• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.360-371
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• 2007

This paper presents an application of drainage control and slope stability by GIS-based hydrological modeling to control the surface water from an operational point of view. This study was carried out on a region of Pasir open-pit coal mine, Indonesia. A detailed topographical survey was performed at the study area to generate a reliable DEM (Digital Elevation Model). Hydrology tools implemented in ArcGIS 9.1 were used to extract the characteristics of drainage system such as flow direction, flow accumulation and catchment area from DEM. The results of hydrological modeling and spatial analysis showed that current arrangement of pumping facility is not suitable and some vulnerable places to erosion exist on the bench face due to concentrated surface runoff. Finally, some practical measures were suggested to optimize the design of drainage system and to monitor the slope stability by the surface water management at the study region during heavy rainfall.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.67-73
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• 2020

With the increasing number of underground projects, the problem of rock-water coupling catastrophe has increasingly become the focus of safety. Grouting reinforcement is gradually applied in subway, tunnel, bridge reinforcement, coal mine floor and other construction projects. At present, cement-based grouting materials are easy to shrink and have low strength after solidification. In order to overcome the special problems of high water pressure and high in-situ stress in deep part and improve the reinforcement effect. In view of the mining conditions of deep surrounding rock, a new type of cement-based reinforcement material was developed. We analyses the principle and main indexes of floor strengthening, and tests and optimizes the indexes and proportions of the two materials through laboratory tests. Then, observes and compares the microstructures of the optimized floor strengthening materials with those of the traditional strengthening materials through scanning electron microscopy. The test results show that 42.5 Portland cement-based grouting reinforcement material has the advantages of slight expansion, anti-dry-shrinkage, high compressive strength and high density when the water-cement ratio is 0.4, the content of bentonite is 4%, and the content of Nano Silica is 2.5%. The reinforcement effect is better than other traditional grouting reinforcement materials.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.543-555
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• 2015

At present, local limestone mines with large opening employ auxiliary fans for workplace ventilation which have been used in coal mines with much smaller airways. Considering the low static pressure loss in the large-opening mines, high pressure auxiliary fans face serious economical limitations mainly due to their excessive capacity. The optimal fan selected for the ventilation in large-opening working places should supply air quantity enough for maintaining safe environment and keep its operating cost as low as possible. This study focuses on the development of a low pressure auxiliary fan designed to have smaller range of the static head but to have more potential for higher ventilation and energy efficiency. The flow characteristics of high and low pressure auxiliary fans were theoretical as well as experimentally investigated to assess the ventilation efficiency in term of environmental and economical aspects. Moreover, the low pressure fan was tested in two limestone mine sites with small and large cross-sectional areas for evaluating its ventilation efficiency. Results from this study can be applied to improve the economy and efficiency of auxiliary fan for ensuring better air quality and work environment management.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.107-122
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• 2009

Insufficient reinforcement for maximizing payability and benefits in mining cavities causes subsidence problems and it threatens residents' lives and properties. So many reinforcement management methods are developed and now various methods are being applied in the field. Among them, a filling method which sends reinforcement materials in the cavities is used extensively. However, domestic geological condition and coal mining methods are so complicate that make many steep cavities. Because of those problems, it is difficult to apply foreign methods directly, which is valid for horizontal cavities. In this study, the injection volume of quick setting grouting material which is developed for filling cavities in domestic condition and the shape of consolidated bodies are investigated. And a programming method for estimating proper injection amounts of filling materials is proposed. The results are verified by numerical analysis using UDEC.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.31-41
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• 2013

Graphical method has been widely applied to the prediction of subsidence area, and is known to have advantages in analysis of trough subsidence which is common in horizontally seamed mine area. However, it is reported that most of the ore bodies in Korea are geologically inclined from sub-horizontal to steep, and therefore, the sinkhole subsidence is frequent in abandoned mine area. For these reasons, it is not to be desired that graphical method is applied for predicting the subsidence occurrence. This paper describes the results of subsidence zone prediction considering the dip direction and the opposite direction of inclined ore bodies from the case studies on the 163 subsidence occurrence regions. The results show also the assumed angle which can define the range of subsidence in the surface area. In conclusion, the limit of this angle is suggested after taking into account the comparison with graphical method and the application to the case histories.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 1987

