Rock Failure Analysis Based on a Coupled Elastoplastic-Logarithmic Damage Model

The rock materials surrounding the underground excavations typically demonstrate nonlinear mechanical response and irreversible behavior in particular under high in-situ stress states. The dominant causes of irreversible behavior are plastic flow and damage process. The plastic flow is controlled by the presence of local shear stresses which cause the frictional sliding. During this process, the net number of bonds remains unchanged practically. The overall macroscopic consequence of plastic flow is that the elastic properties (e.g. the stiffness of the material) are insensitive to this type of irreversible change. The main cause of irreversible changes in quasi-brittle materials such as rock is the damage process occurring within the material. From a microscopic viewpoint, damage initiates with the nucleation and growth of microcracks. When the microcracks length reaches a critical value, the coalescence of them occurs and finally, the localized meso-cracks appear. The macroscopic and phenomenological consequence of damage process is stiffness degradation, dilatation and softening response. In this paper, a coupled elastoplastic-logarithmic damage model was used to simulate the irreversible deformations and stiffness degradation of rock materials under loading. In this model, damage evolution & plastic flow rules were formulated in the framework of irreversible thermodynamics principles. To take into account the stiffness degradation and softening on post-peak region, logarithmic damage variable was implemented. Also, a plastic model with Drucker-Prager yield function was used to model plastic strains. Then, an algorithm was proposed to calculate the numerical steps based on the proposed coupled plastic and damage constitutive model. The developed model has been programmed in VC++ environment. Then, it was used as a separate and new constitutive model in DEM code (UDEC). Finally, the experimental Oolitic limestone rock behavior was simulated based on the developed model. The irreversible strains, softening and stiffness degradation were reproduced in the numerical results. Furthermore, the confinement pressure dependency of rock behavior was simulated in according to experimental observations.

Spatial Modeling of the Influence of Mining-Geometric Indices on the Efficiency of Mining

The regularities of the changes of horizontal and sub-horizontal systems of cracks at different locations of Holovyne labradorite deposits are studied. The trend for stress to increase has been established in the quarry LLS “Optima” for Holovyne labradorite deposits in Volodar-Volynsk district, Zhytomyr region at the deepening of excavation. The duration of the working cycle of borehole drilling in a solid and cracked massif is calculated using a new method. The calendar planning method of mining is developed taking into account the dependence of drilling efficiency on horizontal and sub-horizontal systems of cracks.

Comparative Experiment Study on Nitrogen Injection and Free Desorption of Methane-Rich Bituminous Coal Under Triaxial Loading

As a kind of associated geological gas, coalbed methane (CBM) is mainly adsorbed in the coal seam. The coal-methane adsorption phenomenon can be described by Langmuir monolayer adsorptio n model, BET multilayer adsorption model and the Theory of Volume Filling of Micropore (TVFM), whereas the binary gas adsorption phenomenon can be described by the extended Langmuir Model. For the CBM in the low permeability coal seam, the amount of gas released by direct drainage is relatively limited, which cannot eliminate the gas explosion and outburst hazards. Gas injection is an effective method to promote methane drainage. In this paper, the free desorption and nitrogen injection displacement experiments are comparatively analyzed, which allows verifying the effectiveness of nitrogen injection’s enhancement to gas drainage. The experiment of injecting nitrogen gas into the coal body shows that the coal fracture can be maintained or expanded by the injected gas pressure so that more methane can be released. The nitrogen injection has a higher time efficiency than that of free desorption as well. The displacement ratio of N2/CH4 is in the range of 1-3. Both the injection pressure and confining pressure affect the displacement ratio. The analysis of the desorbed gas components shows that the relationship between the methane component and gas flooding time is an “inverted S” shape curve, and the appropriate time for the methane collection can be inferred by the time interval of the rapid decline of the curve.

Laboratory Investigations of Stationary Methane Anemometer

This paper presents a new stationary device that can perform simultaneous measurements of air flow velocity and methane concentration in a mine heading (stationary methane anemometer). The test station is designed to use the instrument to test the effect of various parameters on the air-methane stream. The air velocities and methane concentrations were fed to the measuring area via an injector and recorded. The results present numerical simulations of flow phenomena that occurred during measurement experiments.

Long-Term Planning for Open Pits for Mining Sulphide-Oxide Ores in Order to Achieve Maximum Profit

Profitable exploitation of mineralised material from the earth’s crust is a complex and difficult task that depends on a comprehensive planning process. Answering the question of how to plan production depends on the geometry of the deposit, as well as the concentration, distribution, and type of minerals in it. The complex nature of mineral deposits largely determines the method of exploitation and profitability of mining operations. In addition to unit operating costs and metal prices, the optimal recovery of and achievement of maximum profit from deposits of sulphide-oxide ores also depend, to a significant extent, on the level of technological recovery achieved in the ore processing procedure. Therefore, in defining a long-term development strategy for open pits, special attention must be paid to the selection of an optimal procedure for ore processing in order to achieve the main objective: maximising the Net Present Value (NPV). The effect of using two different processes, flotation processing and hydrometallurgical methods (bioleaching acid leaching), on determining the ultimate pit is shown in the case of the Kraku Bugaresku-Cementacija sulphide-oxide ore deposit in eastern Serbia. Analysis shows that the application of hydrometallurgical methods of processing sulphide-oxide ore achieved an increase in NPV of 20.42%.

