Applied sciences

Archives of Mining Sciences

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Archives of Mining Sciences | 2024 | vol. 69 | No 3

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Abstract

The article presents a methodology for predicting the impact of the longwall shearer’s control parameter on methane emission rate to the working of a longwall based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods. The methodology was applied to the Z-11a longwall panel conditions at the Jankowice Hard Coal Mine. The results of the methane emissions rate in the working of a longwall for three variations of the position of the longwall shearer are shown and discussed. The modelled issue’s geometry, numerical grid, assumptions, and boundary conditions are presented. The filtration parameters of goafs are discussed. Relationships to estimate the various sources of methane emissions into the air flowing around the longwall panel Z-11a are presented. The results of the model tests were compared with the mining data in the Z-11a longwall panel at the Jankowice Hard Coal Mine.
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Authors and Affiliations

Tomasz Janoszek
1
ORCID: ORCID

  1. Central Mining Institute – National Research Institute (GIG-PIB), Plac Gwarków 1, 40-166 Katowice, Poland
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Abstract

The issue of energy efficiency in belt conveyors aligns with the current trends of energy saving in mining, driven by sustainable development goals and European legislation. The topic of energy-efficient conveyor transport faces the challenge of objectively assessing the energy efficiency of belt conveyors. The presented article demonstrates an analysis of the energy efficiency of belt conveyors in a lignite open-pit mine. As part of the research, the energy consumption of conveyors operating in a transport system was compared using the parameter of electrical energy consumption and the specific energy consumption (SEC) index, highlighting significant parameters affecting its interpretation. Based on the values of the modified lifting resistance SEC index, and the volume of transported material, observations were divided into groups reflecting energy efficiency classes using a k-means algorithm. The research shows that a proper assessment of the energy efficiency of a belt conveyor should consider the amount of transported mass concerning the maximum capacity, the conveyor’s design parameters, and the working environment characteristics.
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Authors and Affiliations

Natalia Suchorab-Matuszewska
1

  1. Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology, Department of Mining, Wybrzeże Stanisława Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
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Abstract

Airdeck blasting is a promising technique for improved blast efficiency, reducing explosive consumption, and enhancing fragmentation. Nevertheless, it lacks widespread adoption due to design guideline gaps and differing opinions on air deck placement. This study offers technical guidance based on field experiments to optimise air deck blasting. Full-scale blast experiments were conducted at four distinct limestone benches to evaluate the efficacy of air deck implementation. At Bench-1, experiments were performed using conventional blasting (with full-column charge) and air decks at three strategic air deck positions (i.e., top, mid, and bottom) within blast holes at a selected quarry site. For Benches 2 and 3, comparative fragmentation analyses were conducted between conventional blasts and those utilising air decks positioned in the middle of the explosive column. Furthermore, the impact of multiple mid-air decks within explosive columns was also evaluated at Bench-4. A comparison of blast fragmentation results revealed that fragments obtained through the air decking technique surpassed those from the full-column charge, regardless of air deck placement. Among the tested air deck positions, the single air deck positioned at the middle of the explosive column yielded superior fragmentation results than other locations. In addition, this technique showed a reduction in explosive charge, back break, and toe-related issues.
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Authors and Affiliations

Shahab Saqib
1
ORCID: ORCID
Mohsin Usman Qureshi
2
ORCID: ORCID
Hafiz Muhammad Awais Rashid
3
ORCID: ORCID
Danish Ali
4
ORCID: ORCID
Ali Murtaza Rasool
5
ORCID: ORCID

  1. Department of Mining Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore 54890 Pakistan
  2. Faculty of Engineering, Sohar University, Po Box 44, Postal Code 311, Sohar, Oman
  3. Department of Geological Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore 54890 Pakistan
  4. Mining Engineering and Management, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD, USA 57701
  5. Diamer Basha Dam Consultant Group (DBCG) – National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK), Lahore, Pakistan
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Abstract

