• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.135-141
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• 2002

This research has been conducted to investigate the influence of mined cavities on a tunnel to be constructed around a coal mine. The location and dimension of cavities were supposed by analysing synthetically geological structures and condition of coal beds as well as gangway map since there does not exist any map describing mined cavities. Detailed geological and geophygical survey have also been carried out for the purpose of understanding the geological structure and rock mass conditions. The two dimensional numerical analysis with FLAC has been performed on the geological sections reconstituted from the obtained information and the affects of mined cavities on the tunnel have been assessed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.60 no.5
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• pp.809-828
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• 2016

In deep open pit mines, slope stability is very important. Particularly, increasing the depths increase the risks in mines having weak rock mass. Blasting operations in this type of open pits may have a negative impact on slope stability. Several or combination of methods can be used in order to enable better analysis in this type of deep open-pit mines. Numerical modeling is one of these options. Many complex problems can be integrated into numerical methods at the same time and analysis, solutions can be performed on a single model. Rock failure criterions and rock models are used in numerical modeling. Hoek-Brown and Mohr-Coulomb terms are the two most commonly used rock failure conditions. In this study, mine planning and discontinuity conditions of a lignite mine facing two big landslides previously, has been investigated. Moreover, the presence of some damage before starting the study was identified in surrounding structures. The primary research of this study is on slope study. In slope stability analysis, numerical modeling methods with Hoek-Brown and Mohr-Coulomb failure criterions were used separately. Preparing the input data to the numerical model, the outcomes of patented-blast vibration minimization method, developed by co-author was used. The analysis showed that, the model prepared by applying Hoek-Brown failure criterion, failed in the stage of 10. However, the model prepared by using Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion did not fail even in the stage 17. Examining the full research field, there has been ongoing production in this mine without any failure and damage to surface structures.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.143-156
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• 2007

This study has researched the management status and the pollution level of water, soil, stream sediments of 11 abandoned coal mines out of a total of 12 within Obong-Dam area except Bukyung mine, which was submerged when constructing Obong-Dam, and selected areas which are in needs to have pollution control facilities in the first place. From the results of examination on the runoff at the waste rock pile and mineheads, the runoff from Sueun mine (pH, Fe, Al), Samwon mine (pH, Al), Wangdo mine (pH, Al), Mose mine (pH, Fe, Al) and Daeryeong mine (pH) exceeded the permissible discharge standards of the water quality, but the water at merging point with Obong-Dam after joined with Doma branch satisfied both Water Quality Standards and Drinking Water Quality Standards. In regard to groundwater contamination, it is found that areas where exceeded the Drinking Water Quality Standards are Wangdo mine (pH), Jangjae mine (pH, Zn), Daeryeong mine (pH) whereas all areas satisfied Soil Contamination Warning Standards of Soil Environmental Conservation Law. When comparing a research result on underwater sediments of branches of abandoned mines to the EPA Guidelines for classification of great lakes harbor sediments, Dongguk Gaerim (Fe), Jungwon mine (Fe), Daebo mine (Mn), Samwon mine (Mn) and Daeryeong mine (Mn) showed mid-level of contamination, whereas Sueun (Fe, Mn), Daebo mine (Fe), Woosung mine (Fe, Mn), Wangdo mine (Fe, Mn), Mose mine (Fe) and Daeryeong mine (Fe) showed high-level of contamination. In addition, contamination levels of underwater sediments in Wangsan and Doma branch where abandoned mine's branches merge together, Wangsan branch showed no contamination at all whereas Doma branch shows mid-level of contamination which reflect the Doma branch is affected by waste rock pile and minehead runoff of the abandoned mines in the Doma branch area. It is concluded that Mose mine and Sueun mine required treatment of acid mine drainage. and Wangdo, Jungwon, and Samwon mines were in need of mine tailing and erosion control work. The Samwon mine additionally required a control system for closed minehead runoff. Although the Samwon mine reached a high concentration of Al, Mn $Ca^{2+}$, $SO{_4}^{2-}$ in the runoff, the levels decreased after it was combined with a tributary. It has been concluded that after further monitoring of the cause of pollution, a preventive measure system may be needed to be built.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.418-426
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• 2008

A surface blasting method with a single tree face is currently used in Pasir Coal Mine in Indonesia. The single free face is usually the ground surface. This kind of blasting method is easy to use but inevitably causes enormous ground vibrations, which, in turn, can affect the stability of the slopes comprising the various boundaries of the open pit mine. In this regard, we decided to make a specific blasting guideline for the control of found vibrations to ensure the safety of the pit slopes and waste dumps of the mine. Firstly, we derived a prediction equation for the ground vibration levels that could be occurred during blasting in the pits. Then, we set the allowable levels of ground vibrations for the pit slopes and waste dumps as peak particle velocities of 120mm/s and 60mm/s, respectively. From the prediction equation and allowable levels, safe scaled distances were established for field use. The blast design equations for the pit slopes and waste dumps were $D_s{\geq}5\;and\;D_S{\geq}10$ respectively. We also provide several standard blasting patterns for the hole depths of $3.3{sim}8.8m$.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.86 no.4
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• pp.435-442
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• 1997

The research was carried out to investigate the contamination of stream water by the acid mine drainage originated from the abandoned coal mines and coal waste rock in Keumsan, Chungnam. The pH, sulfate and chemical compositions in the stream water were analyzed. At the polluted sites, the pH of stream water was the strong acid, ranging from 3.46 to 4.29. The pH shows negative correlations with sulfate, manganese, copper, zinc, iron and magnesium concentrations. Sulfate concentrations of the polluted stream water, 236.73-310.53mg/l, had 10 times more than those of the non-polluted stream water. The concentrations of heavy metals, Mn and Fe, in the polluted water were 0.56 - 0.83mg/l and 5.89 - 10.58mg/l, respectively. The Mn concentrations were 20 times higher than those of the non-polluted stream water. Compared with those in the non-polluted stream water, the Mg and Ca concentrations in the polluted stream water were high because of leaching from rock and soil to water by the acidifications. Calculated AMDI(Acid Mine Drainage Index) values are low in the polluted stream water, relative to those of the non-polluted water.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.243-255
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• 2010

