Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Chapter 4
David E. Nicholas
Vice-President
C a l l & Nicholas, Inc.
Tucson, Arizona
i rl x o r r o v lo W l d e O r e 1 I1 I
d o e s n o t completely r u l e o u t t h e
method; and
eliminated: i f the characteristic exists,
t h e n t h e mining method could
n o t be used.
The v a l u e s used f o r e a c h rank a r e l i s t e d i n
T a b l e 5. Values f o r t h e e l i m i n a t e d rank were
chosen s o t h a t i f t h e sum of t h e c h a r a c t e r i s -
t i c v a l u e s e q u a l l e d a n e g a t i v e number, t h e
method would b e e l i m i n a t e d . A z e r o v a l u e was
chosen f o r t h e u n l i k e l y rank because it does
n o t add t o t h e chance o f u s i n g t h e method, b u t
n e i t h e r d o e s it e l i m i n a t e t h e method. The
v a l u e s u s e d f o r p r o b a b l e and p r e f e r r e d were
chosen s o t h a t t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s f o r one
p a r a m e t e r c o u l d b e ranked w i t h i n a mining
method and between mining methods.
T a b l e 5: Rank Value
Ranking Value
preferred 3 - 4
probable 1 - 2
unlikely 0
eliminated -4 9
An example i s p r o v i d e d t o i l l u s t r a t e t h e
s t e p s i n u s i n g t h i s s e l e c t i o n system and t o
p o i n t o u t problems w i t h t h e system. The f i r s t
s t e p i s t o l i s t t h e geometryjgrade d i s t r i b u t i o n
and r o c k mechanics c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of t h e
d e p o s i t ( T a b l e 6 , column 1 ) . The c h a r a c t e r i s -
Invormobly W i d e O r e t i c columns i n T a b l e s 3 and 4 a r e t h e n i d e n t i -
I f i e d f o r t h e d e p o s i t , and t h e v a l u e s added up
+30m(+100ft) f o r t h e geometry/grade d i s t r i b u t i o n , o r e zone
r o c k mechanics, h a n g i n g w a l l rock mechanics,
F i g u r e 1: A Method S e l e c t i o n Scheme and f o o t w a l l r o c k mechanics f o r each mining
( a f t e r M o r r i s o n , 1976) . method ( T a b l e 6 , columns 2 and 3 ) .
METHOD SELECTION - A NUMERICAL APPROACH
General Grade
Shape Ore Thickness Ore Plunge Distribution
Mining Method
F I S U G E
Open P i t
Block Caving
Sublevel S t o p i n g
Sublevel Caving
Longwall
Room & Pillar
Shrinkage S t o p i n g
Cut & Fill
Top S l i c i n g
Square S e t
4 b : Hanging W a l l
Rock
Substance Fracture Fracture
Mining
T a b l e 4 : Ranking o f Rock Mechanics Strength Spacing Strength
Method
Characteristics f o r Different W M S V C C W V W W M S
Mining Methods
Open P i t 3 4 4 2 3 4 4 2 3 4
Key: Block
Caving 4 2 1 3 4 3 0 4 2 0
Rock S u b s t a n c e S t r e n g t h
Sublevel
W = Weak Stoping -49 3 4 -49 0 1 4 0 2 4
M = Moderate
S = Strong Sublevel
Caving 3 2 1 3 4 3 1 4 2 0
F r a c t u r e Spacing Longwall 4 2 0 4 4 3 0 4 2 0
VC = Very C l o s e Room &
C = Close Pillar 0 3 4 0 1 2 4 0 2 4
W = Weak
VW = Very Weak Shrinkage
Stoping 4 2 1 4 4 3 0 4 2 0
Fracture Strength Cut & Fill 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 4 3 2
W = Weak
TOP
M = Moderate Slicing 4 2 1 3 3 3 0 4 2 0
S = Strong
Square S e t 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 4 3 2
Rock
Substance Fracture Fracture
Mining
Strength Spacing Strength
Method
W M S VCC W V W W M S
Open P i t 3 4 4 2 3 4 4 2 3 4
Block
Caving 2 3 3 1 3 3 3 1 3 3
Sublevel
Stoping 0 2 4 0 0 2 4 0 1 4
Sublevel
Caving 0 2 4 0 1 3 4 0 2 4
Longwall 2 3 3 1 2 4 3 1 3 3
Room &
Pillar 0 2 4 0 1 3 3 0 3 3
Shrinkage
Stoping 2 3 3 2 3 3 2 2 2 3
Cut & Fill 4 2 2 4 4 2 2 4 4 2
TOP
Slicing 2 3 3 1 3 3 3 1 2 3
Square S e t 4 2 2 4 4 2 2 4 4 2
Table 6: Example of Numerical Method S e l e c t i o n Process
Geometry/Grade
Distribution (Column 1) (Column 2) (Column 3)
open p i t block caving etc.
