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By E. Watkins, S. J. Schatzel, V. Gangrade, K. M. Ajayi, Z. Khademian

Longwall-induced deformations could jeopardize the mechanical integrity of shale gas well casings positioned in the abutment pillar of a longwall mine. The in situ and induced fracture networks surrounding the gas well could provide pathways for gas flow into the mine creating safety concerns. Hence, this study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) develops a discrete fracture network (DFN) model to characterize the fractures in the overburden based on geomechanical analyses of mining-induced fracture apertures at a study site in southwestern Pennsylvania. The apertures from the geomechanical model are used to develop a stochastic DFN model of the site in fracture flow code (FFC). Multiple realizations of the stochastic DFN model that replicate potential fracture geometries are simulated, and the fracture permeability is compared with field measurements. A maximum field measurement of 5.03 × 10− 12 m2 (5080 mD) and 3.82 × 10− 13 m2 (386 mD) was estimated over the abutment pillar at the Sewickley and Uniontown horizon, respectively. The results show that the average permeabilities from the DFN model agree closely with the field measurements. In addition, the comparison of all the field measurements and 100 DFN realizations show the model is representative of field conditions. These findings provide critical information regarding fracture characteristics in the overburden, which will further be used to predict potential shale gas flow to the mine in the event of a casing breach for an unconventional gas well.

Jun 17, 2022

By L. Stas

The authors have been interested in stress measurements in the rock mass for a long time. This paper describes the development of new apparatus for stress measurements in a rock mass. The principle of stress measurement by this device is based on the relief method as applied on the conical shaped surface of the bottom of a borehole. The design started based on the experience of K. Sugawara and Y. Obara who have been using the compact conical borehole over-coring system (CCBO). The conical shape of the strain gauge probe CCBO makes the fixation of the probe in borehole easy and, also, makes the measurement of stress in independent directions possible. The principle of the measuring method, the preparation of the borehole, the design of the probe for continuous measurement of stress during the course of overcoring are described. Also, a simplified version of the probe for long term monitoring of stress variations in the rock mass by means of the inserted body method and the initial laboratory results and in-situ testing of the development sample are described. Additionally, testing was done regarding the possible glues in relationship to the creep effect for this case.

Jan 1, 2006

By W. Blake, J. K. Whyatt, B. G. White

In situ stress on the scale of a tunnel or mine may be distorted by geologic structures. The resulting variations in in situ stress have a direct bearing on the potential for mining-induced seismicity. New evidence collected from the Lucky Friday mine by US Bureau of Mines researchers, as well as a review of previous case studies, demonstrated that in situ stress variations affect the [spatial] distribution of mining-induced seismicity. Although overcore stress measurements have been useful in these studies. they are too expensive and, depending, on conditions, may be too difficult to collect. However, information on borehole and raise breakouts: deformation of mine openings: and patterns of seismicity, ground-control problems and rock-burst damage can be used to build a stress database. In conjunction with maps of mine structure and geology and models of rockmass behavior, this database can then be used to build a map of in situ stress variations. Such a map could provide a means of anticipating patterns of mining-induced seismicity and. Thus, could be the basis for planning appropriate measures to ameliorate rock-burst hazards.

Jan 1, 1997

By Foster Fraas

The Bureau of Mines investigated a method for calculating values of adsorption energy; the goal was to devise an equation consistent with experimental data accumulated in the investigation of adsorption as related to ore separation processes. Numerical identification of the constants of a previously formulated equation provided an equation by which values of adsorption energy could be calculated. Values thus calculated checked with those obtained by calorimetric measurement.

Jan 1, 1965

By Fun-Den, Wang

An open pit rock structure usually contains geological planes of weakness. They are formed by joints, faults, bedding planes, fractures, and cleavages. Rock slope failures often occur in the form of sliding of rock blocks along a plane or several planes. Such a rock block has three- dimensional geometry, and consequently a vector method of analysis has been found useful in evaluating its stability. Rock blocks of a tetrahedral shape with one free surface have been analyzed by Londe. Rock blocks formed by sets of parallel joints have been analyzed by Wittke. The present chapter presents the analysis of rock blocks formed by planes of weakness of arbitrary orientation, and of three-dimensional geometry.