Efficient extraction of coal from an underground mine is mainly done under the protection of different forms of coal pillars. It is observed that the coal seams and its host rock contain different geological discontinuities such as weak beds (bands), which affect the strength of pillars. The weak bed creates weak bedding planes. The available pillar strength formulae are based on the width-to-height ratio, depth of cover, and strength of intact coal, and they do not consider the effects of discontinuities. A numerical simulation study on the quarter symmetry model is carried out to assess the impact of weak beds with their positional variation and thickness. The strength of the pillar without discontinuities estimated through the simulation study was validated with those obtained by the indigenous empirical strength formula. A weak bed of 0.2 m, 0.3 m, 0.4 m, and 0.5 m thick was incorporated into the model within the pillar height at different positions and studied its impact on pillar strength. A simulation study revealed that the presence of a weak bedding plane at different positions in the pillar system reduces the strength of the pillar from 3.50% to 15%. However, it was found that the strength is reduced more in the case of a weak roof-pillar interface.
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Authors and Affiliations

Abhishek Kumar Singh
1
ORCID: ORCID
Sahendra Ram
1
ORCID: ORCID
Ashok Kumar
2
ORCID: ORCID

  1. Department of Mining Engineering, National Institute of Technology Rourkela,769008, India
  2. Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad, 826004, India
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Abstract

Discontinuous deformations, such as sinkholes, pose significant challenges in post-mining areas due to their unpredictable nature and potential hazard to surface development and the safety of local communities. Therefore, monitoring the post-mining regions should be treated as a continuing task. This study addresses the ongoing problem of sinkhole formation in the former “Przyjaźń Narodów – Szyb Babina” (Babina) lignite mine located in the glaciotectonic region of Muskau Arch in western Poland. The research uses airborne and terrestrial laser scanning methods to identify and monitor discontinuous deformations, focusing on a newly discovered sinkhole. The methodology involves differential analysis of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and their derivatives obtained from airborne laser scanning (ALS) and periodic terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) measurements. The results of ALS DEM analysis allowed the successful identification of 75 confirmed sinkholes, the largest measuring 12.8 m in diameter and 4.8 m deep. Whereas, differential DEM analysis indicated new sinkholes that developed between 2011 and 2020 in the area of shallow underground mining. Two-year TLS monitoring of the new sinkhole showed no progression in its dimensions. However, localised erosion processes associated with water transport were detected. The study shows that sinkhole formation processes are active 5 decades after the end of mining and highlights the importance of continuous monitoring of post-mining areas with advanced laser scanning methodss.
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Authors and Affiliations

Jan Blachowski
1
ORCID: ORCID
Jarosław Wajs
1
ORCID: ORCID
Natalia Walerysiak
1
ORCID: ORCID
Miłosz Becker
2
ORCID: ORCID

  1. Wroclaw University of Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, 50-421, Wroclaw, Poland
  2. KGHM CUPRUM Sp . z.o.o. – Research and Development Centre
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Abstract

The degree of ore fragmentation in mining sites is closely related to crushing efficiency, equipment safety, beneficiation efficiency, and mining costs. Aiming to address the challenges of high labour intensity and low accuracy during manual ore fragmentation measurement at the mine site, this paper proposes a method for ore fragmentation recognition based on deep learning. This method not only uses the residual neural network structure to form the backbone feature extraction network of CSPDarkNet21 under the Darknet framework but also selects the simple two-way fusion feature PANet as the feature extraction network under the condition of only needing to identify large ore. PANet is simplified from three feature layers to one feature layer, which speeds up model training and prediction. The research results show that with a 6% decrease in accuracy, the model training time is reduced by 13 times, and the model running efficiency is improved by 21.2 times, significantly shortening the model development time. At the same time, CIOU calculates the loss value to make model training more stable. After the ore identification is completed, the real size of the ore can be obtained by calculating the pixel area of the prediction frame using the ore fragmentation judgement method.
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Authors and Affiliations

Hongdi Jing
1 2
ORCID: ORCID
Wenxuan He
3
Miao Yu
1 2
Xin Li
1 2
ORCID: ORCID
Xingfan Zhang
1 2
Xiaosong Liu
1 2
Yang Cui
1 2
Zhijian Wang
1 2

