The transitional siliceous rocks from the Belchatow lignite deposit belong to the deposits with heterogeneous petrographic composition. The research allows us to identify among others, opoka-rocks and gaizes. The mineralogical-chemical analysis proves that the main ingredients of the studied rocks commonly used as building material are minerals of the SiO₂ group. Laboratory tests show that the nature of siliceous mineral phases has several effects on the geomechanical parameters of the studied transitional rocks. They are a reduction in water content and rock porosity, which leads to the transition of opal type A to opal type crystobalit and trydymit and then to quartz or microquartz. Their density and strength parameters are increased.

What is patriotism as opposed to nationalism? And which of these is what sometimes surfaces in contemporary rock music?

Three types of rock glaciers (moraine, cirque and subslope ones) were distinguished in northwestern Wedel Jarlsberg Land. Subslope rock glaciers were found different from nival moraines. A development of subslope and fossil cirque rock glaciers was connected with the older Holocene whereas of active cirque and moraine rock glaciers with the Little Ice Age.

The assessment of a rock’s behaviour around excavations and the effectiveness of its reinforcement in underground ore mines is dependent on the performance of the rock-bolt and rock-mass interaction, which can be estimated on the basis of appropriately designed measurements. Based on the background of various measurements solutions described in the literature, concerning rock bolt monitoring methods, the authors proposed a new, original device for mass measurements in mine conditions. After examining the advantages and disadvantages of existing constructions, the article presents the essence, principle of operation and method of measuring anchor load in an underground excavation with the a instrument, indicator WK-2/8. The prototype has been carefully researched and successfully tested in a full-scale laboratory environment. This instrument, also referred to as a load indicator or force pad, does not require electrical power and allows for relatively accurate (with a resolution of 10-14kN, up to about 90kN loading capacity) and a remote reading of the axle loading of the anchor (AGH patent) by any person present in the specified area. The device can be installed in mining excavations under loading conditions. The relatively low cost of a measuring instrument, practically used as an additional washer, as well as an easy assembly method, makes it universally applicable in mines where anchoring is used as a means of strengthening the rock.

This article presents a concept method which aids the forecasting of the reclamation cost in post- rock mining areas. The method may also prove useful in estimating the investment profitability of a mining operation at its planning stage as well as managing a potential Reserve Fund to cover future activities, such as land reclamation. The development of the method consisted in defining a set of basic/typical land reclamation directions and the typical structure of reclamation operations/works, which are based on “statistically stable” values. The estimations included the distribution of the probable cost of these works with respect to the reclamation direction and were calculated on the basis of the analyzed current price lists and historical land reclamation projects. The article proposes a method for estimating the cost structure of multi-directional projects by combining the basic directions. The changeability and predictability of various land reclamation solutions was analyzed in terms of fuzzy logic. A price list was developed, which included unit costs for separate types of reclamation works, independent of their type and scale. The assumed optimal measure involved comparing the cost of individual types of operations to the surface of the reclamation area. As an example, the method was also applied to hypothetical data from a clastic rock mine with a surface of 20 ha, and for the forest, agricultural and forest-agricultural reclamation directions. The forest-agricultural reclamation directions was presented in the proportions of 0.3:0.7.

Through in-situ stress measurements, stress data were obtained from an auxiliary transportation roadway in a coal mine in Shanxi Province, China. Based on the principles of elastic mechanics and using a generalized plane strain model, the mechanical effects of the in-situ stresses on an idealized roadway were calculated and the distributions of stresses, displacements, and plastic zones determined. Building on this model, the vulnerable zones in the roadway cross section were identified. Ground support specifications were developed and during specification design, comprehensive consideration was given to factors affecting the stability of the rock surrounding the roadway. A scientific and reasonable support scheme was put forward. Practical experience in the coal mine shows the normal forces of anchor bolt and cable, the minimal convergence of roof to floor, and a generally good support in the auxiliary transportation roadway. The support should ensure safe production during its service life. This study provides a new method for designing roadway support systems that can be particularly valuable for high-stress roadways.

