• Proceedings of the SAREK Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.39-39
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• 2005

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.401-420
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• 2016

The stability of deep coal roadways with large sections and thick top coal is a typical challenge in many coal mines in China. The innovative Universal Discrete Element Code (UDEC) trigon block is adopted to create a numerical model based on a case study at the Dongtan coal mine in China to better understand the failure mechanism and stability control mechanism of this kind of roadway. The failure process of an unsupported roadway is simulated, and the results suggest that the deformation of the roof is more serious than that of the sides and floor, especially in the center of the roof. The radial stress that is released is more intense than the tangential stress, while a large zone of relaxation appears around the roadway. The failure process begins from partial failure at roadway corners, and then propagates deeper into the roof and sides, finally resulting in large deformation in the roadway. A combined support system is proposed to support roadways based on an analysis of the simulation results. The numerical simulation and field monitoring suggest that the availability of this support method is feasible both in theory and practice, which can provide helpful references for research on the failure mechanisms and scientific support designing of engineering in deep coal mines.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.551-564
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• 2020

High-stress and complex geological conditions impose great challenges to maintain excavation stability during deep underground mining. In this research, large anisotropic deformation and its management by support system at a deep underground mine in Western Australia were simulated through three-dimensional finite-difference model. The ubiquitous-joint model was used and calibrated in FLAC3D to reproduce the deformation and failure characteristics of the excavation based on the field monitoring results. After modeling verification, the roles of mining depth also the intercept angle between excavation axis and foliation orientation on the deformation and damage were studied. Based on the results, quantitative relationships between key factors and damage classifications were presented, which can be used as an engineering tool. Subsequently, the performance of support system installation sequences was simulated and compared at four different scenarios. The results show that, first surface support and then reinforcement installation can obtain a better controlling effect. Finally, the influence of bolt spacing and ring spacing were also discussed. The outcomes obtained in this research may play a meaningful reference for facing the challenges in thin-bedded or foliated ground conditions.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.1
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• pp.66-74
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• 1991

The block theory with stereographic projection was applied and analyzed on the tunnel section of Samcheok Coal Mine. The results were as follows ; 1) Prevail orientations of discontinuity of sandstone around the main driftway of Samcheok Coal Mine were $(327^{\circ},\;44^{\circ}),\;(13^{\circ},\;24^{\circ}),\;(204^{\circ},\;65^{\circ})$ and $(225^{\circ},\;77^{\circ})$ in dip and dip direction, respectively. 2) Movable blocks of the site were 0110, 0111, 1110(roof), 0100, 0110, 1110(right wall) and 0001, 1001, 1011(left wall). Because of the direction of tunnel, blocks of the left wall was safe. thus key blocks were those of the roof and the right wall. Maximum height of key block was larger than the width of the tunnel but 2m of the yielded zone is expected in general for 5m width tunnel. 3) It is shown that block theory is applicable to large cavern in hard rock analysis.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.1013-1021
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• 2017

Exposure to Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM) potentially causes adverse health effects (e.g. respiratory symptoms, lung cancer). Due to a lack of data on Elemental Carbon (EC) exposure levels in underground copper ore mining (unlike other underground mining industries such as non-metallic and coal mining), this case study aims to provide individual miners' EC exposure levels, and information on their work practices including use of personal protective equipment. EC measurement was carried out during different work activities (i.e. drilling, driving a loader, plant fitting, plant operation, driving a Specialized Mining Vehicle (SMV)) as per NIOSH Method 5040. The copper miners were working 10 h/day and 5 days/week. This study found that the most significant exposures to EC were reported from driving a loader (range $0.02-0.42mg/m^3$). Even though there were control systems (i.e. water tanks and DPM filters) on the diesel vehicles, around 49.5% of the results were over the adjusted recommendable exposure limit ($0.078mg/m^3$). This was probably due to: (1) driver's frequently getting in and out of the diesel vehicles and opening the windows of the diesel vehicles, and (2) inappropriate maintenance of the diesel vehicles and the DPM control systems. The use of the P2 type respirator provided was less than 19.2%. However, there was no significant difference between the day shift results and the night shift results. In order to prevent or minimize exposure to EC in the copper ore mine, it is recommended that the miners are educated in the need to wear the appropriate respirator provided during their work shifts, and to maintain the diesel engine and emission control systems on a regular basis. Consideration should be given to a specific examination of the diesel vehicles' air-conditioning filters and the air ventilation system to control excessive airborne contaminants in the underground copper mine.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.186-198
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• 2015

