8 Congresso Nacional de Geotecnia, Lisboa 2002

STABILITY ANALYSES OF UNDERGROUND ROOM AND PILLAR STOPES BY MEANS OF CONVERGENCE ANLISES DA ESTABILIDADE DE CMARAS E PILARES SUBTERRNEOS POR MEIO DE INTERPRETAES DE REGISTOS DE CONVERGNCIAS

YU, XIANBIN * DINIS DA GAMA, CARLOS **

ABSTRACT This paper deals with the convergence data obtained from the room and pillar stopes of Panasqueira mine. Convergence velocity is the parameter that has been used in the mine to detect the proximity of failure. However, the value of the cumulative convergence is another useful parameter with which the roof to floor convergence near the pillars of 11m by 11m and 3m by 3m sections can be easily recognised. It is also found that the failure criterion based on the convergence velocity that was used in the past is insufficient and a new criterion combining both the cumulative convergence and its velocity is a better option. The suggested critical values of the new criterion are given by the authors.

RESUMO Este artigo analisa os dados de convergncia das cavidades subterrneas obtidos nos desmontes em cmaras e pilares da mina da Panasqueira. A velocidade de convergncia tem sido o parmetro usado na mina para detectar a proximidade de fenmenos de rotura. Os autores concluram que o valor da convergncia acumulada outro parmetro til, com que a estabilidade dos pilares de 11m por 11m e de 3m por 3m pode facilmente ser reconhecida. Com base nos dados de observao, concluiu-se que o critrio de rotura baseado na velocidade de convergncia usado na mina no suficiente. Um critrio novo, combinando a convergncia acumulada e a velocidade de convergncia, parece ser uma opo melhor. Os valores crticos sugeridos para o novo critrio so fornecidos pelos autores.

(*) Associate Professor, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Yunnan, China. Estudante de Doutoramento, Ncleo de Rochas, Centro de Geotecnia, IST, xianbin@ist.utl.pt (**) Presidente, Centro de Geotecnia, IST, dgama@ist.utl.pt

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1. INTRODUCTION
Panasqueira is an underground wolfram mine composed by a series of sub-horizontal quartz veins. Both the roof and the floor of the veins are composed of schistose rock. Room and pillar system is now adopted and the mining excavation generally consists of two phases. During the first phase, the wolfram veins are excavated into drifts 5m wide between the pillars of 11 by 11 meters. During the second phase, the drifts are further excavated between the pillars of 3 by 11 meters. After the excavation, permanent pillars of 3 by 3 meters are formed. The recovery of the wolfram ore is as high as about 86%. After the excavation, some stopes keep stable even if the excavation has been finished for years. However, faults and joints exist in the rockmass and make the stopes less stable. At some positions influenced by the faults, the roof and the pillars of the stope fail some time after the excavation. Occasionally, roof failure appeared even before all of the excavation process is finished. For the purpose of ensuring working safety, it is a common practice to monitor the stability of the roof and the pillars with the values of convergence (the relative movement between the roof and floor) in the gently dipping deposits. In Panasqueira mine, measuring the convergence of the underground stopes has been conducted for many years (Mello Mendes, 1959). Long wall mining had been used in Panasqueira mine before room and pillar system was adopted in middle 1970s. A failure criterion based on convergence velocity was established during that period. According to the criterion, the critical convergence velocity of the roof failure is 0.02mm/h, or about 0.5mm/d. During the period of room and pillar mining, the same criterion is adopted. Since 1998, 69 pair of points was installed in four of the room and pillar stopes of level 2 and level 3 to make the convergence measurements with a convergence meter that based on an extensometer. To prevent the points to be destroyed by the machines, the points are usually installed beside the pillars. Some of the points were ruined with the development of the excavation, and more points were then installed at the new excavated zone to continue the observation. In this paper, data obtained in the convergence measurements since April 1998 are analysed. In the four stopes, AW30 is the biggest one and has been excavated during several years. Since of the data involved in this paper are obtained from the AW30, the analysis and the discussions presented here are mainly concentrated within the stope. In the practical work of the mine, the convergence velocity is the only parameter included in the failure criterion up till now. From the obtained data, it is found that not only the convergence velocity but also the cumulative convergence values (the difference between the last measured value and the first one) can be used in the failure criterion. Further more, the authors found that the cumulative convergence can also be used in estimating the deformation process and the stability state of the pillars, while the