The slope design of an open-pit mine must consider economical efficiency and stability. Thus, the overall slope angle is the principal factor because of limited support or reinforcement options available in such a setting. In this study, slope displacement, as monitored by a GPS system, was analyzed for a coal mine at Pasir, Indonesia. Predictions of failure time by inverse velocity analysis showed good agreement with field observations. Therefore, the failure time of an unstable slope can be roughly estimated prior to failure. A GIS model that combines fuzzy theory and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was developed to assess slope instability in open-pit coal mines. This model simultaneously considers seven factors that influence the instability of open-pit slopes (i.e., overall slope gradient, slope height, surface flows, excavation plan, tension cracks, faults, and water body). Application of the proposed method to an open-pit coal mine revealed an enhanced prediction accuracy of failure time and failure site compared with existing methods.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.35-47
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• 2018

This paper investigates the mechanisms of tunnel spalling and massive tunnel failures using fracture mechanics principles. The study starts with examining the fracture propagation due to tensile and shear failure mechanisms. It was found that, fundamentally, in rock masses with high compressive stresses, tensile fracture propagation is often a stable process which leads to a gradual failure. Shear fracture propagation tends to be an unstable process. Several real case observations of spalling failures and massive shear failures in boreholes, tunnels and underground roadways are shown in the paper. A number of numerical models were used to investigate the fracture mechanisms and extents in the roof/wall of a deep tunnel and in an underground coal mine roadway. The modelling was done using a unique fracture mechanics code FRACOD which simulates explicitly the fracture initiation and propagation process. The study has demonstrated that both tensile and shear fracturing may occur in the vicinity of an underground opening. Shallow spalling in the tunnel wall is believed to be caused by tensile fracturing from extensional strain although no tensile stress exists there. Massive large scale failure however is most likely to be caused by shear fracturing under high compressive stresses. The observation that tunnel spalling often starts when the hoop stress reaches $0.4^*UCS$ has been explained in this paper by using the extension strain criterion. At this uniaxial compressive stress level, the lateral extensional strain is equivalent to the critical strain under uniaxial tension. Scale effect on UCS commonly believed by many is unlikely the dominant factor in this phenomenon.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.219-231
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• 2011

Waste fills resulting from coal mining should consist of large, free-draining sedimentary rocks fragments. The successful performance of these fills is related to the strength and durability of the individual rock fragments. When fills are made of shale fragments, some fragments will be durable and some will degrade into soil particles resulting from slaking and inter-particle point loads. The degraded material fills the voids between the intact fragments, and results in settlement. A laboratory program with point load and slake durability tests as well as thin section examination of sixty-eight shale samples from the Appalachian region of the United States revealed that pore micro-geometry has a major influence on degradation. Under saturated and unsaturated conditions, the shales absorb water, and the air in their pores is compressed, breaking the shales. This breakage was more pronounced in shales with smooth pore boundaries and having a diameter equal to or smaller than 0.060 mm. If the pore walls were rough, the air-pressure breaking mechanism was not effective. However, pore roughness (measured by the fractal dimension) had a detrimental effect on point load resistance. This study indicated that the optimum shales to resist both slaking as well as point loads are those that have pores with a fractal dimension equal to 1.425 and a diameter equal to or smaller than 0.06 mm.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.43-54
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• 2024

Cross-flaws are frequently encountered in practical rock engineering projects near horseshoe-shaped cavities, and their presence can significantly impact the failure mode of these cavities. This study utilizes a combination of laboratory experiments and numerical simulations to investigate the influence of cross-flaws on the failure mode of a horseshoe-shaped cavity. During the experimental tests, we varied the length of secondary flaw and the angle of the cross-flaws in the specimens, followed by subjecting them to biaxial compression. Our experimental results show that when the angle α between the primary and the secondary flaws is small (0° and 45°), only one crack is initiated at the vault of the cavity, resulting in a shear failure mode. Conversely, when the angle α is large (90° and 135°), two cracks are more likely to initiate at the vault of the cavity, leading to the failure mode of falling blocks in the surrounding rock. Furthermore, the circumferential stress at the cavity vault from numerical simulations results is consistent with this observed phenomenon. When the angle α is small, only one circumferential tensile stress concentration is observed at the cavity vault, resulting in the initiation of a single crack. In contrast, when the angle α is large, two stress concentrations appear at the vault of the cavity, leading to the initiation of two cracks from these locations.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.429-437
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• 2018

In order to reduce deformation of roadway floor heave in deep underground soft rockmass, four support design patterns were analyzed using the Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua (FLAC)3D, including the traditional bolting (Design 1), the bolting with the backbreak in floor (Design 2), the full anchorage bolting with the backbreak in floor (Design 3) and the full anchorage bolting with the bolt-grouting backbreak in floor (Design 4). Results show that the design pattern 4, the full anchorage bolting with the bolt-grouting backbreak in floor, was the best one to reduce the deformation and failure of the roadway, the floor deformation was reduced at 88.38% than the design 1, and these parameters, maximum vertical stress, maximum horizontal displacement and maximum horizontal stress, were greater than 1.69%, 5.96% and 9.97%. However, it was perfectly acceptable with the floor heave results. The optimized design pattern 4 provided a meaningful and reliable support for the roadway in deep underground coal mine.