Variability of Mercury Content in Coal Matter From Coal Seams of The Upper Silesia Coal Basin

The process of identifying and documenting the quality parameters of coal, as well as the conditions of coal deposition in the seam, is multi-stage and extremely expensive. The taking and analyzing of seam samples is the method of assessment of the quality and quantity parameters of coals in deep mines. Depending on the method of sampling, it offers quite precise assessment of the quality parameters of potential commercial coals. The main kind of seam samples under consideration are so-called “documentary seam samples”, which exclude dirt bands and other seam contaminants. Mercury content in coal matter from the currently accessible and exploited coal seams of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB) was assessed. It was noted that the mercury content in coal seams decreases with the age of the seam and, to a lesser extent, seam deposition depth. Maps of the variation of mercury content in selected lithostratigraphic units (layers) of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin have been created.

Characteristics of the Roof Behaviors and Mine Pressure Manifestations During the Mining of Steep Coal Seam

A steep seam similar simulation system was developed based on the geological conditions of a steep coal seam in the Xintie Coal Mine. Basing on similar simulation, together with theoretical analysis and field measurement, an in-depth study was conducted to characterize the fracture and stability of the roof of steep working face and calculate the width of the region backfilled with gangue in the goaf. The results showed that, as mining progressed, the immediate roof of the steep face fell upon the goaf and backfilled its lower part due to gravity. As a result, the roof in the lower part had higher stability than the roof in the upper part of the working face. The deformation and fracture of main roof mainly occurred in the upper part of the working face; the fractured main roof then formed a “voussoir beam” structure in the strata’s dip direction, which was subjected to the slip- and deformation-induced instability. The stability analysis indicated that, when the dip angle increased, the rock masses had greater capacity to withstand slip-induced instability but smaller capacity to withstand deformation-induced instability. Finally, the field measurement of the forces exerted on the hydraulic supports proved the characteristics of the roof’s behaviors during the mining of a steep seam.

The Anti-Resonance Criterion in Selecting Pick Systems for Fully Operational Cutting Machinery Used in Mining

Abstrat This article discusses the issue of selecting a pick system for cutting mining machinery, concerning the reduction of vibrations in the cutting system, particularly in a load-carrying structure at work. Numerical analysis was performed on a telescopic roadheader boom equipped with transverse heads. A frequency range of the boom’s free vibrations with a set structure and dynamic properties were determined based on a dynamic model. The main components excited by boom vibrations, generated through the process of cutting rock, were identified. This was closely associated with the stereometry of the cutting heads. The impact on the pick system (the number of picks and their arrangement along the side of the cutting head) was determined by the intensity of the external boom load elements, especially in resonance zones. In terms of the anti-resonance criterion, an advantageous system of cutting head picks was determined as a result of the analysis undertaken. The correct selection of the pick system was ascertained based on a computer simulation of the dynamic loads and vibrations of a roadheader telescopic boom.

Assessment of Possible Application of Geochemistry to Distinguish Limnic and Paralic Coal-Bearing Parts of the Carboniferous in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin

The paper presents the results of geochemical analyses of samples from the Poruba Beds of the paralic series and from the Zaleskie Beds of the limnic series Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB). The contents of the following trace elements and oxides were evaluated using spectrometric method: Cr, Th, U, V, AL2O3, MgO, K2O, P2O5. The following indicators, most commonly used in chemostratigraphy and in the identification of the marine and non-marine sediments ratios, were analyzed: U, Th, Th/U, K2O, Th/K2O, P2O5, Al2O3, P2O5/ Al2O3, V, Cr, V/Cr, and (K2O/Al2O3) / (MgO/Al2O3). The research showed that those ratios may be used to identify sedimentary environments and geochemical correlations of the sedimentary rock sequences in the USCB. Geochemical ratios discussed in the paper allowed distinguishing two populations of samples representing paralic and limnic series.

Minimising Backbreak at the Dewan Cement Limestone Quarry Using an Artificial Neural Network

Backbreak, defined as excessive breakage behind the last row of blastholes in blasting operations at a quarry, causes destabilisation of rock slopes, improper fragmentation, minimises drilling efficiency. In this paper an artificial neural network (ANN) is applied to predict backbreak, using 12 input parameters representing various controllable factors, such as the characteristics of explosives and geometrical blast design, at the Dewan Cement limestone quarry in Hattar, Pakistan. This ANN was trained with several model architectures. The 12-2-1 ANN model was selected as the simplest model yielding the best result, with a reported correlation coefficient of 0.98 and 0.97 in the training and validation phases, respectively. Sensitivity analysis of the model suggested that backbreak can be reduced most effectively by reducing powder factor, blasthole inclination, and burden. Field tests were subsequently carried out in which these sensitive parameters were varied accordingly; as a result, backbreak was controlled and reduced from 8 m to less than a metre. The resulting reduction in powder factor (kg of explosives used per m3 of blasted material) also reduced blasting costs.