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By Terry Medhurst

Geophysical logging is routinely undertaken as part of most Australian coal mining exploration programs. Typically, the main application is the determination of coal seam depth and the qualitative estimation of coal quality, lithology and rock strength. For rock strength estimation, sonic transit times relate to the elastic properties of the rock and provide a general correlation with uniaxial compressive strength. However, experience has shown that site-specific relationships are necessary to account for different geological environments. In this paper we describe results from a series of recent studies that have provided a more comprehensive method of geotechnical strata characterisation using detailed lithological interpretation and rock property estimation from borehole logs. This has resulted in an improved method of estimating rock strength via the determination of the proportions of quartz and clay plus the porosity. We also propose a rock classification scheme based on geophysical log analysis. This builds on the existing acceptance of the sonic log as an indicator of rock strength and adds scores according to the moisture, cohesion, porosity and quartz content inferred from the geophysical logs. The new scheme can be related to existing mapping based schemes such as CMRR and the Q-system.

Jan 1, 2005

By John Stankus

Accurate evaluation of stress and geological conditions is critical to ground control design in underground openings. For a mine slope entry, the problem becomes more complicated because a slope transverses through many different types of strata. Mine slope ground control has traditionally been practiced based on trial and error and prior experience. There is currently no well-accepted slope and support design methodology available for an economical and technically sound ground control plan. Over the last few years, Keystone Mining Services, LLC (KMS), the engineering affiliate company of Jennmar Cooperation, has developed a ground support design methodology called the ?Stress, Geologic, and Support design system? (SGSSM). This patent pending method enables accurate analysis of actual geo-technical conditions and stress; identifies strong, fair, and weak sections along the slope; formulates primary and supplemental roof bolting systems, designs optimal long-term steel structure support; and verifies the adequacy of the developed support. The method has been successfully utilized on various new slope projects and has been well received by state and federal regulatory agencies during the approval process. This paper details the concepts of the methodology using an actual case study of a slope project in the Midwest.

Jan 1, 2011

By David Oyler

Unusual circumstances may require that a longwall retreat into or through a previously driven room. The operation can be completed successfully, but there have been a number of spectacular failures which exposed miners to serious roof fall hazards. To help determine what factors contribute to such failures, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) compiled a comprehensive international database of 130 case histories. The cases include five failures where major rock falls occurred in front of the shields, and six even more serious failures involving major overburden weighting. This suggests two room failure mechanisms. The first is a roof fall type failure caused by loading of the immediate roof at the face as the fender narrows. The second is a weighting type failure caused by the inability of the roof to bridge the recovery room and face area, and affecting rock well above the immediate roof. The data indicate that the roof fall type of failure is less likely when intensive roof reinforcement (bolts, cables, and trusses) is employed together with higher-capacity shields. The overburden weighting failures, in contrast, occurred when the roof was weak and little standing support was used.

Jan 1, 1998

By Marek J. Mrugala

Coal strength based on scaled uniaxial compressive strength from the laboratory and back calculations from in-mine observations of pillar stability indicate that material strength scaling rules are open to debate. Analyses presented indicate that the application of scaling factors lower than 0.5 provide a better correlation with field observations of pillar stability.

Jan 1, 1989

By S. S. Peng

This paper presents a convenient way for the preliminary design of the shield supports. The locus equations which are applicable for all kids of shield supports are derived. These equations facilitate the statics analysis of the shields. An indirect method in determining the coefficient of friction, the external toads and their locations are also developed.

Jan 1, 1982

By Binchuan Zhang

The combined reinforcement system (CRS) combines the strengths of roof' bolting, resin-anchored cable bolt, and chemical grouting to effectively control the deformation of the strata surrounding an extremely poor entry. It is easy to implement and fast in installation. It is one of the systems that are suitable for the reinforcement and maintenance of extremely poor entries.