Jan 1, 1972

By A. K. Bakshi

Mineral suspensions show Newtonian flow properties at lower solid concentration, but change into non-Newtonian regime as the solids content is increased. For Newtonian fluids viscosity is independent of shear rate, but for non-Newtonian fluids it varies with rate of shear. Therefore, measurement of viscosity at a shear rate, different from the process will be futile unless the slurry is Newtonian. This is especially true for hydrocyclone operation, where the rate of shear is different at different points within the hydrocyclone. In this case, it is very important to determine the flow type of the suspension before attempting to establish any correlation between viscosity and process efficiency. A new technique to distinguish such changes in flow type has been developed. This involved a co-axial cylinder type viscometer which measured apparent viscosity at a low shear rate, and a vibrating sphere type viscometer which measured the apparent viscosity at a high shear rate. Special precautions were taken to allow measurements of viscosity of rapidly settling mineral suspensions. Because the vibrating sphere viscometer operated at a much higher shear rate than the rotating viscometer, the two instruments together could determine the shear-rate dependency of the viscosity. Ground silica of 80% passing 65~m size in water was used to prepare slurries at concentrations ranging from 1O-70wt% solids. Viscosity of each slurry sample was measured simultaneously by both the viscometers and the results were compared with each other. With this technique, it was found that all the silica slurry samples were in the Newtonian flow regime.

Jan 1, 1995

By Gregory C. More O'Ferrall

Generally pillars in the Southern African hard rock tabular underground mining environment are designed using either empirical pillar design formulae or numerical modelling (analytical) methods utilizing the Hoek-Brown failure criterion. However, none of the pillar design methodologies employed takes cognizance of weak layers either within the pillar material or in the immediate foundation of the pillar. Over the past few years, the presence of a weak layer either within the pillar material or within the immediate foundation of the pillar has resulted in the closure of one platinum mine (Everest Mine), closure of one chrome mine (Wonderkop Chrome) and large-scale instability in a couple of chrome and platinum mines in South Africa and Zimbabwe. A study has been initiated to better understand the failure mode and strengths of the pillars where pillar failure associated with weak layers occurred. Owing to the infancy of the study into the failed pillar strength and failure mechanism, the purpose of this paper is to highlight the circumstances that led to the collapse of mining sections and a shaft, and the difficulty associated with designing pillars in the Southern African chrome and platinum mining operations.

Jun 1, 2012

By M. K. Larson, J. P. Dunford, E. G. Zahl, T. M. Brady

Researchers at the Spokane Research Laboratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Spokane, WA, have collaborated with three Western longwall coal mines in an on going effort to develop technologies that will aid in providing safe and stable working areas. The goal of the research described here is to develop a stress monitoring system that will provide immediate information to mine managers for making daily safety decisions as areas of poor ground are mined through. Initial work has focused on answering preliminary questions regarding the reliability and use of stress change patterns. Research is concentrated on monitoring horizontal stress because horizontal stress is transmitted over long distances through stiff strata, thus allowing an extended length of entry to be monitored. This paper presents an explanation of the concept, key results from field tests at two mine sites, and a proposed process for implementing a monitoring system. System design layouts, instrument use, data collection and interpretation methods, and processes to present findings to mine staff are described. Additional validation and correlation with actual failure mechanisms are required before this approach can be recommended at ongoing operations. However, initial results indicate that this approach shows promise in mines prone to bumps and roof falls associated with large stress changes. In particular, analyses of measured changes in horizontal stresses appear useful.

By A. H. PH. D Wilson

Compared to the rocks encountered in, say, metalliferous mining or tunnel drivage in igneous and metamorphic rocks, the strata associated with the coal measures are relatively soft. If excavations are made at depths greater than one or two hundred metres, zones of fractured or yielded rock develop around the openings. The stress which can be taken by yielded rock at the boundary of an opening is low, but because of the friction present between the fragments or particles, the sustainable stress rises rapidly with distance from the opening until sufficient confinement has been developed to prevent failure of the rock in the first place. Thereafter the laws of elasticity will apply and increasing distance will reduce the stress field until conditions consistent with the cover load are reached. For rocks which maintain their elastic condition right to the edge of an opening, finite element analysis and similar techniques have proved successful in determining the distribution of stress around the opening. This approach, however, is not successful when a yield zone is introduced between the elastic zone and the opening. Nevertheless, some estimate is required if help is to be given in the siting of roadways and in the determination of adequate pillar sizes. This matter is of particular importance in the planning of new mines especially if retreat faces are involved, as extensive roadway drivage must be planned and executed before experience of the effects of face extraction is gained. In 1977, the author published [I] a method based on 'stress balance'. The total aggregate downward load over a large area will remain that of the cover load even after part of the coal seam has been removed. Any rise in stress in ribsides and pillars must be offset by an equivalent stress reduction across roadways and other areas of extraction, and vice versa. Knowledge of one can lead to an estimate of the other, provided the general form of the stress distribution can be postulated. It is the object of this paper to revue the method in more detail and to give further examples of its successful application.

