Development of a fault-rupture environment in 3D: A numerical tool for examining the mechanical impact of a fault on underground excavations

While faults are commonly simulated as a single planar or non-planar interface for a safety or stability analysis in underground mining excavation, the real 3D structure of a fault is often very complex, with different branches that reactivate at different times. Furthermore, these branches are zones of nonzero thickness where material continuously undergoes damage even during interseismic periods. In this study, the initiation and the initial evolution of a strike-slip fault was modeled using the FLAC3D software program. The initial and boundary conditions are simplified, and mimic the Riedel shear experiment and the constitutive model in the literature. The FLAC3D model successfully replicates and creates the 3D fault zone as a strike-slip type structure in the entire thickness of the model. The strike-slip fault structure and normal displacement result in the formation of valleys in the model. Three panels of a longwall excavation are virtually placed and excavated beneath a main valley. The characteristics of stored and dissipated energy associated with the panel excavations are examined and observed at different stages of shear strain in the fault to evaluate bump potential. Depending on the shear strain in the fault, the energy characteristics adjacent to the longwall panels present different degrees of bump potential, which is not possible to capture by conventional fault simulation using an interface.

Guest editorial-special issue on ground control in mining in 2018

Ground control is the science of studying and controlling the behavior of rock strata in response to mining operations. Ground control-related research has seen significant advancements over the last 37 years, and these accomplishments are well documented in the proceedings of the annual International Conference on Ground Control in Mining (ICGCM)(1)The ICGCM is a forum to promote closer communication among researchers, consultants。

Guest editorial–Special issue on ground control in mining in 2017

Ground control is the science of studying and controlling the behavior of rock strata in response to mining operations.Ground control-related research has seen significant advancements over the last 36 years,and these accomplishments are well documented in the proceedings of the annual International Conference on Ground Control in Mining(ICGCM)[1].The ICGCM is a forum to promote closer communication among researchers,consultants,regulators,manufacturers,and mine operators to expedite solutions to ground control problems in mining[2–8].Fundamental research and advancements in ground control science define the central core of the conference mission.Providing information to mine operators is a priority,as the conference goal is to offer solution-oriented information.In addition,the conference has included innovative technologies and ideas in mining-related fields such as exploration,geology,and surface and underground mining.Many new ground control technologies and design standards adopted by the mining industry were first discussed at ICGCM.Therefore,this conference is recognized as the best forum for introducing new ground control-related research and products.

Guest editorial-special issue on ground control in mining in 2019

Ground control is the science of studying and controlling the behavior of rock strata in response to mining operations.Ground-control-related research has seen significant advancements over the last 39 years,and these accomplishments are well documented in the proceedings of the annual International Conference on Ground Control in Mining(ICGCM)[1].The ICGCM is a forum to promote closer communication among researchers,consultants,regulators,manufacturers,and mine operators to expedite solutions to ground control problems in mining[2–7].Fundamental research and advancements in ground control science define the central core of the conference mission.Providing information to mine operators is a priority,as the conference goal is to offer solutions-oriented information.In addition,the conference has included innovative technologies and ideas in miningrelated fields such as exploration,geology,and surface and underground mining in all commodities.Many new ground control technologies and design standards adopted by the mining industry were first discussed at ICGCM.Therefore,this conference is recognized as the best international forum for introducing new groundcontrol-related research and products.

CFD modeling of methane distribution at a continuous miner face with various curtain setback distances

Knowledge of the airflow patterns and methane distributions at a continuous miner face under different ventilation conditions can minimize the risks of explosion and injury to miners by accurately forecasting potentially hazardous face methane levels. This study focused on validating a series of computational fluid dynamics(CFD) models using full-scale ventilation gallery data that assessed how curtain setback distance impacted airflow patterns and methane distributions at an empty mining face(no continuous miner present). Three CFD models of face ventilation with 4.6, 7.6 and 10.7 m(15, 25, and 35 ft) blowing curtain setback distances were constructed and validated with experimental data collected in a full-scale ventilation test facility. Good agreement was obtained between the CFD simulation results and this data.Detailed airflow and methane distribution information are provided. Elevated methane zones at the working faces were identified with the three curtain setback distances. Visualization of the setback distance impact on the face methane distribution was performed by utilizing the post-processing capability of the CFD software.

