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By K. Kim

INTRODUCTION A thorough evaluation of the geologic material being considered must be conducted to determine the feasibility of constructing a large-scale underground facility in a deep geologic formation. The design and construction of a nuclear waste repository in basalt, due to the unprecedented nature of the project, adds significantly to the need for thoroughness of this evaluation and mandates that geoengineering data and analysis be of the highest quality. The investigations required to collect the data encompass in situ measurements and observations, as well as laboratory and field tests. Mathematical (numerical) models, which are required to predict the long-term performance of the repository structure, must be developed to evaluate rock mass behavior at canister, room, and repository scale and eventual 1 y must be validated through in situ tests and monitoring. The information generated from these geo- mechanics investigations is essential for assessing site suitability and will be utilized in the development of the repository design, the engineered barrier design, and the evaluation of repository performance. The Hanford Site near Richland, Washington is one of nine sites throughout the nation being investigated by the U .S. Department of Energy as a possible location for the first high-level nuclear waste repository in deep geologic formations. The process of site characterization is currently in progress. If the site is nominated by the U.S. Department of Energy, an extensive program will be undertaken, the culmination of which will be a decision on the suitability of the site for waste disposal. There are a mu1titude of elements to the proposed site characterization

Jan 1, 1984

By Bjorn N. P. Paulsson

A number of granitic rock specimens have been studied from the Stripa mine site in connection with a large-scale geomechanics research program. The purpose of the program was to evaluate and develop field and laboratory techniques for rock mass characterization and to determine design parameters for storage of nuclear waste. In this paper a minicomputer-based technique for studying dynamic rock properties in the laboratory is described, together with results from the tests. The specimens were tested under different uniaxial and saturation conditions. Specimens from a field-heated rock mass were also tested to determine if temperatures typical of those encountered with nuclear waste would introduce additional fracturing. Both Vp and Vs increased with stress for both saturated and dry specimens. Both Vp and Vs were higher for saturated specimens at all stress levels compared with the dry. The velocities increased linearly or near linearly with saturation. The test results on the previously heated samples indicate that attenuation is more sensitive to thermally-induced microfracturing than velocities. Analysis of the attenuation values with stress show that rock heated to 200°C is damaged, and that the damage is in form of low-aspect ratio fractures.

Jan 1, 1984

By Lee W. Abramson

INTRODUCTION The design of rock support for underground nuclear waste repositories requires consideration of special construction and operation requirements, and of the adverse environmental conditions in which some of the support is placed. While repository layouts resemble mines, design, construction and operation are subject to quality assurance and public scrutiny similar to what is experienced for nuclear power plants. Exploration, design, construction and operation go through phases of review and licensing by government agencies as repositories evolve. This paper discusses (1) the various stages of repository development; (2) the environment that supports must be de signed for; (3) the environmental effects on support materials; and (4) alternative types of repository rock support. Much of the information presented in this paper was derived from work conducted for Basalt Waste Isolation Project. Most of the information, however, would apply to other hard rock repositories. REPOSITORY DEVELOPMENT AND THE NEED FOR ROCK SUPPORT Repository development can be characterized by five general stages: exploration and design, excavation, waste emplacement, re trievability period, and backfilling. It is helpful to understand these phases of development to see where and when rock supports are required and how the design is verified. The description that follows is simplified. Details have been omitted, and future plans may not conform to this scenario.

Jan 1, 1984

By Roger B. Alke

INTRODUCTION Request to Mine Beneath Bridge The Jakes Run Bridge is a reinforced Portland concrete arch filled bridge located on WV Route 7 near Pentress, WV. The bridge has a span of 22.9 m (meters) and a height of 4 m above normal pool elevation to the underside of the center of the arch (See Fig 1). The bridge is a two lane structure with a width of 6.86 m. The structure is over 50 years old having been built in 1929 and is owned by the Department (WV Department of Highways). [ ]