Jan 1, 1981

By S. E. Bronisz, J. O. Brittain

Experiments have been carried out to study the effect of an applied stress on strain aging in steel. It was found that the stress-induced strain aging reaction proceeds rapidly in the temperature range of 0° to 60°C. The variation of stress-induced strain aging with plastic strain, aging time, and temperatures is reported. The activation energy for the stress-induced strain aging was found to be 10,000 cal per mol for the steel used in this investigation. VARIOUS observations1-5 have been made of the influence of an applied stress upon the yielding of iron and steel. However, there have been only cursory studies of the effect of an applied tensile stress upon strain aging in iron and steel1,2 The following represents the results of a preliminary study of strain aging as influenced by the application of an external tensile load during the aging process. For the most part, previous experimental work on strain aging can be classified into two parts. First, the experimental technique involved a direct determination of mechanical properties of a suitable specimen that has been plastically deformed to a constant strain and aged generally at a temperature of the order of 200°C, with the aging times varying from about 1/10 to 2 hr.6-8 The second classification of strain aging experiments involves an indirect determination of strain aging by means of physical property such as electrical resistivity or internal friction as a function of the aging time at a constant temperature and strain.9-12 The latter results have

Jan 1, 1961

By D. K. Crampton

INTERNAL stress and season cracking in brass have been studied for many years and the technical literature contains many data on various phases of the subject. A résumé of the literature shows certain fairly well established points upon which various authors are mostly agreed: 1. Season cracking is primarily caused by the presence of relatively high internal stresses, or possibly in some cases by external stresses, or both. 2. A specific corrosion is also essential to season cracking: Certain agents, particularly mercurous salts, mercuric salts and ammonia salts; have such a specific corrosive effect. 3. The tendency to season crack under given conditions increases with increasing zinc content, brass containing less than 20 per cent zinc being relatively immune. 4. In alpha brass the season cracks are intercrystalline; in alphabeta brass they lie between the two constituents; and in beta brass they are transcrystalline. 5. The ordinary impurities or added elements in special brasses have little or no effect on the tendency to season crack. 6. Internal stresses can be eliminated, or at least reduced to a safe 'limit by annealing treatments at temperatures that do not produce visible microstructural changes or appreciable softening of the worked brasses. There are, however, some points in connection with the phenomenon of season cracking which have not been thoroughly investigated, or wherein different authors and investigators are not entirely in agreement. The investigations described in this paper were undertaken to determine: 1. The correlation between mercurous nitrate tests and actual season cracking on long-time atmospheric exposure. 2. The quantitative effect of type and degree of drawing operations on the intensity of internal stress and on the tendency to season crack in brass tubes. 3. The possibility of drawing high-brass tubes in such a manner as to prevent the occurrence of harmful stresses rather than to find a remedy for such stresses once having obtained them.

Jan 1, 1930

By Y. A. Chang

The objective of the present study is to evaluate and compile the relevant phase equilibria and thermodynamic data reported in the literature for the ternary system Cu-Fe-S. It is hoped that the results presented here will be useful to practising engineers and scientists in industry who are attempting to improve continually the existing processes of copper extraction and refining. At the same time, the present work will undoubtedly reveal the lack of some basic data which are important for the improvement of our existing extractive processes. Lastly, this work will also show that the development of theoretical models for the alloy phases in the Cu-Fe-S system is essential before complete consistency between the phase equilibria and the thermodynamic data can be achieved.