Applying robust design to study the effects of stratigraphic characteristics on brittle failure and bump potential in a coal mine

Bumps and other types of dynamic failure have been a persistent, worldwide problem in the underground coal mining industry, spanning decades.For example, in just five states in the U.S.from 1983 to 2014,there were 388 reportable bumps.Despite significant advances in mine design tools and mining practices,these events continue to occur.Many conditions have been associated with bump potential, such as the presence of stiff units in the local geology.The effect of a stiff sandstone unit on the potential for coal bumps depends on the location of the stiff unit in the stratigraphic column, the relative stiffness and strength of other structural members, and stress concentrations caused by mining.This study describes the results of a robust design to consider the impact of different lithologic risk factors impacting dynamic failure risk.Because the inherent variability of stratigraphic characteristics in sedimentary formations,such as thickness, engineering material properties, and location, is significant and the number of influential parameters in determining a parametric study is large, it is impractical to consider every simulation case by varying each parameter individually.Therefore, to save time and honor the statistical distributions of the parameters, it is necessary to develop a robust design to collect sufficient sample data and develop a statistical analysis method to draw accurate conclusions from the collected data.In this study,orthogonal arrays, which were developed using the robust design, are used to define the combination of the(a) thickness of a stiff sandstone inserted on the top and bottom of a coal seam in a massive shale mine roof and floor,(b) location of the stiff sandstone inserted on the top and bottom of the coal seam,and(c) material properties of the stiff sandstone and contacts as interfaces using the 3-dimensional numerical model, FLAC3D.After completion of the numerical experiments, statistical and multivariate analysis are performed using the calculated results from the orthogonal arrays to analyze the effect of these variables.As a consequence, the impact of each of the parameters on the potential for bumps is quantitatively classified in terms of a normalized intensity of plastic dissipated energy.By multiple regression, the intensity of plastic dissipated energy and migration of the risk from the roof to the floor via the pillars is predicted based on the value of the variables.The results demonstrate and suggest a possible capability to predict the bump potential in a given rock mass adjacent to the underground excavations and pillars.Assessing the risk of bumps is important to preventing fatalities and injuries resulting from bumps.

Exploration of petrographic,elemental,and material properties of dynamic failure-prone coals

The purpose of this study is to explore how the geochemical and petrographic components of coal may impact its physical properties and how these correlate with a history of reportable dynamic failure in coal mines.Dynamic failure events,also termed bumps,bounces,or bursts,are the explosive failures of rock in a mining environment.These events occur suddenly and often with no warning,resulting in worker injury up to and including fatality in greater than 60%of reportable cases through the Mine Safety and Health Administration(MSHA).A database of variables was compiled using publicly available datasets,which includes compositional geographic,strength,and Hardgrove grindability index(HGI)data.Results indicated that bumping coals were less mature,lower in carbon,higher in oxygen,softer,and less well cleated than coals that did not bump.High liptinite content was found to correlate with higher average uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)values.However,no clear and direct correlation between UCS and dynamic failure status was observed.The findings of this study established that differences existed between coals that had versus had not experienced reportable dynamic failure accidents.These differences were inherent to the coal itself and were independent of mining-induced risk factors.Results further illuminated how compositional attribute of coal influenced physical properties and began to clarify potential links between geochemistry and dynamic failure status.Only through the better understanding of risk can more effective mitigating strategies be enacted.

User-friendly finite element design of main entries, barrier pillars,and bleeder entries

This contribution describes development and application of a user-friendly finite element program,UT3PC, to address three important problems in underground coal mine design:(1) safety of main entries,(2) barrier pillar size needed for entry protection, and(3) safety of bleeder entries during the advance of an adjacent longwall panel.While the finite element method is by far the most popular engineering design tool of the digital age, widespread use by the mining community has been impeded by the relatively high cost of and the need for lengthy specialized training in numerical methods.Implementation of UT3PC overcomes these impediments in three easy steps.First, a material properties file is prepared for the considered site.Next, mesh generation is automatic through an interactive process.A third and last step is simply execution of the program.Examples using data from several western coal mines illustrate the ease of using the application for analysis of main entries, barrier pillars, and bleeder entry safety.