OPERATIONAL ELASTICITY ASSESSMENT BETWEEN MECHANICAL AVAILABILITY AND UTILIZATION OF LONGHOLE DRILLING JUMBOS IN AN UNDERGROUND MINE *J.P. Cortez1, M.D. Zuñiga2, L.A. Huaira3 1,2,3Department of Mining Engineering, National University of Engineering, Peru, (*Presenting author: jcortez@uni.pe) ABSTRACT This project evaluates the relationship between mechanical availability and utilization of long-hole drilling jumbos in an underground mining operation, applying the concept of operational elasticity as a quantitative analysis tool. Based on historical records of production and operational states, availability, utilization, and drilling performance (m/h) indicators were calculated. The databases were integrated using Power BI, and linear regression models were developed in Python. The results demonstrate the existence of negative operational elasticity in both day and night shifts, which indicates that increases in mechanical availability do not necessarily translate into proportional increases in effective equipment utilization. This behavior is mainly associated with non-mechanical operational delays, such as deficiencies in planning, work coordination, operator availability, and work organization. This study shows that improving jumbo operational performance does not depend exclusively on mechanical reliability, but rather on an integrated management approach addressing the operational factors that determine the conversion of availability into effective production. This approach provides an analytical framework applicable to the optimization of equipment performance in underground mining operations. KEYWORDS Operational elasticity; mechanical availability; utilization; long-hole drilling jumbos; underground mining. 1. INTRODUCTION In underground mining operations, long-hole drilling jumbos play a fundamental role in ensuring stope extraction and compliance with mine plans. Their performance directly impacts production capacity and the ability of the operation to continuously deliver the ore required by the processing plant. Availability and utilization are two key performance indicators (KPIs) used to evaluate equipment performance. Availability reflects the time during which the equipment is mechanically capable of operating, while utilization represents the portion of available time that is actually used
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