( v a l u e s from Table 3 )
General shape: tabular o r
platey
Ore t h i c k n e s s : very t h i c k
Ore plunge: flat
Grade d i s t r i b u t i o n : uniform
depth (used l a t e r ) : 130 m (425 f t )
Hanging Wall
Rock substance
strength : strong 4 1
F r a c t u r e spacing: wide 4 3
Fracture strength: moderate 3 2
- -
11 6
Footwall
Rock substance
strength : moderate 4 3
F r a c t u r e spacing: close 2 3
Fracture strength : weak 2 1
- -
8 7
Rock Mechanics C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s
Geometry/Grade Grand
Mining Method Distribution Ore HW F
W Total Total
Open P i t 12 9 11 8 28 40
Block Caving 13 8 6 7 21 34
Sublevel Stoping 10 5 7 2 14 24
Sublevel Caving 13 7 6 3 16 29
Longwall -37 8 5 6 19 -18
Room & Pillar -38 7 8 3 18 -20
Shrinkage Stoping 10 6 6 8 20 30
Cut & Fill 7 8 7 10 25 32
Top S l i c i n g 15 6 6 7 19 34
Square S e t 8 8 7 10 25 33
46 DESIGN AND OPERATION OF CAVING AND SUBLEVEL STOPING MINES
'Table 8 : Ranklnq R e s u l t s - -
method t h a t i s h i g h l y mechanical o r t e c h n i c a l
and r e q u i r e s s k i l l e d personnel should not be
Total Polnts Met hod
chosen, of course. Environmental concerns a r e
open p i t more and more becoming a c o n t r o l l i n g f a c t o r i n
block caving method s e l e c t i o n . Also, t h e environmental con-
top s l i c i n g d i t i o n s underground must be considered.
square-set Whether o r not subsidence i s permitted can
cut-and-fill determine what methods a r e f e a s i b l e .
shrinkage s t o p i n g
s u b l e v e l caving Remember, t h e purpose of t h i s numerical
sublevel stoping method s e l e c t i o n system i s not t o choose t h e
room-and-pillar f i n a l mining method. I t i s intended t o i n d i -
longwall c a t e those methods t h a t w i l l be most e f f e c t i v e
given t h e geometry/grade d i s t r i b u t i o n and rock
Having narrowed t h e p r e f e r r e d mining meth- mechanics c h a r a c t e r s i t i c s , and which w i l l r e -
ods t o two, each should now be g e n e r a l l y ex- q u i r e more d e t a i l e d study i n Stage 2 . If
amined i n terms of mining r a t e , l a b o r a v a i l - nothing e l s e , t h i s s e l e c t i o n system w i l l allow
a b i l i t y , environmental concerns, and o t h e r miners/engineers t o consider what c h a r a c t e r i s -
site-specific considerations, i n order t o t i c s a r e important f o r t h e mining methods
determine whether t h e s e parameters w i l l being considered.
e l i m i n a t e any method from f u r t h e r considera-
tion. METHOD SELECTION - STAGE 2
Rock
Geometry/Grade Mechanics Grand
Distribution Ore HW FW Total Total
I f t h e e n g i n e e r h a s t h e n e c e s s a r y informa-
t i o n , a s d i s c u s s e d above, he can p r o v i d e
r e a l i s t i c e s t i m a t e s on s i z e o f o p e n i n g s , sup-
p o r t r e q u i r e m e n t s , c a v a b i l i t y , and s l o p e a n g l e s
f o r s e l e c t i n g a m i n i n g method. A t t e m p t i n g t o
determine t h e s e parameters w i l l enable t h e
e n g i n e e r t o s e e which d a t a i s c r i t i c a l i n t h e
a n a l y s i s o r i s l a c k i n g ; t h e r e f o r e , when d e v e l -
opment s t a r t s o r f u r t h e r e x p l o r a t i o n i s i n
p r o g r e s s , t h e d a t a c o l l e c t i o n program c a n be
properly set-up.
The c a v a b i l i t y o f a d e p o s i t i s d e t e r m i n e d
by t h e f r a g m e n t s i z e d i s t r i b u t i o n a t t h e draw-
p o i n t and t h e u n d e r c u t w i d t h r e q u i r e d t o s u s -
t a i n a cave. I f t h e fragment s i z e i s c o a r s e ,
t h e u n d e r c u t w i d t h may be g r e a t e r t h a n t h e
width o f t h e d e p o s i t , o r t h e drawpoints w i l l
be p l u g g e d much o f t h e t i m e , t h e r e b y r e d u c i n g
m i n i n g r a t e and i n c r e a s i n g s e c o n d a r y b l a s t i n g
cost. SIEVE SIZE IN1
F i g u r e 3: F r a g n e n t S i z e D i s t r i b u t i o n Curves o f
A two-dimensional fragment s i z e a n a l y s i s
some E x i s t i n g Block Caving Mines
was d e v e l o p e d by W h i t e , N i c h o l a s & Marek
( 1 9 7 7 ) . The a n a l y s i s r e s u l t s i n a d i s t r i b u -
( a f t e r White, 1977) .
