According to the top-priority trends and challenges in the mineral sector, and as per the mining science strategy, it is highly critical to arrange enhanced control, prediction and safety of production objects and their functioning for the preservation of automation sustainability. Improved control of databases, regulatory bonds, management, logistics and principles of sustainable development in mining makes it possible to reduce technological deviations and accidents at large mining and processing plants. Most procedural violations and accidents in surface and underground mines occur because of the unskilled actions of process flow operators. Damage in this case can be considerable, especially as compared with the expenses connected with qualitative training and persistent development of personnel engaged with supervisory control and data acquisition for the efficient operation of SCADA-systems within the automation framework of mining and processing plants. Definition of digital systems and their interrelation with multilevel automated control can be incorrect. The review of new principles can awaken interest in the conceptual assessment of digitalization processes using such notions as: numerical models, simulator, and artificial intel-ligence. Often applied formulations and principles of a digital model are substituted without justification of functional connections. On the other hand, a digital system today can be assumed as robotic lines and other numerical models and smart technologies, for instance, machining sta-tions with numerical program control. It is necessary to define the practical significance of conceptual modifications and digital transformation regarding objects of the mineral sector, using Big Data; to understand how a digital twin can influence a changeable process situation; to provide prompt prediction; to eliminate an accident; and to preserve the physical balance in the whole production system. Such intelligent and flexible productions particularly need computer-based simulators and digital twins based on technologies of Industry 4.0–extended and virtual reality on the basis of digital twins. Digital twins allow maximal simulation of real-life activity of process flow operators. The skills acquired by personnel after such simulation training enable operators to master the optimized procedure for functioning in emergency situations in mineral mining and processing. This paper exemplifies the remote training and control of process flows, which is of concern in the current international situation.

The necessary condition for the operation of crushers in the production of crushed granite is feeding of the crushers with granite fragments of a certain size. At the same time, granite fragmentation after blasting does not always meet the required size for the crushers and needs additional destruction by blasting or disintegration directly on site. Hydraulic breakers are most often used in disintegration of oversizes. For example, in quarries in Vietnam, JCB HM380 hydraulic breakers with a fracture energy of up to 2.5 kJ are widely used. The working tools of the hydraulic breakers are steel picks of various diameters and shapes. The operation of this tool is accompanied by its intensive wear due to the impact-abrasive action of rocks; the pointed part of the tool gets gradually blunted, which affects the rate of penetration of the pick in rock. In this regard, it is relevant to determine the influence exerted by the degree of wear of the pick on the performance of the hydraulic breaker, and to find out whether replacement or re-sharpening of the pick is expedient. In this paper, based on the previously determined crack propagation velocity in granite and the impact time, the length of the fracture is calculated. The dimensions of a crack in a granite block are calculated depending on the degree of blunting of the pick at a certain number of blows per cycle. At the same time, the limiting value of a crack that causes chipping of a piece from rock mass was considered as the fracture length to free surface at different degrees of pick blunting. Based on these calculations, the average productivity and energy input of disintegration process were determined. It is shown that for a tool with a completely worn tip, the decrease in the productivity and the increase in the energy input of fracture reach two times compared with a sharpened pick. In this regard, from the point of view of increasing the hydraulic breaker capacity, it is advisable to replace or re-sharpen the pick after complete wear of its tip.

The problem of DEM models calibration is considered in the article. It is proposed to divide models input parameters into those that require iterative calibration and those that are recommended to measure directly. A new method for model calibration based on the design of the experiment for iteratively calibrated parameters is proposed. The experiment is conducted using a specially designed stand. The results are processed with technical vision algorithms. Approximating functions are obtained and the error of the implemented software and hardware complex is estimated. The prospects of the obtained results are discussed.