Depillaring of total thickness of a thick coal seam in single lift using cable bolts：A case study

Explaining fundamentals of application of cable bolting for a thick seam depillaring,this paper summarizes the results of field studies conducted during adoption of this approach in more than fifteen panels of Madhusudanpur 7 pit and incline mine.Nearly 7.0 m thick Kajora top coal seam of this mine is developed on pillars along the floor horizon to an average height of 3.0 m,leaving a coal band of around 4.0 m along the roof.Analysis of procured core samples showed that roof strata are easily caveable with a caveability index value of around 2000 only.Easily caveable overlying strata and shallow depth of cover alleviated most of the expected strata mechanics problems of the thick seam mining.However,extraction of total thickness at shallow cover caused differential-subsidence and cracks on the surface.These manifestations were immediately tackled to avoid creation of a breathing path for spontaneous heating in the extracted area.

Cyclic load testing of pre-stressed rock anchors for slope stabilization

The objective of this research was to assess the characteristics of seismic induced damage and the deformation patterns of pre-stressed cement-grouted cables that are used for rock slope stabilization projects subjected to quasi-static cyclic loading.The experimental configuration includes the installation of 15 pre-stressed cables in a slope model made of concrete blocks(theoretically rigid rock mass) on top of a pre-existing sliding surface.The study showed that:(i) The pre-stressed cables exhibited great seismic performance.Rapid displacement of the model blocks was observed after the complete loss of the initial pre-stress load under continued applied cyclic loads and exceedance of the state of equilibrium,which implies the higher the initial pre-stress load,the better the seismic performance of the rock anchor;(ii) The failure of the pre-stressed cables was due to fracture at the connection of the tendons and cable heads under cyclic loading.The sequence of failure had a distinct pattern.Failure was first observed at the upper row of cables,which experienced the most severe damage,including the ejection of cable heads.No evidence of de-bonding was observed during the cyclic loading;(iii) The stress distribution of the bond length for pre-stressed cables was highly non-uniform.High stress concentrations were observed at both the fixed end and the free end of the bond length both before and immediately after the state of equilibrium is exceeded.The results obtained can be used to evaluate the overall performance of pre-stressed rock anchors subject to seismic loading and their potential as rockfall prevention and stabilization measures.