  1. Chinese Academy of Sciences,Shenya ng Institute of Automat ion, Shenya ng 110016, China
  2. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Shenyang 110169, China
  3. Ansteel Group Mining Corporat ion Limited, Anshan 114001, China
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Abstract

The changes in the physical and mechanical properties of rocks under high temperatures can impact the construction safety and stability of underground geotechnical engineering. This study focuses on red sandstone treated at different temperatures, employing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to reveal alterations in the internal pore distribution due to elevated temperatures. The results indicate that high temperatures lead to the formation of micro- to meso scale pores and macro-scale pores and cracks. Additionally, high temperatures cause a significant reduction in load-bearing capacity, accompanied by changes in creep behaviour, including a shortened steady-state creep time and an increased strain threshold for rock failure. To more accurately describe the creep behaviour of red sandstone under different temperatures and stress conditions, a novel non-constant creep model is proposed, combining a generalised Kelvin body and a fractional viscoplastic body to demonstrate its versatility in elastic, viscoelastic, and viscoplastic deformation. The model parameters are determined through numerical optimisation, and the model’s reliability is confirmed by comparing theoretical curves with experimental data. Sensitivity analysis highlights the critical roles of parameters such as shear modulus, viscosity coefficient, fractional order, and characteristic parameters in capturing various creep patterns, emphasising the model’s wide applicability. This research provides profound insights into the physical and mechanical responses of red sandstone to high temperatures and offers valuable information for engineering and geological applications in relevant fields.
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Authors and Affiliations

PuChao Yang
1
ORCID: ORCID
Jun Wen
2
ORCID: ORCID
Xie Wenan
2
ORCID: ORCID
Gang Dai
2
ORCID: ORCID
Xiuting Yang
3
ORCID: ORCID

  1. Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China
  2. China Communications Construction Company Limited Second Highway Engineering Bureau, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China
  3. Luan Coal Chemical Group Luning Xinyu Coal Industry Co., Ltd., Shanxi Province, China
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Abstract

One of the most widely used failure criteria for rocks in the world is the Hoek-Brown failure criterion. For its use, the mi empirical parameter for a specific rock type is needed. The triaxial compression test is recommended for its determination; however, the full stress path for every rock comprises confined tension as well. This affects the course of the Hoek-Brown envelope, which is non-linear and starts at uniaxial tension. Fifty-one series of tests were carried out for three rock types: sandstone, claystone and limestone, to show the difference between the results of the mi determination, using two different approaches – so-called linear and non-linear. Moreover, the consistency between the developed simplified methods of constant determination and mi were checked. These comprised the UCS-based method, R-index method, TS-based method and advanced regression functions of compressive and tensile strength. The relationship between mi constant and the internal friction angle was checked as well. The analysis of the results showed that the consistency with the regression models developed by researchers depends on the chosen estimator. If it is derived from the triaxial test only, the results are closer to a linear determination of mi constant and have a good correlation with internal friction angle. If both tensile and compressive strength are used for its determination, the non-linear value correlates better with the advanced regression functions, but quite poor with the average compressive strength (R-index method) and tensile strength (TS-based method). Taking into account that every rock retained next to the geotechnical or mining object is not only compressed but also tensed, the non-linear mi interpretation seems to be more correct. The interlayers and discontinuities inside sedimentary rocks increase the scatter of lab results and reduce the accuracy of mi determination.
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Authors and Affiliations

Piotr Małkowski
1
ORCID: ORCID
Zbigniew Niedbalski
1
ORCID: ORCID

  1. AGH University of Krakow, Department of Geomechanics, Civil Engineering and Geotechnics, 30-059 Krakow, 30 Mickiewicza Av., Poland
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Abstract

