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7th BALKANMINE CONGRESS Proceedings, Prijedor 2017

DOI: 10.7251/BMC170701009D

CONSTRUCTING THE BORDER REINFORCED CONCRETE PILLAR


FOR MINING OUT THE RESERVES IN VEIN DEPOSITS

Georgi DACHEV1, Dimitar ANASTASOV1, Nikolay VALKANOV2, Ivan MITEV1


1
University of Mining and Geology St. Ivan Rilski, Sofia, Bulgaria, georgidachev87@gmail.com
danast@mgu.bg, ivan_mitev@mgu.bg
2
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Minstroy Holding AD, minstroy@mg-bg.com

ABSTRACT

Border (arch and drift) pillars are often left to ensure the geomechanical stability when mining out
vein deposits. These pillars remain unmined and at the same time they are re-dimensioned. The
dimensioning of the border dividing pillars of this type is usually very complex because of: the
uncertainty of the acting voltages (natural and induced), the properties and structural characteristics of
the rock mass; the constantly changing volume of the rock mass; the dynamic and static individual
and co-acting loads on the pillar, etc.
The article aims to present a technological approach when applying a cut-and-fill stope method of
mining. A technological solution of the problem is presented by constructing an artificial reinforced
concrete dividing pillar. The study is intended for implementation with regard to the mining out of the
deposits in the vein section of " Varba-Batantsi" mine located in South-Eastern Rhodope Mountains in
Bulgaria.

Key words: vein deposits, reinforced concrete pillar, constructing

1. INTRODUCTION

Varba-Batantsi deposit is situated in the territory of the village of Varba and the town of
Madan, Madan municipality, Smolyan district in the Republic of Bulgaria, south-eastern part
of the Western Rhodope Mountains. The mine is located 7 km southwest of the town of
Madan and its average altitude is from 910 to 960 m. The mining of Varba deposit started in
1952 and continued until 1999 when it was conserved and the mine was closed down. The
mining of Batantsi deposit started in 1962 and continued till 1999. In 1995 the two deposits
were united in one mine "Varba-Batantsi". Consequently, in 1999 the conservation of the
"Varba" deposit was made, it was flooded from level 540 to level 740; as a dock to it, the
"Batantsi" deposit was also flooded as the two deposits are interconnected via level 590.Only
in 2007, after an eight-year interruption of the mining activities, one of the first procedures for
drainage of a flooded mine in the Republic of Bulgaria - "Varba-Batantsi" mine started.
The "Varba-Batantsi" deposit is opened up with three vertical shafts: the "Varba-1" shaft
opens up the reserves from level 940 to level 540, and it is equipped with a cage winding for
the wagons; the "Varba-2" shaft is driven from level 920 to elevation 175, it is not reinforced

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7th BALKANMINE CONGRESS Proceedings, Prijedor 2017

and there is a project for the use of a two-storey wagon cage; "Batantsi" shaft is driven and
opens up the reserves from level 850 to level 490 and it is equipped with a cage winding and a
one-storey wagon cage. The elevation view of the mine is presented in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Elevation view of "Varba-Batantsi" mine

The methods of mining which are currently implemented in "Varba-Batantsi" mine are:
sublevel stoping method of mining and flat back method of mining with ascending fill with
rock material. The first one is characterized by low productivity due to the great preparation
for the cutting of the block and the processes related to the draining and supplying the ore. For
the latter it is necessary that the rock material - the dry rock fill - has high compression
properties in order to be hydraulically compacted and uniformly fed. The deficiency of this
method of mining is the waste of time to build a chimney in the filled space that is 50 m high.
The mining systems applied at the "Varba-Batantsi" mine are not sufficiently productive and
can not guarantee maximum exploitation of all proven reserves in the deposit. They generate
different geomechanical problems in terms of scope and area, and they determine multiple
interrelated risk factors.

2. PROBLEMS

The presented problems can mainly be divided into two aspects: the first one is related to the
mining activities and the second one to the provision of the subsequent geomechanical
stability when applying the adopted technologies and methods of mining.
The problem with the mining works is also divided into two parts:
Problems related tothe mining out of the reserves below level 590 around one of the
shaft pillars.
Problems related tothe technologies of the cut-and-fill method of miningapplied so far
- its low productivity.
The geomechanical problems that appear are also of two types:
The first is the subsequent (secondary) "rock pressure" that occurs around service
mining workings close to the mined out blocks [3].
The second is the deformations that occur in the main opening after the start of the
mining out of the reserves close to them.

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7th BALKANMINE CONGRESS Proceedings, Prijedor 2017

All this necessitates a unified solution of the identified and interrelated key factors, which will
solve the problems that determine the future exploitation of the "Varba-Batantsi" deposit.
The aim of the present study is to propose an innovative method of mining generating a
minimum geomechanical risk, which will ensure an adequate output and mining out of
maximum quantities of proven reserves in the "Varba-Batantsi" deposit.

3. CONSTRUCTING A REINFORCED CONCRETE PILLAR

The two methods of mining applied at the "Varba-Batantsi" mine are characterized by low
productivity and high share of the preparatory and cutting operations. The subsequent
geomechanical stability in these methods of mining is low and the level of geomechanical risk
is high. All this requires an innovative approach that is close to the applied method of mining.
With regard to the aforementioned circumstances, an innovative method of mining has been
proposed and developed, with the separation of the mining block in two sublevels by means
of a reinforced concrete pillar. The construction and location of the reinforced concrete pillar
is presented in figure 2.

