Applied sciences

Archives of Mining Sciences

Content

Archives of Mining Sciences | 2023 | vol. 68 | No 4

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Abstract

Sublevel caving (SLC) mining method has several features that make it one of the preferred methods for ore extraction due to its high productivity and early access to ore recovery. However, there are some major challenges associated with the SLC method such as ground surface subsidence, high unplanned ore dilution, and the potential for air blast. To remedy these shortcomings, a recent approach has been to modify the SLC method by introducing rockfill into the void atop the production zone to provide continued support for the host rock and prevent it from caving. This paper discusses in detail the merits of the Modified SLC or MSLC. In comparison with other long-hole stoping methods that are predominantly practiced in metal mines, the MSLC method boasts several advantages. Early production achieved from the topmost level helps reduce the payback period. Productivity is enhanced due to multilevel mining without the use of sill pillars. The cost of backfilling is significantly reduced as there is no need for the construction of costly backfill plants. Continuous stoping is achieved without delays as mining and backfilling take place concurrently from separate mining horizons. A significant reduction in underground development costs is achieved as fewer slot raises and crosscuts are required for stope preparation. These merits of the Modified SLC method in steeply dipping orebodies are discussed by way of reference to real-life mine case studies. Dilution issues are addressed, and the benefits of top-down mining are explained. Typical mine design, ventilation, materials handling, and mining schedules are presented. Geomechanics issues associated with different in-situ stress environments are discussed and illustrated with simplified mine-wide 3D numerical modeling study.
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Authors and Affiliations

Kenneth K. Adams
1
ORCID: ORCID
Tuo Chen
1
ORCID: ORCID
Atsushi Sainoki
2
ORCID: ORCID
Hani S. Mitri
1
ORCID: ORCID

  1. McGill University, Canada
  2. Kumamoto University, Japan
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Abstract

Considering that the clay content in the western Liaoning region is high, the dominant fraction is <0.045 mm high ash in fine-grained low thermal coal and coal slurry. Self-developed CMC (Cone type Multi-stage Cyclone) multiple multistage small cone angle hydrocyclone groups are used for desliming flotation experiment research, product particle size analysis, hydrocyclone underflow product order evaluation tests and flotability evaluation. The results showed that 150 mm hydrocyclones with small cone angles are more suitable as the main desliming equipment before flotation than those with 75 mm and 50 mm hydrocyclones with small cone angles, but the bottom abortion rate is lower, and the phenomenon of “overflow running” is more serious. In the deslime-flotation process of the CMC multistage and small-cone angle hydrocyclone groups, the removal rate of fine particles with ash contents of 69.82% <0.045 mm in the original coal slime reaches 64.43%, basically solved the problem of “overflow and coarse running” of cyclones, and high ash fine clay minerals such as kaolin were enriched in the overflow. The group of three kinds of CMC hydrocyclone underflow products due to their different size widths shows that the flotability of the three underflows can be mixed into the float. Compared with raw coal direct flotation plants, the yield and combustible recovery rate can increase 2-3 times, and the floatability level is increased from extremely difficult to float to difficult to float, which can also be used for the underflow product floatability. The flotation process is different, strengthening the graded plant recycling process and providing a technological reference for better realization of narrows lime flotation.
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Authors and Affiliations

Sun Dezhi
1
Li Caixia
2
Guan Zhihao
1
Zhao Tianyang
3
Zhou Hongbo
4
Wang Xingfeng
2
Ning Qin
2

  1. National Energy Group Shendong Coal Group Company, Yulin, Shanxi, China
  2. School of Mining, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, China
  3. National Energy Group Yulin Energy Co., Ltd, Washing Center, Yulin, Shanxi, China
  4. Liaoning Nonferrous Investigation Research Institute Company, Shenyang 110013, China
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Abstract

Grade control is crucial for ensuring that the quality of extracted ore aligns with the geological model and mining plan. This process optimises production, reduces dilution, and maximises profits. It involves geological modelling, sampling, assaying, and data analysis. However, adhering to short-term planning in mining operations can be challenging due to operational bottlenecks that arise during the grade control process and blast design, along with their associated costs. Industry standards for grade control require acquiring extensive information and knowledge to achieve a high level of certainty, which takes time. Despite that, time constraints may necessitate making decisions under risk with incomplete information. In such cases, it is important to consider the opportunities, risks, likelihood, consequences, and potential success associated with each alternative. This study presents the testing results of alternative quantitative analytical methods on samples from the Barruecopardo tungsten deposit in Spain. Spectrometric techniques, including Delayed Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (DGNAA), Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), and Field Portable X-ray Fluorescence (FPXRF), were employed to determine the tungsten content. Based on the findings of this investigation, a real-time decision-making tool for grade control in open-pit mining has been developed. This tool utilises representative samples directly from the blasting debris, considering the inherent risks and uncertainties associated with the process
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Authors and Affiliations

Ruben Alcalde Martín
1
ORCID: ORCID
Isidro Diego
1
ORCID: ORCID
César Castañón
1
ORCID: ORCID
Teresa Alonso-Sánchez
1
ORCID: ORCID