The development of monorail transport systems began relatively recently, though their history dates back to the early 19th century. In modern hard coal mining, a suspended monorail is a basic means of auxiliary personnel and material transportation. A project with the acronym HEET II is currently being carried out as part of the European Union’s Research Fund for Coal and Steel. One of the elements of the transport system developed as part of the project is the composite steel rail that constitutes the subject of this publication. The innovative rail design serves as the runway for the suspended monorail and an element of its power supply system. This paper supplements a certain research gap or rather undertakes the first attempt at testing a railway track formed from composite-steel rails consisting of a composite section in the middle, similar in shape to an I-beam, as well as two steel joints constituting the ends for mounting further rails and for coupling with the hoists. It presents the methodology and results of composite-steel rail testing under static and cyclic fatigue loading and prolonged bending loading applied to the rail during a creep test. It also presents the results of comparative tests for the composite steel rail and a conventional steel rail during overloading and break tests under bending loading. The composite-steel rail test methodology was significantly expanded relative to the conventional steel rail methodology, given that the composite materials and resins are strongly susceptible to creeping, and their operation under cyclic loads exhibits a greater risk of failure compared to steel rails. The composite-steel rail test results presented in this article make it possible to conclude that despite its existing design flaws, applying this type of rail design in underground suspended monorail transportation cannot be excluded.
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Authors and Affiliations

Andrzej Pytlik
1
ORCID: ORCID
Robert Hildebrandt
1
ORCID: ORCID
Krzysztof Stankiewicz
2
ORCID: ORCID
Marcin Skóra
2
ORCID: ORCID

  1. Central Mining Institute – National Research Institute, 1 Plac Gwarków Sq., 40-166 Katowice, Poland
  2. KOMAG Institute of Mining Technolog y, 37 Pszczyńska Str., 44-101 Gliwice, Poland
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Abstract

The mining industry, primarily coal mines, has grown significantly, leading to heavy traffic on haul roads. However, inadequately designed haul roads often result in problems. The objective of the present study is to review and design the haul road using existing design methods and analyze their pavement design parameters. The study compares haul road design methods, including empirical California Bearing Ratio (CBR) methods, design charts, mechanistic design approach, and geocell reinforced design. This research enhances understanding of effective haul road design methods considering layer thicknesses, vertical strain, and deflections, thereby ascertaining the overall performance and suitability of each design approach. The mechanistic and reinforced design approaches emphasize pavement safety, significantly reducing vertical compressive strain. By using IITPAVE software, an optimal haul road design was found by finding vertical strains and deflections of various designs. Vertical strains ranged from 1238 to 3700 µε, with 1.5 to 4.5 mm deflections. The outcomes indicate that both the mechanistic and reinforced approaches meet the criteria for critical strain limits (CSL). This study highlights the advantages of different design approaches to ensure cost-effectiveness.
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Authors and Affiliations

Jagdish Gouda
D. Sita Rami Reddy
V. Srinivasan
Vaibhav Butle

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[1] L.B. Magalas, Development of High-Resolution Mechanical Spectroscopy, HRMS: Status and Perspectives. HRMS Coupled with a Laser Dilatometer . Arch. Metall. Mater. 60 (3), 2069-2076 (2015). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/AMM-2015-0350

[2] E. Pagounis, M.J. Szczerba, R. Chulist, M. Laufenberg, Large Magnetic Field-Induced Work output in a NiMgGa Seven-Lavered Modulated Martensite. Appl. Phys. Lett. 107, 152407 (2015). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4933303

[3] H. Etschmaier, H. Torwesten, H. Eder, P. Hadley, Suppression of Interdiffusion in Copper/Tin thin Films. J. Mater. Eng. Perform. (2012). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-011-0090-2.

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[4] K.U. Kainer (Ed.), Metal Matrix Composites, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim (2006).

[5] K. Szacilowski, Infochemistry: Information Processing at the Nanoscale, Wiley (2012).

[6] L. Reimer, H. Kohl, Transmission Electron Microscopy: Physics of Image Formation, Springer, New York (2008).

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[7] R. Major, P. Lacki, R. Kustosz, J. M. Lackner, Modelling of nanoindentation to simulate thin layer behavior, in: K. J. Kurzydłowski, B. Major, P. Zięba (Eds.), Foundation of Materials Design 2006, Research Signpost (2006).

Internet resource:

[8] https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/crystallographic-databases, accessed: 17.04.2017

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[9] T. Mitra, PhD thesis, Modeling of Burden Distribution in the Blast Furnace, Abo Akademi University, Turku/Abo, Finland (2016).


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