Grants and Contracts Details
Description
PROBLEM STATEMENT AND JUSTIFICATION
For the past 50 years, ground control research has provided the mining industry with a better means of understanding and predicting mining induced material behaviors. However, for all that we know and understand about in-seam and overburden material behaviors, current pillar design and stability evaluation methodologies utilized within the US mining industry (ALPS, ARMPS, S-Pillar, etc.) implement simplified approximations of both pillar and overburden responses to underground mining operations. As mining reserves have become depleted, many mining operations have been force into more geologically and geometrically complex conditions. These complexities require mine designs to better integrate site-specific conditions and known material behaviors in the evaluation of the underground stability. While multifaceted numerical modeling solutions are able to provide extremely accurate replications of underground site behaviors, measurements, and observations, they require an immense amount of time to develop and are not easily modifiable between mine sites. However, by considering material displacement in the evaluation of mining induced loading as well as support strength, one is more accurately replicate in-seam and overburden material behaviors and their impact on the stability of the underground mining environment. The ground response method (GRM) has been long utilized in tunnel construction as a means of determining the stability of the excavation as well as the effectiveness of installed ground supports. In adapting GRM for application in underground coal and stone mining operations, one is provided with a better means of approximating the response of in-seam and rockmass materials with respect to mine stability. The ability of GRM to adequately characterize overburden and support behaviors allows for easily modification the stability analyses in determining the loading and strength of irregularly shaped pillars and/or pillar-retreat lines. It is the vision of the proposal to build upon current ground control design methodologies by considering in-seam and rockmass material displacements in the evaluations of support loading and strength.
IMPACT OF THE RESEARCH
The proposed research project will provide the mining industry with a more appropriate means of evaluating the stability of both the pillar and ground support systems through the inclusion of displacements with respect to the GRM. The utilization of material displacements in the evaluation of the pillar-support system stability will provide industry professionals with a simplified means of implementing site-specific ground conditions and behaviors as well as ground support efficiencies within underground coal and stone design methodologies. It is expected that the mining industry will quickly adopt the proposed analysis method as it allows for the incorporation of many pillar, ground, and support interactions and mechanisms within the analysis of site-specific pillar-support system stability as well as reserve sequencing and optimizations.
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 8/1/18 → 10/30/20 |
Funding
- Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health Incorporated: $223,358.00
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