Jan 1, 1984

By Caner Zanbak

Deformational behavior of a rock mass can be modeled with a constitutive law based on theories of elasticity, and plastic and viscous deformation. For most rock types, such constitutive models may be used with confidence because there is no geochemical interaction between the rock-forming minerals and water. However, if volume changes in the rock due to geochemical phase transitions are predicted, then these volume changes must be converted into mechanical parameters and must be included into the constitutive laws. In this paper, geochemical phase transitions between anhydrite (CaS04) and gypsum (CaS04-2H20) will be brought to the attention of researchers in rock mechanics. Hydration of anhydrite to gypsum may yield volume increases up to 62.6 percent and dehydration of gypsum to anhydrite may cause volume decreases up to 38.5 percent. If one were to convert the volume increases in hydrating anhydrite into strains and calculates the required stresses to restrict the expansions, the magnitude of stresses will be found at GPa levels. Such stresses on swelling anhydrite layers cannot be provided by geologic media. Therefore, the host rocks will deform under these high stresses. On the other hand, under increasing stresses, geochemical transition of anhydrite to gypsum may stop after some hydration of anhydrite, and anhydrite and gypsum systems may become stable. Changes in temperature and solution compositions in the anhydritel gypsum system also control the stability of the geochemical system, and therefore, the extent of volume changes. A similar conceptual model can be drawn for volume decreases due to dehydration of gypsum to anhydrite. In this case, stress reduction on the gypsum layer may cause extensive fracturing and changes in the state of stress in the host rock mass.

Jan 1, 1984

By Harold S. Morgan

INTRODUCTION The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is being developed in southeastern New Mexico by the United States Department of Energy as a research and development (R&D) facility to demonstrate the safe disposal in salt of radioactive wastes resulting from defense activities. As part of the WIPP R&D program, a series of in situ tests will be performed to determine the behavior of drifts and storage rooms in the creeping salt medium (Matalucci, et al. 1982). Data obtained in these tests will be used to evaluate and improve numerical models used to compute the structural response of these drifts and rooms. Stress has been proposed as one of the parameters to be measured in the tests, and borehole inclusion stressmeters have been included in the instrumentation package. Cages of this type provide an indirect measurement of stress change in that they actually monitor borehole displacements which are then related to changes in the in situ stress away from the borehole. The relationship between stress and displacement is highly dependent upon the constitutive behavior of the rock in which the gage is emplaced. This relationship is well understood for rocks with linear stress-strain behavior (Fossum, et al, 1976), but, for creeping rocks like salt, the relationship has yet to be determined. Thus, inclusion gage response in salt must be investigated fully before stress measurements from the WIPP in situ tests can be used for comparisons with computed stresses The calculations presented in this paper were performed as part of an investigation of inclusion stressmeter performance in salt. They focus on the strain gaged stressmeter (SGS) (Cook and Ames, 1979) and on a hypothetical solid cylindrical inclusion with variable stiffness Issues addressed include the effects of creep and the effects of gage stiffness on stressmeter output for various loading conditions. The

Jan 1, 1984

By S. G. Malghan, J. P. Van Dillen

Some uranium minerals are paramagnetic and hence are amenable to concentration by high gradient magnetic separation (HGMS). This paper describes effects of the HGMS parameters-pulp velocity, field strength, matrix loading, and magnetic field gradient-on the product recovery and grade. Unsatisfactory separation of uranium minerals by HGMS is related to ore-specific properties, such as lack of liberation, fine dissemination of uranium minerals, uniform distribution of magnetic minerals throughout the ore matrix, and interference of fine-sized slimes. Experimental techniques to identify and resolve some of these problems are outlined.

Jan 1, 1984

By S. C. Lee

An uncoupled thermoviscoelastic finite element formulation with an application to Underground Coal Conversion (UCC) is presented. An incremental solution procedure with an implicit time stepping scheme is used under the thermorheologically simple material (TSM) postulate. The presented formulation, for a homogeneous and isotropic medium, is employed in the simulation of the UCC post-burn phase. Temperature, displacement, stress, and failure responses under thermomechanical loading are predicted. The solutions for the selected field problem indicate potential roof collapse, stress relaxation, and modest surface subsidence with a progressive thermal and failure front. The corresponding thermoelastic responses with temperature- dependent elastic properties are also presented and compared with the thermoviscoelastic results.

Jan 1, 1984

By D. Y. Geng, S. S. Peng

Surface subsidence of two longwall panels, one with a private residence and the other with an arch bridge, was monitored over a period of 1 to 1' ½ years. Surface subsidence data were analyzed in terms of zone of advance influence and delay angle of maximum subsidence velocity. The variational characteristics of both features coincide with the periodic weighting at the advancing longwall face. Surface heaving in the subsidence process can also be attributed to periodic weighting. It was found that residential damages occurred when subsidence velocity exceeded 4.5 mm/day (0.15 ft/day). The effects of locating structures on the panel center and near the gob edges are illustrated. The effect of mining on ground water was also discussed. Finally, methods of reducing structural damages are recommended.

Jan 1, 1984

By C. Dinis da Gama

In order to reduce the complexity of mechanisms influencing rock. fragmentation by blasting a simulation approach is proposed, using the capabilities of microcomputer interactive graphics. Situations involving cratering end bench blasting are simulated, and both jointed and intact rocks can be subjected to explosive action, taking into consideration its breakage mechanisms. Size analysis curves relating rock distribution before and after the blasts are determined and compared with field data.

