Insights into the Relationships Among the Roof, Rib, Floor, and Pillars of Underground Coal Mines

Details

• Personal Author:
  Compton CC ; Evanek N ; Klemetti, Ted M. ; Tulu IB ; Van Dyke MA
• Description:
  Ground control failures continue to be one of the leading causes of injuries and fatalities in underground coal mining. The roof, rib, floor, and pillars are four areas of potential ground failures that miners, engineers, and consultants are continually evaluating. Quite often, these four underground structures are evaluated independently. A recent push to consider them as a system and in a similar manner as design engineers evaluate mechanical systems has highlighted the need to fully understand the interrelationship among the roof, rib, floor, and pillar. This relationship combines the geometry of the mine layout, geological environment, installed support, and even the timing of the coal extraction. Several studies using field observations and instrumentation show that these relationships can be independent at times, while being dependent in other scenarios. Cases with good roof conditions while the rib and floor deteriorate are contrasted with cases where the roof, rib, and floor deteriorate at the same time. The presented cases in this study demonstrate the importance of understanding the geological environment and mine design to ensure that the proper support is installed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Engineering Environmental Monitoring Mining Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Coal Mining Case Reports Coal Mines Coal Mining Design Criteria Engineering Controls Environmental Control Environmental Engineering Environmental Monitoring Failure Analysis Fatalities Floor Floors Geologic Characterization Geologic Structures Geotechnical Engineering Ground Control Industrial Design Injuries Longwall Mining Mechanical Properties Pillar Pillar Mechanics Rib Rock Mechanics Roof Roof Supports Room And Pillar Mining Structural Engineering Structural Failure Underground Mines

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  2524-3462
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  38
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061221
• Citation:
  Min Metall Explor 2021 Feb; 38(1):531-538
• Contact Point Address:
  T. M. Klemetti, CDC NIOSH, Pittsburgh, PA
• Email:
  tjk6@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8c1344126d7784a18ef3836dc6efab8f9088572f67468bb867e58f9fb665a86dc1bb05e034fa0f16f632a7f41617e3259ea12fb2e5dc0454f2649fc6d31e729a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215386/cdc_215386_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 5.24 MB ]