Fragmentation Method: A Ground Control Tool

Details

• Personal Author:
  Girard-Dwyer J ; Johnson J ; White B ; Whyatt, Jeffrey K.
• Description:
  The choice of fragmentation method is one of the most fundamental aspects of mine design, and often has a major impact on the safety and economic viability of an operation. Almost exclusively, underground mining operations rely on either mechanical excavation or drill and blast techniques to extract rock. Each of these fragmentation methods has distinct advantages and disadvantages, and each is appropriate, and economic, for different mining conditions. However, the choice of fragmentation method can have a pronounced effect on the amount of damage created in the rock mass surrounding the opening. This paper reviews a number of case studies where both mechanical excavation and traditional drill and blast were used in underground mines. Ground support requirements in the mechanically excavated areas are compared to the support requirements in the blasted sections in order to demonstrate the potential safety and cost benefits of the various fragmentation methods. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Case Reports Mining Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Case Studies Excavation Equipment Mine Disasters Mining Equipment Mining Industry Occupational Hazards Rock Bursts Rock Falls Rock Mechanics Safety Measures
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  SRL - Spokane Research Laboratory
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053488
• Citation:
  2003 SME Annual Meeting, Feb 24-26, Cincinnati, Ohio, preprint 03-140. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 2003 Feb; :1-6
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  2003 SME Annual Meeting, Feb 24-26, Cincinnati, Ohio, preprint 03-140
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:41a42460e82a5490e1a9d238c0b108006a465ff8b44d3635f0e9a6b236163721de40b5f781395c7adc214d5de4b899448e03650401ca1c2402613c951f40126b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/227762/cdc_227762_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 764.59 KB ]