The Legnica deposit is one of the most prospective in the context of future lignite mining. Its extraction will be inseparable from the removal of the rocks of the overburden, the volume of which is very large. Due to the raw material properties, some of the rocks can be classified as accompanying minerals. The raw material identification of overburden sediments in the Legnica lignite deposit is insufficient. So far, they haven’t been the subject of detailed and comprehensive research to prove their usefulness. The article was a summary of the knowledge on this subject. The following should be included in the accompanying minerals: Quaternary sands and gravels, tertiary sands and clays (Poznan clays). They are present in two colour variants in the Legnica deposit - and fiery. The mineral composition of greenish-blue clays allows them to be included in illite-kaolinite- smectite varieties, in turn fiery clays as kaolinite-illite-smectite varieties. The tertiary clays are a very useful raw material for the production of building materials. In addition, they are potential mineral sorbents due to the nature of the association of clay minerals (occurrence of montmorillonite). They also show suitability for building waterproofing barriers. Quaternary gravels and sands, developed in the overburden Legnica deposit are differentiated raw materials. Some of them are raw materials for the construction industry. The glacial tills can be used as a component of ceramic mixtures. Tertiary sands can be used as a proppant material. The information on the raw material properties of these sediments will be one of the essential criteria for their treatment as accompanying minerals. Minerals accompanying those developed in the Legnica deposit should be exploited and deposited selectively. The creation of anthropogenic deposits accumulating these minerals will provide the possibility of their use for decades after the termination of operation.

The correct management of underground works, petroleum and gas reservoirs and geothermal applications relies on the hydromechanical behaviour of rock masses. We describe a laboratory approach to measuring permeability for different types of rock specimens. A laboratory system was designed and set up using rock mechanics equipment (a servo-controlled hydraulic press, a Hoek cell, a pump for injecting water and a scale for measuring the volume of water flow). To verify the validity of the permeability measurements, tests were carried out on a reference porous rock (Corvio sandstone), with results showing good agreement with those published in the literature. Tests were subsequently carried out on artificially fissured granite specimens with different joint patterns, submitted to various confinement stresses up to 20 MPa. Results showed good agreement with traditional Klinkenberg test results. Other tests done with artificially fissured specimens are described for demonstrative purposes.

Currently available field rock mass deformability determination methods are rather difficult to perform, due to their complexity and a time-consuming nature. This article shows results of a suitability assessment of a Pen206 borehole jack (a hydraulic penetrometer) for field rock mass deformability measurements. This type of the borehole jack is widely used in Polish hard coal mining industry. It was originally intended only for quick rock mass strength parameters determination. This article describes an analysis and scope of basic modifications performed mainly on a borehole jack head. It includes discussion of results with possible directions for future development of the device.

A “rock bridge”, defined as the closest distance between two joints in a rock mass, is an important feature affecting the jointed rock mass strength. Artificial jointed rock specimens with two parallel joint fractures were tested under uniaxial compression and numerical simulations were carried out to study the effects of the inclination of the rock bridge, the dip angle of the joint, rock bridge length, and the length of joints on the strength of the jointed rock mass. Research results show: (1) When the length of the joint fracture, the length of the rock bridge, and the inclination of the rock bridge stay unchanged, the uniaxial compressive strength of the specimen gradually increases as the inclination of the joint fracture increases from 0° to 90°. (2) When the length of the joint fracture, the length of the rock bridge, and the inclination of the joint fracture stay unchanged, the uniaxial compressive strength of the specimen shows variations in trends with the inclination of the rock bridge increasing from 30° to 150° (3). In the case when the joint is angled from the vertical loading direction, when the dip angle of the joint fracture, the inclination of the rock bridge, and the length of the rock bridge stay unchanged, the uniaxial compressive strength of the specimen gradually decreases with an increasing length of joint fracture. When the dip angle of the joint fracture, the inclination of the rock bridge, and the length of the joint fracture stay unchanged, the uniaxial compressive strength of the specimen does not show a clear trend with an increase of the length of the rock bridge.