Jan 1, 2001

By R. J. Morrell

The Bureau of Mines developed a ground support system for use with an underground coal auger. The system consists of inflatable airbags that are inserted in the holes as they are drilled, and then gradually deflated to provide controlled roof caving. This paper presents results of laboratory and field tests of the system that show it to be technically feasible.

Jan 1, 1988

By Michael J. Friedel

The fundamental problems associated with ground control reflect the inability of mining personnel to "see" the development of anomalous conditions. Toward this end, the U. S. Bureau of Mines is investigating the application of seismic refraction tomography for imaging the process of pillar yielding, at the Foidel Creek coal mine, near Steamboat Springs, CO. The inherent three-dimensional problem of imaging coal pillar stress is reduced to a single plane by considering only the stress transmitted from the pillar to the adjacent floor rock. This approach exploits the fact that refracted seismic energy is essentially confined to the adjacent higher velocity sandstone strata. The tomographic analysis using ray-tracing based on wavefront migration resulted in a robust P-wave tomogram from which regions of high velocity indicate zones of high stress concentration, whereas low velocity zones indicate regions of stress relief. The interpreted region of high stress concentration occurs at the pillar end nearest to the working face of the adjacent longwall panel. This finding is corroborated by vertical pressure cell measurements recorded in the pillar. The stress diminishes toward the pillar perimeter with local minima correlating to the locations of observed pillar spalling. Time-sequence monitoring, as the longwall face advances, is recommended for evaluating changing stress conditions.

Jan 1, 1993

By T. P. Mucho

Mine roof failure due to excessive horizontal stress has been recognized as a major cause of hazardous roof conditions in some mines. Stress measurements gathered by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) at 24 different eastern mines show horizontal stress to be typically 2 to 3 times as great as vertical stress. The focus of current Bureau work is to develop detailed design parameters to assess and control the effects of horizontal stress. To facilitate the recognition of horizontal stress effects and to easily determine principal stress direction without resorting to cumbersome, expensive, and time consuming field measurements, the Bureau has developed a stress mapping methodology. Stress recognition and direction determination are required to successfully employ a number of control strategies such as mine layout, mining sequences, and support optimization to control the effects of horizontal stress, thereby increasing the safety of U.S. coal mines. This approach has been used in other major coal producing countries, most notably Australia and the UK, and has greatly enhanced the safety of their mines (1). This paper discusses horizontal stress, directional based control techniques, and provides guidelines for the use of the stress mapping technique. A case study of a mine where the technique has been used is also presented.

Jan 1, 1994

By Michael Trevits

The NIOSH Lake Lynn Laboratory (LLL) is a unique research facility, located about 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that is designed to provide a full-scale mining environment for testing and evaluation of mine health and safety technologies. The LLL occupies more than 400 acres and is composed of surface test and training areas and an underground mine. The Lake Lynn Experimental Mine (LLEM) was built at an abandoned commercial limestone quarry where surface mining ceased in the late 1960's. Later, new underground development was constructed to simulate modern-day coal mining scenarios; including room-and-pillar and longwall mining layouts. In January 1994, a sinkhole opened southeast of the No. 4 Portal of the LLEM and since then, the area of the underground failure and surface deformation has continued to expand and now includes several interconnected sinkholes. A concern developed that the overburden instability could expand and affect the structural integrity of the nearby highwall and the No. 4 Portal. It was unsafe to conduct a detailed underground survey of the mine in this area because the mine roof conditions near the No. 4 Portal had deteriorated significantly. It was decided to investigate the overburden conditions near the No. 4 Portal using ground penetrating radar (GPR). A GPR survey grid was located along an access road that passes over the top of the portal. To delineate the mine conditions near the portal, antennas whose frequency spectra produced pulses centered near 100- and 200-MHz were used. The results of the GPR survey suggests that the overburden rock units appear to be laterally consistent to a depth of about 15-ft. Below that point, the overburden appears to be significantly disturbed and it was hypothesized that this area contains a large roof fall. A follow-up ground truth survey of the mine roof conditions was conducted from the mouth of the portal. It is concluded that the observations and measurements made from the radar records appear to be correct as a large roof fall was observed and measured from the mine portal area.