  1. Oviedo University, Oviedo School of Mines, Spain
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Abstract

Cam Mountain in An Giang Province, Vietnam, is a granite peak that is severely fractured and eroded on its slopes and summit. Trees cover the top of the mountain and around the side of the mountain. The roads are the primary means of transportation for indigenous people and tourists daily. Recently, there has been a phenomenon of large-sized boulders rolling down from the top of the mountain, causing an accident and killing tourists. To investigate the internal causes of landslides on a 2.3 km road stretch, geophysical profiles using GPR and seismic refraction methods were conducted to clarify the current status of geological structures beneath the road surface. The refractive seismic data analysis revealed four distinct layers based on elastic wave propagation velocity. Velocity values range from 1000 to 3000 m/s for the 2 upper layers corresponding to the weathered, broken, and highly fractured rock layers and in the lower 2 layers from 3000 to more than 4500 m/s, respectively corresponding to less fractured rock on the depth of more than 50 m. According to GPR data, the structural cross-section to an average depth of 30 m is a more complex picture. Detected 6 layers with different degrees of fracture cracking and showing different structural zones. In a few places are the drainage creeks from the mountain. These places need to be monitored regularly to have a basis for predicting landslides and rockfalls in the area of Cam Mountain. Landslides occur in geological rocks which are of different ages: claystone, mudstone, siltstone, shale, or marlstone. The rock-falls occur in more compact rocks: metamorphic or igneous rocks.
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Authors and Affiliations

Giang Van Nguyen
1
ORCID: ORCID
Dung Quang Nguyen
2
ORCID: ORCID
Thanh Ngoc Le
2
ORCID: ORCID

  1. BinhDuong University,Vietnam
  2. Institute of Geography and Resource in HCM city, VAST, Vietnam
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Abstract

Rock and gas outburst is a phenomenon in which fragmented rock material is transported deep into a pit. The transport of rock material by gas is a two-phase process. The article deals with the fluidisation of rock material. Considerations on the fluidisation phenomenon were carried out, and experiments were performed to help clarify whether the fluidisation of dolomite is possible. In the last chapter, a discussion was carried out, and the results obtained were analysed regarding the possibility of occurrence in mine conditions.
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Authors and Affiliations

Katarzyna Kozieł
1
ORCID: ORCID
Norbert Skoczylas
2
ORCID: ORCID

  1. Strata Mechanics Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Science, 27 Reymonta Str., 30-059 Kraków, Poland
  2. AGH University of Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
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Abstract

Coal mining tends to face increasing stress and gas conditions when it extends to deeper levels. The mining-induced high stress and gas pressure concentrations often result in gasogeodynamic phenomena such as rock bursts and coal & gas outbursts. Over the last decades, these gasogeodynamic events have been observed more often in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland. With the increasing mining depth, these hazards not only become a serious safety risk but also represent a significant challenge for coal mining. In order to eliminate future hazards and improve safety in underground coal mines, it is necessary to apply particular methods for the prevention and mitigation of possible hazards during mining operations. Inaction or incorrect use of preventive measures may lead to gasogeodynamic events, which may result in accidents and material losses, thereby affecting the mine’s economic performance. Several coal mines operated by Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa S.A. (JSW group), such as Pniówek, Budryk and Zofiówka coal mines have been identified as the area most prone to rock bursts as well as coal and gas outburst. Generally, the longwall panels often experience a high degree of these mining hazards. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to examine and optimise the possibility of application of prevention methods in order to reduce the frequency and scale of dangerous gasogeodynamic phenomena such as coal and gas outburst. As a main part, the field testing of the selected preventive methods that were conducted in the JSW coal mines. Based on the obtained results, the possibility of application of an optimal method for the prevention and control of coal and gas outburst in the geo-mining conditions of the JSW coal mines was discussed. The research results could be an example for other coal mines in mine planning and designing in the gasogeodynamic (coal and gas outburst) hazard-prone conditions.
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Authors and Affiliations

Phu Minh Vuong Nguyen
1
ORCID: ORCID
Piotr Litwa
1
ORCID: ORCID
Marek Przybylski
2
ORCID: ORCID

  1. Central Mining Institute, Department of Extraction Technologies, Rockburst and Risk Assessment, 1 Gwarków Sq., 40-166 Katowice, Poland
  2. Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa S.A., Pniówek Coal Mine, 18 Krucza st. 43-250, Pawłowice, Poland
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Abstract