Jan 1, 1984

By F. P. Schwarz, A. J. Erickson, S. M. Weber

The Mount Hope stockwork molybdenum deposit, Eureka County, Nevada, occurs In a small igneous cauldron complex 32 to 38 mybp in age. The deposit is characterized by alteration zones and mineralized shells symmetrically distributed around multiple intrusive. For samples from the 25000 meters of 1981-82 drilling, an appraisal of error in in-house sample preparation and in commercial assaying has been made. After splitting, drill core is crushed and reduced in volume (8: 1 at 10-mesh, 8: 1 at 70-mesh, 6: 1 at 200-mesh) to supply 25 grams of 200-mesh pulp for replicate analyses. A 0.5 g portion of the pulp 1s used for dissolution and atomic absorption analyses. Factors which initially generated unacceptable data variances have been minimized by planning, repeat analyses, introduction of standards, and routine monitoring. Assuming that error between replicate assays defines a Gaussian distribution with its average ideally equal to zero, precision (from preparation including core splitting and analysis of 8400 pairs of molybdenum samples) is on the order of ± 25%. The error distribution is not based. Accuracy is approximately 4% lower than absolute as determined by replicate assays of commercially prepared samples.

Jan 1, 1984

By T. Okubo

Gold is generally recovered from silver anode slime by electrolysis in the final step of the copper anode slime treatment. In the present investigation, rapid and direct hydrometallurgical separation and recovery of gold in the early step of the process is studied. Gold is recovered just after the elimination of copper and selenium from copper anode slime. The studied process consists of: (a) oxidizing roasting for selenium elimination, (b) sulfuric acid leaching of the calcine for copper removal, reduction of gold in the liquor by the use of proper reductant such as hydrogen peroxide (production of gold powder), (el nitric acid treatment of gold powder for further purification and (f) melting and casting of gold. Laboratory and miniplant testwork showed that the extraction ratio of gold by chlorine leaching was 99 % up and four nine gold ingot could be recovered without electrolyses.

Jan 1, 1984

By M. S. Enders, L. M. Rogers

The Little Rocky Mountains host epithermal gold-silver bearing vein and stockwork deposits in a syenite intrusive complex. Pegasus Gold Ltd. is currently mining these oxidized deposits by open-pit methods and recovering gold and silver by heap-leach processes. A geologic program has been designed to effectively determine the basic ore characteristics; 1) mineralization; 2) oxidation; 3) structural setting; 4) lithology; 5) alteration; and ultimately, 6) the leachability of the ore. Geologic mapping, sampling, drilling, assaying, and testing are routinely used in exploration, development, production control, mine planning, and ore reserve estimations. Timely and accurate assay results are essential for the program's success.

Jan 1, 1984

By Shosei Serata, Bruce Gardner

A system of three new field instruments has been developed to measure, in situ, the three basic classes of geomechanical parameters: material properties, stress state, and creep deformation. The significance of this development is that it represents a successful adaptation of recent computer technology to underground rock mechanics work, opening up new possibilities in underground mining methods. The system was developed to meet the application requirements of the stress control method of mining, a method which is based on the actual geomechanical conditions of the underground, rather than upon conventional linear-elastic, idealizations of ground conditions. These instruments enable in situ measurement not only of elastic, but also post-elastic, yielding, and failure conditions of geological materials, establishing the stress control method on a truly scientific foundation. In order to evaluate the present status of this field instrumentation system, case examples of underground mine openings designed with the stress control method are reviewed and analyzed, in terms of the effectiveness of the three instruments for informing and guiding the site-specific application of stress control design.

Jan 1, 1984

By Mark W. Springett

The sampling of precious metal deposits entails inherent problems due to the low mineral abundances, high mineral specific gravities, skewed grade distributions and wide ranges of mineral particle sizes. Sampling practices and precautions are discussed with particular attention to each of the tripartite stages of sampling - sample acquisition, sample preparation and sample assaying. Practical examples of approaches to the sampling problem are given and some examples of significant sources of error are provided from gold and silver deposits in North America.