The geology of the Bupyeong mine area is consisted of Precambrian Gyeonggi gneiss complex and Mesozoic igneous rocks; i.e., pyroclastic rocks, intrusive breccia, granite and felsic porphyries which were formed during a Jurassic to early Cretaceous resurgent caldera evolution. Granites are not observed on the surface and in the underground of the mine. Bupyeong silver deposits occur as stockworks of base metal sulfides- minor silver minerals-quartz - carbonate veinlets, hosted by pyroclastic rocks and intrusive breccia at the southwestern margin of the caldera. Silver occurs mainly as native silver, and other silver minerals, minor in quantity, are argentite, tetrahedrite-freibergite, pyrargyrite, polybasite, canfieldite and dyscrasite. The average grade of silver ore is about 180g/t Ag. Discrimination of silver ore from the country rocks depends largely on the chemical analyses of rock samples taken every two meters from tunnels, diamond-drilling cores and mining stopes, because silver minerals are hardly observed in the ore by crude eye, and silver orebodies do not properly coincide with the concentrated zone of base metal sulfides which were precipitated at the earlier stage than the stage of precipitation of native silver. General characteristics of the loci of the silver orebodies are as follows; (1) The host rocks of orebodies are pyroclastic rocks and intrusive breccia. (2) Many of the orebodies are distributed around Gyeonggi gneiss complex. Especially where the paleotopography of gneiss complex shows a gradual slope, the basal stratigraphic horizon of the pyroclastic rocks unconformably overlying the gneiss complex offered a favorable loci of high grade ore. (3) $N5^{\circ}W$ to $N15^{\circ}$ E-striking faults played an important role in the localization of the orebodies. (4) Conduits of intrusive breccia within the gneiss complex, through which the intrusive breccia intruded into the upper pyroclastic rocks, exist beneath most of the main orebodies. This suggests that the conduits of intrusive breccia served as channelways for the migration of ore fluids.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.360-368
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• 2010

The paper presents a case study from a surface mine where the controlled augmentation of throw and drop of the blasted muck piles was warranted to spread the muck piles on the lower berm of the bench. While the augmentation of throw increased the lateral spread and the looseness of the broken muck, the augmentation of drop significantly lowered the muck pile height for easy excavation by the excavators. In this light, the present paper highlights and discusses some pertinent changes in the blast design parameters for such specialized application of cast blasting in a surface mine, where a sandstone bench, with average height of 22-24 m was to be made amenable for excavation by 10 m3 rope shovels, which possessed maximum digging capability of up to 14 m. The results of tailoring the blast design parameters for augmentation of throw and drop are compared with the baseline blasts which were earlier practiced on the same bench by dividing the full height of the bench in 2-slices; upper slice (10-14 m high) and lower slice (12-15 m high). Results of fragment size, its distribution and total cycle time of excavator (shovel) are presented, and discussed.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2019

This study investigated use cases of machine learning technology in domestic medical, manufacturing, finance, automobile, urban sectors and those in overseas mining industry. Through a literature survey, it was found that the machine learning technology has been widely utilized for developing medical image information system, real-time monitoring and fault diagnosis system, security level of information system, autonomous vehicle and integrated city management system. Until now, the use cases have not found in the domestic mining industry, however, several overseas projects have found that introduce the machine learning technology to the mining industry for improving the productivity and safety of mineral exploration or mine development. In the future, the introduction of the machine learning technology to the mining industry is expected to spread gradually.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.460-468
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• 2021

A TBM is an equipment that excavates a tunnel with a full face by rotating a circular cutter head and its advantages are fast excavation rate and safe construction. A TBM, which is primarily used for tunnel excavation on civil construction sites, is easily adaptable to information and communication technology. Research related to unmanned and automated technology is being actively pursued. TBM applications for mining and energy resource development in other countries were investigated in this study. The difference of TBM applications between the mining and energy resource development and civil construction sites was examined. Technical factors such as geological conditions, depth, site access, TBM launching, alignment and inclination, TBM size, and others that should be considered when choosing a TBM were investigated. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of TBM application in mines and the technical requirements for TBM for successful mine application are summarized.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.38-58
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• 2018

The ventilation system plays a crucial role in underground mine safety. The main objective of the ventilation system is to supply sufficient air to dilute the contaminated air at working places and consequently provide tenable environment during the normal operation, while it also should be capable of controlling the fire propagation and facilitate rescue conditions in case of fire in mines. In this study, a smoke control fan was developed for the auxiliary ventilation as well as the fire smoke exhaust. It works as a free-standing auxiliary fan without tubing to dilute or exhaust the contaminated air from the working places. At the same time, it can be employed to extract the fire smoke. This paper aims to examine the smoke control efficiency of the fan when combined with the current ventilation system in mines. A series of the site experiments and numerical simulations were made to evaluate the fan performance in blind entry development sites. The tracer gas method with SF6 was applied to investigate the contaminant behavior at the study sites. The results of the site study at a large-opening limestone mine were compared with the CFD analysis results with respect to the airflow pattern and the gas concentration. This study shows that in blind development entry, the most polluted and risky place, the smoke fan can exhaust toxic gases or fire smoke effectively if it is properly combined with an additional common auxiliary fan. The venturi effect for smoke exhaust from the blind entry was also observed by the numerical analysis. The overall smoke control efficiency was found to be dependent on the fan location and operating method.