Jan 1, 2005

By Michael A. Berdine

In early 1997, Twentymile Coal Company took a dramatic departure from traditional longwall recovery methods. Previously, Twentymile's standard longwall meshing procedure included the use of chain link fencing material. Beginning with the 9-Right to 8-Right longwall recovery operation, Twentymile incorporated a polyester geogrid mesh system supplied by DYWIDAG-Systems International. This paper discusses the subsequent utilization of the polyester geogrid mesh system at Twentymile.

Jan 1, 2001

By Graham Daws

The introduction of UK rock bolting technology has been applied in many large underground coal mines around the world. This paper explains the methods that have been applied for its successful introduction and discusses several case studies. It does not give fine detail but is intended to allow decision makers to gain a basic understanding of the method used to introduce rock bolting to a mine.

Jan 1, 2011

By James G. Schotsch

Unmapped abandoned mines are hazards for under¬ground mines, surface mines and surface structures. The Radio Imaging Method (RIM) provides a cross borehole technique to remotely detect abandoned mine works. RIM was used at the Buck Creek Mine, an underground coal mine, to determine the extent of unmapped mine works. The information provided by the RIM survey assisted the mine planners in developing their mine.

Jan 1, 1990

By Yi Luo

The responses of a section of railroad to ground subsidence process was monitored as it was undermined by a longwall panel. The subsidence data collected and the observations made through this monitoring program could help us understand betteer the ground subsidence process and its impact on linear structures such as railroads. The data analysis techniques used and the assessment methods presented could be useful to researchers practitioners in the field of mining subsidence.

Jan 1, 1994

By Shu Cheng

Abstract: Based on the consolidation theory of soil dewatering and land subsidence prediction methods in soil mechanics, preliminary analysis of surface subsidence and movement due to groundwater withdrawal was performed using the stochastic theory and the principles of effective stress and the method for subsidence prediction was derived, Surface subsidence due to coal mining was then superimposed to obtain the total subsidence. Keywords: land subsidence, rock and soil consolidation, stochastic theory, effective stress

Jan 1, 2002

By Murali Gadde

U.S. coal mines? primary roof supports typically consist of passive resin bolts; however, the use of active bolt systems is increasing. Despite this widespread use, a comparative performance evaluation of these bolt systems has not been done under similar geologic conditions. The performances of three commonly used primary bolt systems were investigated: fully grouted passive rebar, fully grouted tension rebar (using two speed setting resin), and resin-assisted rebar with mechanical anchors. In order to investigate the performance of these bolts, strain gauged bolts of all three types were installed at three different coal mines as part of a larger research project funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This paper addresses the initial installation bolt loads measured at these mines. Analysis of the data showed much lower installed loads on active bolts than is traditionally assumed. It appears that the active load on bolts bleeds off relatively quickly under geologic and operational conditions similar to those at the studied mines. The data also showed that within a short time span after installation, the measured loads on active and passive bolts did not differ significantly. This paper compares the results from over 20 bolts of each bolt type that were all 1.8-m (6-ft) -long, 20-mm (0.804-in) nominal diameter Grade 75 rebar and discusses the relevance and shortcomings of the data and bolt performance.