8 Congresso Nacional de Geotecnia, Lisboa 2002

parameter of convergence velocity does not have this function. In this paper, both cumulative convergence and its velocity are adopted.

E W Altitude
1150 1050 950 750 650 550 450

Schist

Farmhouse raise Raise D23

Field raise

Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

P6

Schist
Level 530 P4 P2 P0
P(-5)

Schist

Present area of exploitation Granite intrusion

(AW33)

Figure 1 - The exploitation condition of Panasqeira mine

2.

PRINCIPAL RESULTS

2.1 The convergence at the pillars of 11 by 11 meters After the first phase of the excavation, the pillars of 11 by 11 meters are formed. It is found that for most of the convergence points located beside the big pillars of 11 by 11 meters, both the cumulative convergence and the convergence velocity are very small. Even if the pillars have been formed for several years, the cumulative convergence values are usually smaller than 1mm. The exception exists at the pillars near faults. The cumulative convergence of the points near faults may reach a few millimetres. Fig. 2 shows the diagrams of time-cumulative convergence and time-convergence velocity from some of the points that have been measured for years. P13 in Fig. 2 has a relatively higher convergence value. The reason is that the point is near a big fault. The values of convergence for all of the other points are very small.

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2.0 1.5

(a)

0.05

(b) P12

P13
0.03 0.01 -0.01

The cumulative (mm)

1.0 P19 0.5 P12

Date 01-01-99
(c)

-0.03
The velocity (mm/d)

0.08 0.04 0.00

01-01-00 01-01-01
P13

0.0 Date -0.5 01-01-99 01-01-00 01-01-01

-0.04

01-01-99

01-01-00

Date 01-01-01

Figure 2 The convergence of the points beside big pillars (a) cumulative convergence; (b) convergence velocity of P12; (b) convergence velocity of P13 2.2 The convergence at the pillars of 3 by 3 meters After the second phase of the excavation, the small pillars of 3 by 3 meters are formed. For the points beside the small pillars, no matter how the stability conditions of the pillars are, the values of cumulative convergence are usually much bigger than those beside the pillars of 11 by 11m. When a pillar is stable, the cumulative convergence is about a few millimetres. For a pillar about to fail, the convergence may come up to several centimetres, and even exceed 10 centimetres. Fig. 3 shows the results of the cumulative convergence and convergence velocity of some points in stope AW30. This is a zone where the second phase of the excavation has finished with pillars of 3 by 3m in the stope, and the pillars and the roof are still stable. The pillar beside P38 was recently excavated into 3 by 3m, and its maximum value of the cumulative convergence is only 1.55mm. The pillar besides P31 was excavated earlier and its convergence value is as high as 21.8mm. In fact, it is found from observation in situ that a lot of the cracks have been found at the pillar beside P31, which shows that the pillar has failed or partly failed. As soon as a pillar enters the second phase, the cumulative convergence increases distinctly. From Fig. 3 (a), the difference between the deformation during phase 1 and phase 2 can be recognised. Comparing Fig. 3(a) and Fig. 3(b), it can be found that the maximum value of cumulative convergence and the maximum value of convergence velocity do not coincide. The convergence velocity of P37 is the biggest one, while the cumulative convergence of the point is less than 10mm, only half of the point P31. Neither of the pillars has failed up till now. Not only P31, but also a few of the other points (like P30 and P40 in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4) show big values of cumulative convergence. However, this is not a common result. For most of the points that keep stable, values of cumulative convergence are much lower, usually about a few millimetres.

