical Papers

Use of a Chemical Transport Code for the Prediction of Gold Heap Leach Production

Itasca Denver, Inc., (Itasca) in conjunction with Newmont Mining Corporation (NMC) developed a numerical model to estimate gold (Au) production from NMC’s heap-leach operations.

Blast Movement Simulation Through a Hybrid Approach of Continuum, Discontinuum, and Machine Learning Modeling

This work presents a hybrid modeling approach to efficiently estimate and optimize rock movement during blasting. A small-scale continuum model simulates early-stage, near-field blasting physics and generates synthetic data to train a machine learning (ML) model. Key parameters such as expanded hole diameter, burden velocity, and gas pressure are obtained through the ML model, which then inform a discontinuum model to predict far-field muckpile formation. The approach captures essential blast physics while significantly accelerating blast design optimization.

A Discrete Fracture Network Model With Stress-Driven Nucleation: Impact on Clustering, Connectivity, and Topology

The realism of Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) models relies on the spatial organization of fractures, which is not issued by purely stochastic DFN models. In this study, we introduce correlations between fractures by enhancing the genetic model (UFM) of Davy et al. [1] based on simplified concepts of nucleation, growth and arrest with hierarchical rules.

Latest News
  • Itasca at Balkanmine 2025! Itasca is pleased to announce its participation in the Balkanmine 2025 Conference. Our experts Lauriane...
    Read More
  • Summer Intern Spotlight ITASCA Minneapolis had another group of excellent summer interns this year across our consulting, software,...
    Read More
  • Seamless Integration of Site Data for Improved Mining Analysis Now Available for IMAT: Seamless Integration of Site Data for Improved Mining Analysis...
    Read More