-Kazem Oraee (Prof)

- Arash Goodarzi (Eng)

- Nikzad Oraee-Mirzamani (Phd)

-Parham Khajehpour (Eng)

34th International Conference on Ground Control in Mining

Roof rock failure has generally been the most dangerous hazard for underground coal mining in the world.

although artificial support mechanisms have been used extensively

Roof stability is primarily determined in many underground mines in developing countries by

a number of methods that often resort to subjective criteria.

Failure of rock around the opening

-high rock stress conditions

-the presence of structural discontinuities

the engineering behavior of rock masses

The properties of discontinuities affect

wedges or blocks

-falling from the roof

-sliding out of the walls

Failure of rock around shallow coal mine openings often

results from loosening of blocks of rock

on the weakened planes under the influence of gravity.

The strength of roof rocks varies widely depending both on the rock type and on planes of weakness present within it

Roof rock failure in small mines may take the various forms

from tiny cracks in immediate roof

to a large scale movement of blocks of rock

The weight of the failing zone could therefore vary from a few kilograms to as much as hundreds of tones, that far exceeds the support capacity of typical small mine systems.

Determining the active structural discontinuities:

is related to mapping and modeling discontinuities.

the fall of wedges

-blocks from the roof

-sliding out of the walls

The discontinuities of coal and its surrounding rock

-post-peat accumulation:

-with peat accumulation:

-faults

-joints

-cleats

-bedding planes-slickensides

Occurring:

A numerical modeling method is required which can model the presence of discontinuities as well as the failure mechanism of the coal material.

UNWEDGE is a computer software program that calculates the possible wedges that can form around the excavation by the intersection of the three discontinuity planes of the excavation

iii. The shear strength of the discontinuities

τ: shear strength of the discontinuity

τ=c+σntanφ

c: cohesion

σn: normal stress

φ: friction angle of the discontinuity plane

(×: accident place)

A huge collapse occurred on 14 December 2010 at 11:30

(stope 103)4 miners were killed

the average thickness of the coal bed: 3 m

the average dip of the coal bed: 35○

Hojedk Coal Mine

Eshkeli Coal Mine

Bab-Nizou Coal Mine

The major proportion of developing countries’ coal is excavated through artisanal methods in small-scale mines,

The region’s topography is rough and many hills and valleys are in the region

using small-scale coal mining in developing countries

thin and steep coal beds with weak hanging and foot walls

Stull Stope Mining

ii. The stope axis orientation is defined by the trend / plunge of the stope axis.

The collapsed stope (stope 103)

Col

laps

ed

area

in

the

stop

e

8.95 m

The cracks were displayed on surface of failure zone

The displacement in the yielding steel sets

Ground control is accomplished by timbering (wooden square-set) between the foot and hanging wall or backfilling with waste for a large stope.

The geometry of stope

26.82 m Length

4.5 m Width

3 m Height

35○ Dip

69.5○ Dip direction

The orientations of three distinct discontinuities may be defined by their respective geophysics profiles.

Several geophysical methods are available for locating discontinuities.

detecting geological discontinuities

magnetic

electrical

resistivity

Seismic

The discontinuities are located by the interpretation of the natural geological boundaries at depth even if they are not outcropping at the surface.

Two main separate faults that affected the failure zone are shown as 1, 2 discontinuities

Magnetic Method

The magnetic method involves the measurement of the earth’s magnetic fields’ intensity by a magnetometer.

Resistivity Method

Electrical conductivity is governed by the earth’s crust material properties (density, permeability, porosity, and etc.).

Coal has much higher relative conductivity than discontinuities, where a fracture or a failure zone increases the volume of porosity and consequently the electrical resistivityFailure zone started from the

level of 2355 m and extended to the level of 2200 m, where there was the coal bed. The coal bed acted

as a weakness plane

Bed separation and failure can occur along the bedding planes, especially when the thickness of the coal seam is not uniform.

Assuming C=0 and φ=26.5○ for all discontinuities.

Dip and dip direction angles of discontinuitiesPlane Type Dip Dip direction

1 Fault 62○ 32○

2 Fault 35○ 126○

3 Bedding Plane 35○ 122○

Discontinuity orientation describes the attitude of the discontinuity in space.

A discontinuity’s orientation is the most important property in opening stability.

Failure is largely structurally controlled under low stress levels in shallow underground mines.

The discontinuities were a primary cause of the Eshkeli shallow underground mine collapse and therefore the wedges analysis is appropriate in this case.

Stereographic projection of the discontinuities orientations and stope axis

wedge #2 is stable completely.

wedge #1

wedge #1 has been scaled by the discontinuity 3 (bedding plane)

-volume ≈267 m3

-shear force ≈ 230 tones

The occupational accident in stope 103 is a result of falling wedge#1.

Thank you very much for your attention.