NOTE: D a t a a r e from l i m i t e d a r e a s and d o n o t
t i o n o f fragment s i z e based on f r a c t u r e spac-
n e c e s s a r i l y r e p r e s e n t a n average f o r
i n g , b u t it d o e s n o t i n c l u d e t h e e f f e c t s o f
t h a t mine.
METHOD SELECTION - A NUMERICAL APPROACH 49
B = ( l / f r a c t u r e spacing) *6;
N = number o f fragments i n sample; and
X = fragment s i z e t o be analyzed.
, - -.-.
..
TRANSPER I
DISTANCE
..
PILWLR PIWAR
TRANSPER TRANSFER
I DISTANCE I DISTANCE '
b . S t o p e w i d t h im g r e a t e r t h a n
231 maximum t r a n m f e r d i a t a n c e
F i g u r e 5: P r e s s u r e Arch Concept.
CAVABILITX INDEX ( C I )
F i g u r e 4: RQD v s . C a v a b i l i t y Index
( a f t e r McMahon and Kendrick, 1959) .
Undercut w i d t h r e q u i r e d t o s u s t a i n a cave i s
most c r i t i c a l f o r t h o s e d e p o s i t s where t h e f r a g -
mentation i s c o a r s e and t h e a v e r a g e u n d e r c u t
width of t h e d e p c s i t is l e s s t h a n approximately
150 m (500 f t ) . Using L a u b s c h e r ' s c l a s s i f i c a -
t i o n (1977) o r t h e p r e s s u r e a r c h concept DEPTH (10
(Alder e t a l . , 1951) , t h e u n d e r c u t w i d t h
Figure 6: T r a n s f e r D i s t a n c e v s . Depth.
r e q u i r e d t o s u s t a i n a cave can be e s t i m a t e d .
Laubscher p r o v i d e s a n h y d r a u l i c r a d i u s , a r e a /
p e r i m e t e r , f o r h i s f i v e c l a s s e s of rock. In
t h e pressure arch concept, t h e rock i s consid-
e r e d t o have a maximum d i s t a n c e t h a t it can Once it h a s been determined t h a t t h e d e p o s i t
t r a n s f e r t h e l o a d ( F i g u r e 5 ) . The a b i l i t y o f i s c a v a b l e , drawpoint s p a c i n g and g a t h e r i n g
t h e rock t o t r a n s f e r a v e r t i c a l s t r e s s i n a d r i f t s i z e should be determined f o r t h e g e n e r a l
l a t e r a l d i r e c t i o n o v e r an underground opening mine d e s i g n .
depends on t h e s h e a r s t r e n g t h of t h e r o c k , t h e
h o r i z o n t a l s t r e s s , and t h e s t r e n g t h o f t h e Drawpoint s p a c i n g i s p r i m a r i l y a f u n c t i o n of
rock p i l l a r s . Although e a c h d e p o s i t h a s i t s t h e o r e and o v e r l y i n g w a s t e fragment s i z e d i s -
own maximum t r a n s f e r d i s t a n c e , a c o r r e l a t i o n t r i b u t i o n and t h e p i l l a r s t r e n g t h . The g e n e r a l
between depth and maximum t r a n s f e r d i s t a n c e consensus h a s been t h a t t h e s m a l l e r t h e f r a g -
has been determined ( F i g u r e 6 ) .
Based on t h e ment s i z e t h e narrower t h e width of draw, con-
p r e s s u r e a r c h c o n c e p t , i f t h e u n d e r c u t width s e q u e n t l y , t h e c l o s e r t h e drawpoint s p a c i n g .
does n o t exceed t w i c e t h e maximum t r a n s f e r Also, when t h e o v e r l y i n g m a t e r i a l i s more f r a g -
d i s t a n c e then o n l y t h e r o c k under t h e p r e s s u r e mented t h a n t h e o r e , t h e drawpoint s p a c i n g
DESIGN AND OPERATION OF CAVING AND SUBLEVEL STOPING MINES
shculd bc; cl.oser- i n :,rder tcj miriirnize di.Lutiori.
However, comparison of e x i s t i n g p r o p e r t i e s i n d i Pillar A r e a loading pllla:
I CRE IGHTON
Figure 8: D e f i n i t i o n of P i l l a r between
Drawpoints.
S u b l e v e l caving. F o r s u b l e v e l c a v i n g , r o c k
I
- DRIFT SPACING
%RIFT
WIDTH
DRIFT
HEIGHT
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The a u t h o r w i s h e s t o e x p r e s s h i s g r a t i t u d e
t o Susan Jones and Lynn McLean f o r t h e i r e d i -
t o r i a l review o f t h i s p a p e r .
P o r t i o n s of t h i s p a p e r a r e t a k e n from "The
F e a s i b i l i t y Study - S e l e c t i o n o f a Mining
Method I n t e g r a t i n g Rock Mechanics and Mine
Planning" (NichoJas and Marek, 1981) , p r e -
s e n t e d a t t h e 1981 Rapid Excavation and
Tunneling Conference .