Figure 2. Construction ) and location b) of the reinforced concrete pillar during the mining out of the reserves.

The location of the reinforced concrete pillar is in the middle of the mining block, allowing
the splitting of the block into two 25 m sublevels. The construction of the pillar is in three
main stages: the first stage is the preparatory driving of a single mining cut; the second stage
is the construction of reinforcement (longitudinal and transverse) along the entire length of
the driven mining working; the third stage is accompanied by pouring of concrete throughout
the pre-reinforced mining working.
The purpose of the reinforced concrete pillar is the complete mining out of the reserves in the
block and guaranteeing the geomechanical stability of the mined out spaces and the host rock
mass. For this purpose, it is necessary to carry out a preliminary analysis of the stress and
strain state (SSS) of the reinforced concrete pillar.

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7th BALKANMINE CONGRESS Proceedings, Prijedor 2017

4. ANALYSIS OF THE STRESS AND STRAIN STATE OF THE REINFORCED


CONCRETE PILLAR

The newly constructed reinforced concrete pillar needs to be dimensioned [1,2] and for this
purpose the following parameters are defined: pillars width, pillars height, pillars length,
pillars bearing capacity, as well as shear strength at the "feet" of the pillar, the bending
strength and the deformations occurring in the pillar. To help the analysis, part of the
calculated results are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1. Geometrical and mechanical parameters of the reinforced concrete pillar.


Parameter Calculated Measuring
parameters units
Pillars width 4,5 m
Pillars height 3,5 m
Pillars length 50 m
Pillars bearing capacity 12,00 MN/m
Shear strength at the bottom ("feet") of the pillar 2,0 MN/m
Maximum moment of bending of the pillar 2.0 MN.m
Maximum deformations in the pillar 0.3 mm

The software product of Rocscience Phase2 v9.0 [4] was also usedto analyze the stress and
strain state of the constructed reinforced concrete pillar.
The parametric analysis of the pillars state with the softwareRocscience Phase2 v9.0 makes it
possible to determine the maximum main operating voltage - 1, the minimum main operating
voltage - 3, the local stability factor FS and the absolute deformations at each stage of the
mining operations.

Figure 3. Analysis of the stress and strain state of the reinforced concrete pillar with the software Phase2 v9.0

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7th BALKANMINE CONGRESS Proceedings, Prijedor 2017

According to the conducted numerical studies [5] the stresses in the pillar (1) have a
magnitude varying in the range of 3.5 to 5 MPa. The study also shows that no stress
concentration zones are formed around the pillar after its construction. Concentration of
stresses in the pillar is formed only during the first stage, during the driving of the mining
working. The study of the stress state in the host rock mass around the pillar and around the
mining chambers does not reveal dangerous tension stresses. The parametric analysis of the
state of the system host rock mass/open mining spaces allows to determine the deviator of
stress (1- 3). The results of these studies show that the deviator of stress in the pillar is
within the range of 2.4 to 3.2 MPa. This result shows that there will be no significant increase
in the stressed state of the pillar in the various stages of mining out the reserves over it, which
guarantees its local stability. The latest pillar state analysis is based on the determination of
the local stability factor (FS). The analysis found that the FS factor in the various stages
varied from 1.26 to 1.45. In this case, the FS almost does not change, its values are above 1.0
and this is a prerequisite to ensure a steady state of the ppillar.

5. EFFICIENCY OF THE PROPOSED METHOD OF MINING

The proposed method of mining has a number of advantages over the methods implemented
in the "Varba-Batantsi" mine up to now. These advantages make it possible to guarantee high
productivity and minimum geomechanical risk to workers.
The mining process is carried out using mobile machinery, ensuring high output intensity.
Temporary non-active reserves are being put into operation in shaft pillars, under roads,
rivers, ponds and other engineering facilities.
It provides a high level of mining out the reserves and several times lower losses and
impoverishment. The construction of the reinforced concrete pillar and the laying of a rock-
cementing fill of the mined out layers of the rock mass are compensated with the reduced
damage caused by the loss from the impoverishment.

6. CONCLUSIONS

The proposed new method of mining allows for the mining out of uncovered and proven
reserves close to main openings, blocked-undermined reserves at medium and large depths,
reserves to be mined out in newly formed mining blocks, etc.
The new method of mining with division of the extraction block in two sublevels allows for
higher productivity, with the simultaneous operation on four mining faces, which is a major
and substantial advantage in the underground mining of deposits.

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7th BALKANMINE CONGRESS Proceedings, Prijedor 2017

REFERENCES

[1] Hoek E.T. Rock Engineering AA Balkema. Rotterdam, 2001.


[2] ISRM Suggested Methods. Rock Characterisation Testing and Monitoring. Pergamon, Press, 1981.
[3] B. H. G. Brady, E. T. Brown- Rock mechanics and underground mining, third edition-Canada 2004.
[4] Rocscience, Phase2, v9.0 Fine element analysis for excavation. Rocscience, Toronto, Canada 2010.
[5] Board, M. et al, "Use of numerical modeling for safe and cost-effective mine design, stability assessment
and support dimensioning" Rev. Min 12/2005.

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