8 Congresso Nacional de Geotecnia, Lisboa 2002

Velocity(mm/d)

20 The cumulative (mm)

(a)
P31

0.10 0.06 0.02 -0.02 0.20

(b) P31

15

P35 P37

Date 01-01-99 01-01-00 01-01-01

10

Velocity (mm/d)

0.15 0.10 0.05 0.00 -0.05 01-01-99 Date 01-01-01 01-01-00 01-01-02 (c) P37

P39 P38 Date 01-01-99 01-01-00 01-01-01 01-01-02

Figure 3 The convergence after the second phase (a) cumulative convergence; (b) convergence velocity of P31; (c) convergence velocity of P37 2.3 The influence of the faults When the measurement point is located near the faults, the convergence values are quite variable. Some faults have great influence on the convergence and the stability of the stopes, and the cumulative convergence values have been as high as several millimetres although the points are near the pillars of 11 by 11m. P43 is an example, which is surrounded by big pillars. However, its cumulative convergence is increasing steadily, and the recent value is as high as 4.9mm. P15 is another example of which the last value of the cumulative convergence is 7.2mm. For some other points near faults, the influence from faulting is not so important. In Panasqueira mine, the faults and their branches represent an important influence on the excavation of the ore deposits. The widths of the faults and their arms are quite variable, and the properties of the fillings are also different. Up till now, a detail investigation on the mechanical behaviour of the faults has not been carried out. To go further on the stability of the stopes and deformation behaviour, more investigation about the faults is needed.

3.

CONVERGENCE VELOCITY AND CUMULATIVE CONVERGENCE

The value of the convergence velocity has been used as failure criterion for long time, and it is found that it is still effective at present time. When a pillar is about to fail, the convergence velocity presents usually a high value. However, it is also found that some points behave differently and the velocity parameter has some disadvantages.

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3.1 Measurement errors and their influences The resolution of the convergencemeter that is being used in Panasqueira mine is 0.01mm, and this is good enough to estimate the deformation of both pillars and rooms. Unfortunately, an accuracy of 0.01mm is not easily obtained in the underground condition. The results from real measurement show that absolute error of 0.1 to 0.2mm is normal. Sometimes the error can be as high as about 0.3 to 0.4mm. As a result, this error may produce a false convergence velocity of about 0.05mm/d when the measurement interval is one week. When the measurement interval is 3 to 4 days as it is practised in the mine, the false velocity would be as high as about 0.1mm/d. Fig. 4 gives examples of this error. In Fig. 4(a), the convergence velocity of P28 had a maximum value at early 1999 while the cumulative convergence at that moment was only 0.37mm. When the velocity reached the same maximum value again, it was two years later and the value of cumulative convergence was as high as 14.3mm. Similar examples can be found commonly. It shows that when the cumulative convergence is very small, the high velocity around 0.1 to 0.2mm/d is usually due to a measurement error and cannot be seen as the prediction of failure, although the values are not far away from the critical value. In Fig. 4(b), the convergence velocity has a maximum value of 0.21mm/d in May 2000, while the cumulative convergence was only 0.37mm at that moment. When the velocity came up to the value of 0.21mm/d again, it was 14 months later and the cumulative convergence was as high as 23mm. Here the high value of the velocity means the beginning of the convergence acceleration, and both pillar and roof kept stable during the following 14 months. In Fig. 4(a), the similar acceleration stage can also be found.
18 14 Cumulaive(mm) 10 6 2 -2 01-01-99 01-01-00 Date P28, L3-D19-R1-AW30 Series1 Series2 0.4 Velocity(mm/d) 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 -0.1
Cumulaivte(mm) 17 12 P30, L3-D19-R1-AW30 Series1 Series2 0.6 Velocity (mm/d) 0.4

7 2 -3 01-01-99 01-01-00

0.2 0.0

Date 01-01-01

-0.2

(a) P28 (b) P30 Figure 4 Series 1: cumulative convergence; series 2: convergence velocity Similar phenomena are common in the obtained data. It proves that even if the velocity comes up to the high values of 0.1 to 0.2mm/d, we cannot assure that the pillar or roof is near failure.