Jan 1, 1984

By Frank S. Shuri

INTRODUCTION The Calumet Pumping Station, located on the south side of the Greater Chicago area, is part of the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan to accomodate the city's wastewater. The Station consists of two parallel rock caverns, each 18 m high, 20 m wide, and 62 m long, located in Silurian dolomite approximately 91 m below the ground surface. The caverns are oriented N-S with a 24-m-wide pillar between them. Prior to construction, rock mechanics studies were conducted in an L-shaped test adit at the location of the west cavern. The purpo3e of the rock mechanic studies was to characterize the site, particularly the in situ stress field and deformation characteristics of the rock. This information, together with other physical properties of the rock and geologic data, was used to evaluate the stability of the preliminary cavern design, with particular emphasis on cavern orientation, rock reinforcement, and pillar stability. GEOLOGY OF THE SITE Stratigraphy The Chicago area is located on the Kankakee Arch, a broad, gently sloping arch of Paleozoic sediments. Rocks in the project area consist of Silurian dolomites unconformably overlain by Pleistocene glacial deposits. The formations of interest to this study are: - Racine Formation, inter-reef facies. This dolomite is gray- brown, silty, and compact. It contains occasional prominent bedding surfaces. The Racine Formation in the project area varies from 73 to 74 m in thickness.

Jan 1, 1984

By Dr. O’Neil Thomas J., Donald W. Gentry

"We should be concerned about the future be- cause we will have to spend the rest of our lives there. " -Charles Kettering INTRODUCTION Since the early 1970s, there has been no economic phenomenon that has been more widely discussed or experienced in the United States than inflation. Al- though its precise definition and measurement are elusive, inflation has had pro- found and extensive impacts on the manner in which nearly everyone lives. It is painfully obvious to consumers that inflation is characterized by a continuing up- ward spiral of prices. In a capital-intensive industry like mining, those increases can be positively breathtaking. An interesting example is shown in Table 1. Table I shows that on a unit basis, the equivalent 1980 capital cost of Cuajone was over six times the cost of the adjacent and quite similar Toquepala operation completed in 1959. Such sobering statistics weigh heavily on the minds of executives who are contemplating major investments in new mining facilities. In spite of its monumental presence, inflation has usually been either inadequately covered or totally ignored in textbooks on engineering economy. The reasons for this are not entirely clear, but a contributing factor is the inherent difficulty in accurately predicting inflation. However, under certain conditions, inflation may become the most important factor in a mining investment, and it can rarely be safely ignored in capital investment analyses. DEFINING AND MEASURING INFLATION Defining inflation and related terms is relatively easy. Its measurement, how- ever, is the source of almost endless debate in economic and political circles. How- ever, much of that debate is not relevant to the scope of this book, so that only those issues which impact directly on the capital investment decision are covered in this section. Inflation is the general decline in the value of money as measured by what it will buy. It is clear, then, that the rate of inflation varies with the particular currency under consideration as well as the type of goods and services being purchased. One would find, for example, that the general rate of inflation relative to German marks

Jan 1, 1984

By A. M. Strauss

This contribution illustrates the application of the theory of period doubling to the description of the formation of microcracks in rocks. The fundamental mathematics is described and a method of prediction is proposed. The invariance (universal constants) of a generic microfracturing (damage) process is described. Finally, the method is presented as a deterministic method of predicting the failure of an engineering material while keeping track of the amount of damage that has occured at any point.

Jan 1, 1984

By R. K. Bowden

In an effort to gain a better understanding of shale joint behaviour, normal-only and shear creep tests were performed on artificially prepared shale joints. Pre- and post-test surfaces were examined for changes in morphology. This paper discusses both of these programs and the results derived from them.

Jan 1, 1984

By William A. Hustrulid

INTRODUCTION Prior to the mid-1970's, the U.S. Radioactive Waste Disposal Program was focused on salt deposits as the geologic medium of choice, almost to the exclusion of other rock types. These efforts are illustrated by the Project Salt Vault experiment in a salt mine at Lyons, Kansas, in 1965-1967 followed by attempts to locate a repository site in central Kansas. Preliminary evaluation of other geologic media led, in 1978, to the GAIN (Geotechnical Assessment and Instrumentation Needs for Nuclear Waste Isolation in Crystalline and Argillaceous Rocks) Symposium held at the University of California (Berkeley), for the purpose of preparing a state-of-the-art document together with research needs for some of the other possible rock types. Because possible sites had not been selected, nor would they be for some time, the primary emphasis was for research and development focused on generic rocks and generic sites. A basic ground rule at that time was that the host rock formation should provide the primary containment for the waste. Also, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was just drafting the proposed rules regarding site suitability so that this input was not available. The collection of baseline data, conduction of some critical experiments both in the laboratory and field, and the performance of scoping studies were deemed needed. Such work was indeed undertaken; and to date, a great deal of information has been compiled and much has been learned regarding the characteristics of rock masses, rock behavior

Jan 1, 1984