Jan 1, 1976

By R. P. Carreker, J. C. Fisher

Cheep tests are normally constant load tests. Such tests approximate some types of service conditions and therefore are justified from the engineering point of view. Coupled with this consideration is the advantage of simplicity inherent in constant load tests, as contrasted with the comparatively complex requirements of a constant stress test. It is not surprising that the vast majority of creep tests reported are of the constant load type. Despite the enormous amount of accumulated creep test data, plastic flow is by no means completely understood. The widespread use of constant load tests is at least partly responsible for this lack of understanding. Any attempt to analyze deformation must involve the more fundamental quantity stress, rather than load. It is possible to predict constant load behavior from known constant stress data, but the reverse is much more difficult. When a metal specimen elongates, as in a creep test, the cross section decreases, maintaining constant volume. Thus For a constant stress test the force on the specimen must be decreased as the cross section decreases, that is, this force must be inversely proportional to the elongation of the specimen. An-drade has described three methods of obtaining the constant stress condition,l-3 each of which is relatively complex. The most recent proposal,³ suggests a major simplification which maintains the simplicity of the constant load test while approximating quite closely the desirable condition of constant stress. Andrade's device is admittedly more accurate but the method described below has definite advantages Consider a specimen in the form of a "V" supported at its ends. If a weight be applied at the vertex of the angle, the stress in each leg of the "V" If this stress causes an elongation ?1 in each leg of the "V," the angle decreases from a. to a smaller angle a1. The quantity sec — thus decreases with specimen elongation while the quantity 1/A increases. By selecting proper initial conditions it should be possible to hold S/So very nearly constant at unity. The proper initial conditions are realized when a0 is made equal to approximately 90°. Fig 1 compares the ratios of S/S0 for a0 = 85, 90, 95, 100°, with a0 = 0, that is, a straight speci- men, for true strains up to e = 0.10. It may prove convenient to measure X, the movement of the vertex, rather than the true elongation 1. Contour lines of X/lo are also plotted in Fig 1. The method for obtaining constant stress described above is especially suited to the testing of small wires, but may easily be extended to rods of any diameter through the use of a suitable grip which serves as the vertex joining two identical rods forming the legs of the "V." References 1. E. N. da C. Andrade: On the Viscous Flow in Metals, and Allied Phenomena. Proc. Roy. Soc., A, 84, 1, (1910-11). 2. E. N. da C. Andrade and B. Chalmers: The Resistivity of Polycrystalline Wires in Relation to Plastic Deformation, and the Mechanism of Plastic Flow. Proc. Roy. Soc., A, 138, 348, (1932). 3. E. N. da C. Andrade: A New Device for Maintaining Constant Stress in a Rod Undergoing Plastic Extension. Proc. Phys. Soc., 60, (3). 304, (March, 1948).

Jan 1, 1950

By Gerald Edmunds, R. K. Waring, E. A. Anderson

Brass is liable to failure under the combined influence of stress, certain corrosion media, and time, a phenomenon commonly termed season cracking or stress-corrosion cracking. The consequences of this are serious in applications of brass generally, including the important field of cartridge cases. Cartridge cases (70 Cu: 30 Zn) that fail from this cause may allow the escape of gas from the gun breech, a hazard to the shooter, and may not eject, thus temporarily putting the gun out of action. In loaded cartridge cases, the stress present is partly residual from the, drawing and necking operations and partly applied by the insertion of the projectile. Ammonia, present as a decomposition product of smokeless powder, air and moisture constitute corrosive media. The prevalence of season cracking has been reduced considerably, but not eliminated, during the past quarter of a century by low-temperature annealing to relieve stresses residual from fabrication, a method suggested by Diegel 38 yr. ago(I).2

Jan 1, 1945

By Elwyn H. King, Thomas R. Kuesel

I. CONCEPT MARTA's Peachtree Center Station is being mined out of hard rock, directly beneath Atlanta's central business district, with minimal surface disruption during construction. Its cost is competitive with that of a conventional cut-and-cover alternative owing to its design concept, which utilizes the rock as a primary structural and architectural material. II. PLANNING The station was originally planned for cut-and-cover construction. However, Peachtree Street is unusually narrow for a main business street (generally 78 feet (24 m) between building lines) and cut-and-cover construction would therefore be very disruptive to surface traffic and severely restrict access to adjacent buildings, including Peachtree Center, Atlanta's showcase business/commercial complex. (See Fig. 1.) Tunneling had been considered, but was initially thought [ ]

Jan 1, 1979

By Dragomir Gospodinov, Savka Dineva

A surprisingly large mining-induced seismic event occurred in the LKAB Kiirunavaara Mine (Sweden) on 18 May, 2020 at 03:11 (local time). The estimated moment magnitude was 4.2. The event caused extensive damage in a large section of the mine. The production in the area is not yet resumed, even by the beginning of 2022 (~20 months after the event). The Kiirunavaara Mine has one of the world’s largest underground seismic systems with approximately 253 geophones. The in-mine records of the event showed a very complex character with a several sub-events. The event was also well recorded by seismic stations out to over 9,000 km distance. Data from the underground and regional seismic systems were analysed to define and compare basic source parameters such as hypocenter location, seismic moment, as well as the seismic moment tensor. The data from the in-mine seismic system was used to study the development of the seismic process and to define elementary seismic sub-sources together with the official hypocenter location.