In this study, the compressive deformation of crushed sandstone was tested using a crushed rock deformation-seepage test system, and the effects of various factors, including crushed rock grade, grade combination, water saturation status, and stress loading method (i.e., continuous loading or cyclic loading and unloading), on the compressive deformation of crushed sandstone was analyzed from four perspectives including stress-strain, bulking coefficient, deformation mechanism and energy dissipation. The results indicate that the stress-strain relations of crushed sandstone are closely associated with all factors considered, and are well represented by exponential functions. The strain observed for a given applied stress increased with increasing crushed rock grade throughout the loading period. Crushed sandstone grades were combined according to a grading index (n), where the proportion of large-grade rocks in the sample increased with increasing n. The bearing capacity of a water-saturated crushed sandstone sample with n = 0.2 was less than that of an equivalent dry sample for a given applied stress. The stress-strain curve of a water-saturated crushed sandstone sample with n = 0.2 under cyclic loading and unloading was similar to that obtained under continuous loading. Observation and discovery, the deformation mechanism of crushed sandstone was mainly divided into four stages, including crushing, rupture, corner detachment and corner wear. And 20% of the work done by testing machine is used for friction between the crushed sandstone with the inner wall of the test chamber, and 80% is used for the closing of the void between the crushed sandstone, friction sliding, crushing damage.

A simple empirical study on the orientation, diameter, and extent of radial fractures (long and short) at the vicinity of the face-perpendicular preconditioned boreholes is described. Homogenous and heterogeneous mining faces were considered when studying the orientation of radial fractures, four and five face-perpendicular preconditioning practices were used to investigate the outspread and diameter of radial fractures from one blasted drill hole to another. Long radial fractures were observed to be developed along the direction of the maximum principal stress and short radial fractures were observed to be developed along the direction of the intermediate principal stress in a homogenous mining face. On the other hand, long radial fractures were observed to be developed along the direction of the intermediate principal stress, while short radial fractures were observed to be developed along the direction of the maximum principal stress when the mining faces subjected to heterogeneous rock mass. The diameters of the radial fractures observed were inconsistent and were not nine times the diameter of the original borehole. Furthermore, the extent of radial fractures from one borehole to another was noted to be gradually improved when the additional of preconditioned borehole was in place. This study maintained that the orientation of radial fractures is mostly controlled by the rock properties, however, extend and the diameters of the radial fractures are controlled by rock properties, the effectiveness of the stress wave and gas pressure and brittleness of the rock mass.

This work presents an innovative shaft-lining solution which, in accordance with a patent of the Republic of Poland, allows successive, periodic leaching of excess rock salt migrating to the shaft opening. As is commonly known, all workings in rock salt strata are exposed to an increased convergence of sidewalls, making it very difficult to use shafts properly. Rocks migrating towards the shaft opening cause very high stress on the shaft liner. As a result, if the lining does not show substantial deformability, it fails. Lining failure due to insufficient deformability has been extensively described in the literature. Also, throughout the history of mining construction, a number of solutions have been proposed for different types of lining-deformability enhancement. For instance, the KGHM mining corporation applied a deformable steel lining – a solution used in the mining construction of galleries – along a 155-m-long section of the SW-4 shaft with diameters of 7,5 m that passes through a rock salt strata. At KGHM, the SW-4 shaft passes through a rock salt strata along a section of 155 m, in which a deformable enclosed steel lining was made. After several years, the convergence of shaft sidewalls stabilised at a rate of 0.5 mm/day. This enormous activity of the rock mass made it necessary to reconstruct the entire shaft section after only four years. According to further predictions, it will be necessary to reconstruct this section at least four times by 2045. This paper discusses in short form the underlying weaknesses of the technology in question.