This paper aims for the ultimate goal to optimize the work place environment through assuring the optimal required ventilation rate based on the analysis of the airflow. The working environment is deteriorated due to a rise in temperature of a coal mine caused by increase of its depth and carriage tunnels. To improve the environment, the ventilation evaluation on J coal mine is carried out and the effect of a length of the tunnel on the temperature to enhance the ventilation efficiency in the subsurface is numerically analyzed. The analysis shows that J coal mine needs $17,831m^3/min$ for in-flow ventilation rate but the total input air flowrate is $16,474m^3/min$, $1,357m^3/min$ of in-flow ventilation rate shortage. The temperatures were predicted on the two developed models of J mine, and VnetPC that is a numerical program for the flowrate prediction. The result of the simulation notices the temperature in the case of developing all 4 areas of -425ML as a first model is predicted 29.30 at the main gangway 9X of C section and in the case of developing 3 areas of -425ML excepting A area as a second model, it is predicted 27.45 Celsius degrees.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.297-304
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• 1994

This study aimed at analysis of induced stress and deformation behavior in rock mass around coal seams of Sam Chuck coal mine. For this study Vibrating Wire Stressmeters and Multi-point Borehole Extensometers were installed in the area of coal shale near coal seams. Induced stress and displacement in this area were coutinuously increased for 6 days from the begining of measurement, and then converged. But induced stress and displacement occurred when there were another openings by tunnelling and mining. The value of final induced stress was 21.8kgf/$\textrm{cm}^2$, displacement of rod extensometer was 1.3 mm at arch. Especially, over 1 mm of displacement between E2 and E3 in rod extensometer was measured.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.217-229
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• 2017

This study focuses on the improvement of the working environment in domestic collieries where temperature is increasing due to heat of the earth that is caused by the long-term mining. In order to improve the working environment of the mine, a ventilation evaluation was carried out for Hwasoon Mining Industry. In order to increase the ventilation efficiency of the mine, numerical analysis of the effect on temperature was carried out by using climsim, a temperature prediction program. The analysis shows that A coal mine needs $6,152m^3/min$ for in-flow ventilation rate but the total input air flowrate is $4,710m^3/min$, $1,442m^3/min$ of in-flow ventilation rate shortage. The 93 m hypothetical ventilation shaft from -395 ML to -488 ML could result about $3^{\circ}C$ temperature drop in the coal mine of -488 ML far. As a result of predicting the $CO_2$ concentration at -523 ML development using artificial neural network, the emission of $CO_2$ increased as the amount of coal and coal bed thickness increased. The factors that have the greatest effect on the amount of $CO_2$ emissions were coal layer thickness and coal mining. And, as the air quantity increases, it has a great effect on the decrease of carbon dioxide concentration.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.272-279
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• 2008

This paper describes the development of a simple and quantitative subsidence hazard estimation method appropriate to Korean coal mines using gangway depth information only. In spite of simpleness of estimation method, this new method gives good results close to those obtained using influence function method when applying to a virtual rectangular excavation model and to a closed mine where actual subsidence occurred. Therefore, this method can be effectively applied to the identification of zones liable to subsidence over closed coal mine in Korea where the shape of extraction is very complex and usually unknown.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.541-552
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• 2020

With the increasing tension of current coal resources and the increasing depth of coal mining, the gob-side entry retaining technology has become a preferred coal mining method in underground coal mines. Among them, the technology of the gob-side entry retaining with the high-water filling material can not only improve the recovery rate of coal resources, but also reduce the amount of roadway excavation. In this paper, based on the characteristics of the high-water filling material, the technological process of gob-side entry retaining with the high-water filling material is introduced. The early and late stress states of the filling body formed by the high-water filling materials are analyzed and studied. Taking the 8th floor No.3 working face of Xin'an coal mine as engineering background, the stress and displacement of surrounding rock of roadway with different filling body width are analyzed through the FLAC^3D numerical simulation software. As the filling body width increases, the supporting ability of the filling body increases and the deformation of the surrounding rock decreases. According to the theoretical calculation and numerical simulation of the filling body width, the filling body width is finally determined to be 3.5m. Through the field observation, the deformation of the surrounding rock of the roadway is within the reasonable range. It is concluded that the gob-side entry retaining with the high-water filling material can control the deformation of the surrounding rock, which provides a reference for gob-side entry retaining technology with similar geological conditions.