Apr 26, 2022

Economic Sustainable Power for Mineral Processing

Sep 13, 2010

By J Robinson, D Herbert

Bench stoping operations at the Isa Lead mine have been underway for over 11 years. They were implemented to address safety, productivity and mining cost concerns noted with cut and fill mining operations which were then being used to extract ore from the Racecourse orebodies. This paper describes the main features of benching operations at the Isa Lead mine and identifies the key elements for the success of the method. Four case histories are presented which highlight several of these factors.

Jan 1, 1998

By Y. Mitani, M. Zhang, M. Takeda, T. Esaki

Despite their inadequacy, assumptions of isotropy and homogeneity are often applied to the analyses of in situ permeability tests. In this paper, we exam the effects of anisotropy and heterogeneity on Pressure Pulse Test (PPT) and Constant Head Injection Test (CHIT) by means of numerical approaches. Some new findings that offer practical considerations in properly interpreting in-situ permeability tests are presented. Malgré leur manque de précision inhérente, les assomptions d'anisotropie et d'hétérogénéité sont souvent utilisées lors de test de perméabilité in situ. Dans cette étude, nous examinons les effets de l'anisotropie et de l'hétérogénéité sur le test par pression pulsée et le test à injection à charge hydraulique constante par le biais de la simulation numérique. Des nouveaux résultats permettant une interprétation pratique et claire des test de perméabilité in-situ sont présentés. Trotz ihrer inhärenten Ungeeignetheit werden häufig Annahmen über Isotropie und Homogenität auf Analysen von in-situ Permeabilitätstests angewendet. In diesem Papier untersuchen wir die Effekte von Anisotropie und Heterogenität auf Durck-Impuls-Test (PPT) und Konstant-Kopf-Einspritztest (CHIT) mit numerischen Ansätzen. Einige neue Befunde, die zu praktischen Erwägungen zur richtigen Interpretation von in-situ Permeabilitätstests führen, werden vorgestellt.

Jan 1, 2003

High-sulphidation (HS) gold, silver and/or copper deposits are generated in both the epithermal and the upper parts of the underlying porphyry environments over vertical intervals of up to 2 km. The HS deposits are generated in advanced argillic lithocaps, which are products of the absorption of acidic magmatic volatiles by voluminous groundwater systems. Mineralisation styles in HS systems reflect depth of formation as well as the interplay between structural, lithological and hydrothermal parameters. The deep parts of HS systems, at depths of >1000 m, are typified by disseminated copper¦gold mineralisation comprising digenite, chalcocite and covellite in pervasive advanced argillic as well as underlying sericitic alteration. In highly telescoped systems, such mineralisation may overprint porphyry stocks and associated quartz-veinlet stockworks. Intermediate levels of HS systems commonly contain fault-controlled copper-gold mineralisation, typically as enargite in bodies of vuggy residual quartz, silicification and/or massive pyritic sulphide. The shallow parts of HS systems, at depths of The exploration focus is on four principal HS mineralisation styles:copper (eg Chuquicamata, Monywa) or copper-gold (Wafi) in the deep porphyry-hosted parts of systems preferably, in the case of the latter, where supergene oxidation is limited and, hence, flotation may be used for metal recovery; copper¦gold-bearing replacement mantos and pipes hosted by carbonate wallrocks in the deep parts of systems (eg Bisbee); high-grade gold in late-stage veins or hydrothermal breccias that overprint the intermediate to shallow levels of systems (eg El Indio, Goldfield); and large, bulk-mineable gold deposits in the shallow parts of systems that were subjected to supergene oxidation, thereby permitting heap-leach treatment (eg Yanacocha, Pierina). To these preferred HS styles may be added the low-sulphidation vein or disseminated gold¦silver mineralisation that is commonplace alongside many HS systems (eg Victoria at Lepanto).

Jan 1, 1999