Shaft steelwork is a component of critical infrastructure in underground mines. It connects the mining areas to the surface and enables the transport of personnel, equipment, and raw materials. Its failure or malfunction poses a threat to people and causes economic losses. Shaft steelwork is an exceptional engineering structure exposed to dynamic loads from large masses moving at high speeds and is subject to intensive deterioration resulting from corrosion and geological or mining-induced deformations. These issues cause shaft steelwork to be subject to high structural safety requirements, design oversizing, demanding maintenance procedures, and costly replacement of corroded members. The importance and unique working conditions of shaft steelwork create practical design and maintenance problems that are of interest to engineers and scientists. This paper reviews publications on the structural safety of rigid shaft steelwork and summarises the range of research from the detection of guide rail failures through the assessment of load effects and guide resistance, to the evaluation of structural reliability. The effects of guide rail failures on guiding forces, models of the conveyance-steelwork interaction, the load-carrying capacity of shaft steelwork under advanced corrosion, and the probabilistic assessment of structural reliability are presented. Significant advances in understanding the mechanical behaviour of shaft steelwork and assessing its properties have been reported. This review summarises the current state of research on shaft steelwork structural safety and highlights key future development directions.
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Authors and Affiliations

Przemysław Fiołek
1
ORCID: ORCID
Jacek Jakubowski
1
ORCID: ORCID

  1. AGH University of Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
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Abstract

In-situ thermal upgrading modification technology is of great significance to lignite utilisation cleanly. It is an extremely complex multi-field coupling process. Therefore, it is necessary to study the physical properties of lignite under the thermo-mechanical coupling function. In this paper, the lignite pore evolution characteristics under thermal-mechanical co-function have been obtained at different scales based on experimental results. The mechanisms also have been deeply studied. The results indicated that lignite total porosity first increased and then decreased as the temperature increased from 23°C to 400°C under the triaxial stress of 7 MPa. The maximum value of 21.64% for the total porosity of lignite was observed at 200°C. Macropores were dominant when the temperature was lower than 100°C, while visible pores were dominant when at temperatures ranging from 100~400°C. The thermal weight loss and deformation characteristics of lignite were further studied using a thermal-mechanical testing platform. The weight loss and deformation process could be divided into three stages, namely the slow, rapid, and relatively slow stages. After being continuously pyrolysed for 5 hours at a temperature of 400°C, the maximum weight loss rate of lignite was 52.38%, the maximum axial linear strain was 11.12%, and the maximum irrecoverable radial strain was 18.79%. The maximum axial thermal deformation coefficient of lignite was −2.63×10 −4−1 at a temperature of 289°C. Macro-deformation and component loss were the main mechanisms of lignite structure evolution.
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Authors and Affiliations

Weidong Yu
1
ORCID: ORCID

  1. Shanxi Institute of Energy, China
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Abstract

This study rigorously examines the pressing issue of dump slope stability in Indian opencast coal mines, a problem that has led to significant safety incidents and operational hindrances. Employing machine learning algorithms such as Random Forest (RF), k-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression (LR), Decision Tree (DT), and Gaussian Naive Bayes (GNB), the study aims to achieve a scientific goal of predictive accuracy for slope stability under various environmental and operational conditions. Promising accuracies were attained, notably with RF (0.98), SVM (0.98), and DT (0.97). To address the class imbalance issue, the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) was implemented, resulting in improved model performance. Furthermore, this study introduced a novel feature importance technique to identify critical factors affecting dump slope stability, offering new insights into the mechanisms leading to slope failures. These findings have significant implications for enhancing safety measures and operational efficiency in opencast mines, not only in India but potentially globally.
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Authors and Affiliations

Sudhir Kumar Singh
1
ORCID: ORCID
Debashish Chakravarty
1
ORCID: ORCID

  1. Indian Institute of Technology, Department of Mining Engineering, Kharagpur, India
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Abstract

The conduction of mining activity under the conditions of rock bursts and rock mass tremors means that designers often utilise support systems comprising various configurations of steel arch, rock bolt and surface support. Particularly difficult geological and mining conditions, when wire mesh does not provide sufficient dynamic resistance, it requires an additional reinforcement with wire rope lacing in the form of steel ropes installed between the bolt ends and fixed to them by means of various rope clamps (e.g. u-bolt clamps). Bench tests were conducted to compare the strength of wire ropes under static and dynamic loading. The tests involved wire ropes with an internal diameter of Ø15.7 mm. Tests under static loading demonstrated that the cable bolts transferred a maximum force Fs max = 289.0 kN without failure, while the energy absorbed until failure was E 1s = 16.6 kJ. A comparative test result analysis for the wire ropes used in the bolt designs revealed that the influence of dynamic loading forces has a significant effect on reducing the rope load capacity, which results in the brittle cracking of the wires in the rope. Although the average dynamic force leading to wire rope failure F dmax = 279.1 kN is comparable to the minimum static force Fmin = 279 kN defined in the relevant standard, the average energy E1d absorbed by the cable bolt until failure is 48% lower than the energy E1s determined for wire rope failure under static loading. Furthermore, cable bolt failure under dynamic loading occurred at an impact velocity of the combined ram and crosshead masses ranging within vp = 1.4-1.5 m/s.
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Authors and Affiliations

Andrzej Pytlik
1
Mariusz Szot
1
ORCID: ORCID

  1. GIG – National Research Institute, Plac Gwarków 1, 40-166 Katowice, Poland

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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

Academic thesis (PhD, MSc):

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


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