ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT; Hecla Mining Company and NIOSH cooperated in a study to monitor reinforced cemented backfill at Hecla's Lucky Friday Mine in Mullan, ID. An instrumentation plan was developed to identify loads on rock bolts installed to reinforce the cemented backfill, determine the engineering properties of the backfill, and measure the amount of stope wall closure. Data collected as three successive cuts were mined under the instrumented backfill showed stope walls converged on the backfill, inducing loads up to 3450 kPa in the fill. The backfill deformed against the top and bottom plates of the bolts, producing loads to 177 kN on the bolts. We theorize that a compressive zone was created in the backfill, allowing the backfill to remain stable as long as the zones from adjacent bolts overlapped. Understanding the mechanics of the backfill system is crucial to ensuring the safety of miners working under backfill.

Keywords:
metals & mining, Reservoir Characterization, load cell, stope, Upstream Oil & Gas, rock bolt, fill deformation, monitoring, miner, potentiometer
Subjects:
Reservoir Characterization, Information Management and Systems
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2000. A.A. Balkema - Permission to Distribute - American Rock Mechanics Association
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