Rapid Assessment of Roof Stability in Coal Mine Entries Based on the Outcome of Validated Numerical Models

Details

• Personal Author:
  Esterhuizen, Gabriel S. ; Tulu IB
• Description:
  Appropriately designed support systems are required to control potentially unstable ground around entries in coal mines. Alternative support systems can be evaluated using various approaches, including empirically based methods and advanced numerical models. However, conducting numerical model analyses can be time consuming, requires special software, and requires specialist expertise for setting up models and evaluating the results. In this study, the need for a more rapid method of assessing support alternatives is addressed. A regression-based equation has been developed based on the output of more than 600 numerical model analyses that investigated entry stability in various ground conditions, depths of cover, stress conditions, and support systems that might be encountered in US coal mines. The model outputs were verified against actual performance of coal mine excavations in a variety of geotechnical settings. Least squares curve fitting procedures were used to find the unknown parameters of a nonlinear equation that includes parameters for the rock mass strength, support characteristics, and geometric layout of the excavation and support system. The developed equation can satisfactorily predict the numerical model calculated stability factors. This allows practitioners to rapidly assess support alternatives for a range of conditions using spreadsheet software. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Analytical-models Analytical-processes Coal-mining Environmental-control Environmental-stress Failure-analysis Geology Ground-control Ground-stability Mathematical-models Mining-industry Models Risk-analysis Rock-mechanics Stress Structural-analysis Underground-mining

  More +
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9781510810518
• Publisher:
  American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048041
• Citation:
  49th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June 28 - July 1, 2015, San Francisco, California. Alexandria, VA: American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA), 2015 Jun; 3:2272-2278
• Contact Point Address:
  G. S. Esterhuizen, Office of Mine Safety and Health Research, NIOSH, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  49th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June 28 - July 1, 2015, San Francisco, California
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:214e333bc457ce9985863d863a3335c261e820ab20d19d622a8b58e883851bc70df9ffd6d9271cbe998352a7a67d157d96eac1059aa375a2ff3ebfb98a5d3294
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228253/cdc_228253_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 514.52 KB ]