As a solution to the problems mentioned above, the authors of this work present a very simple design of a shaft lining, called the tubing-aggregate lining, which utilises the leachability of salt rock massifs. The essential part of the lining is a layer of coarse aggregate set between the salt rock sidewall and the inner column of the tubing lining. One the one hand, coarse aggregate supports the salt rock sidewall and is highly deformable due to its compressibility, but on the other hand it allows water or low saturated brine to migrate and dissolve salt rock sidewalls.

This paper presents the first stage of works on this subject. Patent No. PL 223831 B had been granted before these works commenced.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of natural uncertainties and effective parameters on the stability of plate-type rock walls. For this, the effective factors and geo-mechanical properties in the study area were obtained using field experiments. Stability analysis of rock walls was investigated for 40 scenarios in dry and saturated states. These parameters were then evaluated using Easyfit software and Markov chain analysis and Monte Carlo simulation by Rock Plane software. Comparison of the results of numerical and uncertainty methods shows that the rock walls with 60-80 degree slope are stable; and In saturated state they require stability due to the reduction of shear strength. Fixation of the rock walls was also investigated, indicating an optimum angle of 30° for the installation of the rock screw. The results show that the Monte Carlo simulation provides a simpler interpretation and the uncertainty methods are more accurate and reliable than the numerical methods.

Underground mining extraction causes the displacement and changes of stress fields in the surrounding rock mass. The determination of the changes is extremely important when the mining activity takes place in the proximity of post-flotation tailing ponds, which may affect the stability of the tailing dams. The deterministic modeling based on principles of continuum mechanics with the use of numerical methods, e.g. finite element method (FEM) should be used in all problems of predicting rock mass displacements and changes of stress field, particularly in cases of complex geology and complex mining methods. The accuracy of FEM solutions depends mainly on the quality of geomechanical parameters of the geological strata. The parameters, e.g. young modulus of elasticity, may require verification through a comparison with measured surface deformations using geodetic methods. This paper presents application of FEM in predicting effects of underground mining on the surface displacements in the area of the KGHM safety pillar of the tailing pond of the OUOW Żelazny Most. The area has been affected by room and pillar mining with roof bending in the years 2008-2016 and will be further exposed to room-and-pillar extraction with hydraulic filling in the years 2017–2019.

The paper presents the statical research tests of rod bolt made of plastic with a length of 5.5 m, which were performed in a modern laboratory test facility at the Department of Underground Mining of the University of Science and Technology. Innovative The Self-excited Acoustic System (SAS) used to measure stress changes in the bolt support was characterized. The system can be used for the non-destructive evaluation of the strain of the bolt around the excavations as well as in tunnels. The aim of the study was to compare the re-sults recorded by two different measuring systems, thanks to which it will be possible to assess the load of long bolt support by means of the non-destructive method. The speed and simplicity of measurement, access to the sensors, accuracy of measurement and reading should be kept in mind in determining the load of rock bolt support . In addition, the possibility of damage to the sensor as a re-sult of technological or natural hazards should also be taken into account. In economic conditions, the „technical - balance laws of production”, which ex-cludes the use of load sensors on each bolt must be preserved. The use of indi-vidual load sensors of rock bolt support for the boundary state, allows appro-priate protection actions of the mining crew against sudden loss of excavation stability to be taken. The paper presents two basic effects used in the ultrasonic measurement sys-tem. The first result was the existence of stable limit cycle oscillations for posi-tive feedback. This effect is called the self-excited effect. The second effect is called the elasto-acoustic effect. It means that with the change of elastic stress-es in the material bring the change of the speed of propagation of the wave. In this connection, the propagation time between measuring heads is also changed. This effect manifests itself in the change in the oscillation frequency of the self-excited system. For this reason, by measuring the frequency of self-excited oscillation, it is possible to indirectly determine the level of effort of the tested material.