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3.2 Points with high cumulative convergence but low convergence velocity The convergence velocity of P40 given in Fig.5 (a) is always smaller than 0.05mm/d, while the cumulative convergence increased steadily until the value of 27mm. Observation in situ shows that although the pillar beside P40 has a 3 by 11 meters section, local failure has appeared at the pillar near the point, although the pillar has been partly failed later in 2001. Here the failure happened gradually and the velocity does not provide any prediction of failure.
28 23 Cumulative(mm) 18 13 8 3 -2 01-01-99 01-01-00 Date 01-01-01 -0.1 0.0 P40, L3-D19-R1-AW30 Series1 Series2 speed (mm/d) 0.1 0.2

9 Cumulative (mm) 7 5 3 1 -1

P20, L3-D19-R1-AW30 Series1 Series2

0.09 Velocity (mm/d) 0.06 0.03 0.00

Date

-0.03 -0.06

01-01-99

01-01-00

01-01-01

(a) P40

(b) P20

Figure 5 Series 1: cumulative convergence; series 2: convergence velocity The diagrams of P20 shown in Fig.5 (b) are similar to that of P40 though the cumulative convergence is smaller (8.2mm). In situ investigation showed that when the value of cumulative convergence is about 10mm, cracks can be found at the pillar beside the point. This means that the pillar is more or less in a state of failure or pre-failure. Under this condition, attention should be paid to the pillar though the convergence velocity is still small. When the cumulative convergence is as high as 20 to 30 mm, a lot of the cracks can be found in the pillar and this means that the pillar reached failure. Several examples similar to the above ones can be found in the obtained data. They have the character of high values of cumulative convergence but low values of velocity. All these show that not only the convergence velocity but also the cumulative convergence should be included in the failure criterion of the mine.

4.

THE FAILURE CRITERION AND THE CONVERGENCE

Figure 6 shows some of the values measured during the excavation of stope AW30 in 1998 and 1999. All these data were obtained in the same zone of the stope that correspond to the

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convergence points located closely. These points present some of the maximum convergence values found in this zone of the , where both roof and pillars failed in 1999.
150 120 Cumulative (mm) 90 60 30 0 01-05-98 -30 01-08-98 01-11-98 01-02-99 Date P9 P4 P1 P14 L3-D19-R1-AW30 P3
Velocity (mm/d) 5 4 3 2 1 0 01-05-98 -1 01-08-98 01-11-98 01-02-99 Date P1 P9 P4 P14 L3-D19-R1-AW30 P3

(a) cumulative convergence

(b) convergence velocity

Figure 6 Monitoring points with large convergence values In that zone, for all points P1, P3 and P14 the convergence velocities have exceeded 0.5mm/d, and the values of the cumulative convergence are among 54mm to 143mm. For P9, the recorded maximum convergence velocity is 0.3mm/d, and the maximum cumulative convergence is 26mm. For P4, the maximum velocity is 0.16mm/d, and the last cumulative convergence is 14mm. The five points measurements may be used to establish a relation between the values of cumulative convergence and convergence velocity, the last one exceeding 0.5mm/d. Using a linear interpolation analysis, it was found that when convergence velocity reached 0.5mm/d, the corresponding cumulative convergence values at these failure points were 7.5mm, 9.8mm, 17mm, 17.6mm, 25.3mm and 27.9mm, with an average value of 17.5mm. These figures show that cumulative convergence and velocity reflect different aspects of instability. For various monitoring points, it was found that when convergence velocities approach a critical value, the cumulative convergence show different values. However, if the cumulative convergence is over 10 to 30mm, both the pillars and adjacent roof enter a critical state of failure. For the purpose to knowing details about pillar failure, in situ observation and investigation were conducted by the authors. It was found that when the value of cumulative convergence is about 10mm, some cracks can be found in the pillar beside the measurement point, which shows that the pillar is partly failed. When that value is as high as 20 to 30mm, a lot of the cracks can be found in the pillar and that corresponds to a state of failure. It is well known that the stress state of pillars in room and pillar mining is one of uniaxial compression. According to Hookes law, the relationship between Youngs modulus E, stress and strain in the pillars is as follows:

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=/E Laboratory test results show that the Youngs modulus for most schist samples from Panasqueira is around 100GPa, and its uniaxial compressive strength is about 110MPa. This leads to estimate in failure stages that an axial strain in the pillars is around 0.0011, if the rock behaves linearly. As the average height of the pillars is about 2 meters, when the cumulative convergence is 2mm, the strain in the pillar is 0.1%. When the cumulative convergence reaches 10mm, the strain is as high as 0.5%, and so the pillar should have failed. It must be pointed out that due to the influence of rock mass joints and faults, the deformation modulus and the strength of the in situ pillars should be lower than those of the small samples, and so the in situ strain and deformation should be higher. So, the authors suggest that a criterion to determine pillar failure conditions should be established with both convergence velocity and cumulative convergence. A convergence velocity of 0.5mm/d should still be adopted and for cumulative convergence, the value of 10mm should indicate prefailure conditions, while 20 to 30mm represent failure situations. When the cumulative convergence comes up to these values, a warning should be given to mine management, whatever the value of convergence velocity is. From presently available data, the critical values of cumulative convergence or its velocity may indicate how pillars are failing and when their real strength approaches their peak strength, which may not mean that the pillars are completely collapsed. Further aspects of the relationship between convergence and collapse of stopes, including the influence of time, still needs to be investigated.

5.

CONCLUSIONS

In the stopes of Panasqueira mine, when the convergence points are located beside the big pillars of 11 by 11 meters, the values of the cumulative convergence are usually very small. In contrast, when those points are located near the 3 by 3 meters pillars, those values are much larger. Geological faults have great influence on the convergence of cavities. However, the mechanical properties of the faults in the mine are variable and consequently their influence is complex, with reduced influence in several zones of the mine. The failure criterion that has been used up till now is based on convergence velocity and it was found that measurement errors may produce misleading results conducting to relatively high false velocities. For some of the observed points, the cumulative convergence reached very high values, with the adjacent pillars is in a failure state, but still the convergence velocity is always small.

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Therefore, the failure criterion using only the convergence velocity is insufficient and a criterion combining both the velocity and the cumulative convergence seems to be a better choice. The authors suggest the following numerical values to quantify the new criterion for pillar failures in Panasqueira: a convergence velocity of 0.5mm/day should still be adopted and in addition, a cumulative convergence of 10mm indicates pre-failure situations, followed by 20 to 30mm to characterize complete failure.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors thank Engineer Mr. Luis Lopes for his help in the field work, as well as the help of Mr. Jos Comba, both from Beralt Tin & Wolfram, Portugal.

REFERENCES [1] Jaeger, J. C.; Cook, C. (1969). Fundamentals of Rock Mechanics. Methuen, London. [2] Mello Mendes F. (1959). Mecnica das Rochas, Instituto Superior Tcnico. Edio da Seco de Folhas da A. E. I. S. T. , Lisboa. [3] Mello Mendes, F. (1987). The Geomechanics of Panasqueira Mine, Portugal. 6th International Congress on Rock Mechanics of ISRM, Montreal. [4] Chung, S.-K. et al (1995). Mechanical Behaviour of Rock Strata During Sublevel Mining Operation. 8th International Congress on Rock Mechanics of ISRM, Tokyo, Vol. 2, pp. 541543. [5] Dinis da Gama C., Yu Xianbin (2000). Testing Research on Schistose Rock Modes of Failure. Proceedings of the EUROCK 2000 Symposium, Aachen, Glckauf Verlag GmbH, pp. 471476.