Jan 1, 2011

By Robert Kimutis, Ke Yang, Yi Luo, Jianwei Cheng

"Surface subsidence processes, especially those associated with a longwall mining operations, could cause operational and/or safety problems to railroads. For railroads with normal amounts of traffic, both the limited time window between traffic and the limited space available make the efforts to return the railroad back to its original state nearly impossible. In order to ensure the safe operation of a subsiding railway, the partial lifting method has been developed and applied. This paper describes the principle and application of the method. A case of applying this method to mitigate subsidence effects on a long section of railway has been demonstrated.INTRODUCTIONMaintaining an operational railway as it is experiencing a longwall subsidence process is not an easy task. The subsidence process may induce sufficient strain and curvature to cause problems to the railroad structures. Localized subsidence-induced slope often is significantly larger than the permissible ruling gradient of 0.7% for a locomotive to haul a loaded train reliably. In order to ensure safe operation, it would be ideal to instantly lift the railroad track back to its original level as it is subsiding. However, it is often impractical to do so due to the limited time windows available between railway traffic and the available space on the railroad base.A partial lifting method has been developed to keep the railroad operational under such limitations. The subsiding railroad track is raised by only a determined, partial amount of the occurred subsidence at a given time. By making such a determined adjustment, the railroad track can be maintained on a smooth and operational profile, and the high strain and curvature on the railroad structures can be reduced as well. To define a smooth railroad track profile in a subsided section the following two conditions should be met: (1) the maximum railroad gradient should be less than the permissible ruling gradient, and (2) the recommended amount of adjustment should be able to be made by the repair crew within the available time windows between scheduled railway traffic.The subsidence effects on a long section of railroad over two longwall panels have been successfully mitigated using the partial lifting method. The railroad experienced a maximum subsidence 89 of about 5 .0 ft (1.5 m) with the average subsidence along the entire length being about 3.45 ft (1.05 m). However, the average adjustment due to lifting that was made along the entire length of the subsidence-influenced railway was only 0.5 ft (152 mm)."

Jan 1, 2010

By Al Campoli

The majority of the 100 million roof bolts installed each year in the United States are 5/8 inch deformed rebar fully grouted into a one inch borehole. Commonly referred to as B-Series or No. 5 bar, this system is proven effective and cost efficient in coal mines with average to above average roof conditions. One of the critical variables affecting resin bolt performance is the size of the resin annulus, calculated as the difference between the hole and bolt diameters. The optimum annulus has been proven to be '/4 inch, which provides for effective mixing of the two polyester resin components and incorporation of the plastic film packaging within the cured resin. Glove fingering occurs when the plastic film is forced against the borehole wall potentially interfering with the mechanical interlock of the resin and the rock mass. Glove fingering is not a problem with the optimum '/n inch annulus but has been know to occur with the B-Series 3/8 inch annulus. Laboratory testing correlated the degree of Glove fingering with resin formulation and the bolt head to shaft axes alignment. Glove fingering occurred over 45 % of the grouted length of standard B¬Series bolts. The newly formulated Eclipse B-Series resin when combined with a 1/8 inch offset between the bolt head and shaft axes reduced the glove fingering 70%. The Eclipse system allows the 3/8 inch B-Series annulus to achieve the positive mixing characteristics associated with the / inch optimal annulus systems.

Jan 1, 2002

By Yanfa Gao

Clusters of underground openings were developed around the shaft bottom of Tangshan Mine. They were deep and located in soft rock strata. After development, those openings have been subjected to considerable deformation and damages. A combined supporting method including grouting and bolting, shotcrete lining and brickwork was used. This paper analyzing the theories on which this supporting method was based. A new theory called "Disturbed Creep" was developed for deformation prediction of openings surrounded by strata subjected to stresses close to limiting or failure strength. Keywords ground pressure, deep mine, soft rock, stability control

Jan 1, 2002

By Paul A. Lu

This paper proposes an unconventional, simple, and practical method of measuring mining-induced around stresses with hydraulic borehole pressure cells. The method is a direct ground stress measuring technique. It does not require the value of deformation modulus for back-calculation of stresses; instead, it directly measures the ground stress in situ. The applicability and practicality of the technique are shown by two case studies. The technique may be applied to monitoring a stress build-up that may lead to mine roof failure or to rock and coal outbursts.

Jan 1, 1984