ABSTRACT:

Stope support design is one of the more complex but critical design issues in the South African gold mining industry today. Design was often done in the past based on experience, or by some empirical methodology. This is not surprising, since stope support design is probably one of the single most complex design issues in the mining industry. The importance of this aspect is also reflected in the attention given to it in the Health and Safety Act published in 1996.

The methodology that is described and proposed in this paper deals with stope support design from a strata or rockmass stiffness approach. Three mathematical models were developed and combined into a single one in an attempt to describe and quantify support/rockmass interaction. The first model describes stope support with all the factors having an influence on its performance, while the second one describes that of the rockmass. These two are combined into a single model for studying, evaluating and design of stope support during the last part of the paper.

RÉSUMÉ:

La conception du soutenement d'une exploitation en gradin est un des sujets les plus complexes mais aussi les plus critiques dans l'industrie aurifere en Afrique du Sud. Dans le passe, la conception etait souvent basee sur l'experience ou sur une methodologie empirique. Ceci n'est pas surprenant, etant donne que la conception du soutenement d'une exploitation en gradin est probablement un des problemes majeurs dans l'industrie miniere. L'attention accordee à ce probleme se retrouve dans la Loi sur la Sante et la Securite de 1996.

Dans cet article, une methodologie est decrite et proposee pour concevoir le soutenement d'une exploitation en gradin. Cette conception prend en consideration la rigidite du massif rocheux. Trois modeles mathematiques ont ete developpes et combines en un seul modele dans une tentative de decrire et quantifier I'interaction entre Ie soutenement et le massif rocheux. Le premier modele decrit le soutenement avec tous les facteurs qui ont une influence sur sa performance, alors que le deuxieme decrit Ie comportement du massif rocheux. Ces deux modeles sont ensuite combines en un seul modele pour etudier, evaluer et concevoir le soutenement de l'exploltation en gradin.

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Der Entwurf von Stollen Stuetzen ist ein komplizierter und kritischer Aspekt der Sued Afrikanischen Gold Minen Industrie. Wegen der Kompliziertheit ist der Entwurf von Stuetzen meist auf empirischen Methoden und Erfahrung basiert.

Eine neue Methode ist in dieser Arbeit beschrieben um Stollen Stuetzen zu enwerfen gegruendet auf einer Stratum oder Fels Masse Steifigkeit Methode. Drei mathematische Modelle wurden entwickelt und vereinigt um die Wechselwirkung der Stuetzen und der Fels Masse zu bestimmen. Das erste Modell. beschreibt die Leistung von Stuetzen, wahrend das zweite die Fels Masse modelliert. Die beiden Modelle sind vereinigt um verbesserten Stuetzen Entwurf zu fördern.

INTRODCTION

The objective of stope support is to ensure the stability of the underground excavation, and in so doing create a safe, stable and production friendly working environment for the underground workforce. The selection of the support type in the past was often based on mining experience and knowledge of the local underground conditions. Support materials used were those that Were readily available in volume cost effective and available in relatively close proximity to the mining operation.

In spite of the many advances which have been made in the fields of numerical modelling and rock mechanics is the behaviour of the hangingwall of a stope still not fully understood. Several anomalies exist between the observed behaviour of the rock in the immediate hangingwall of a stope, and the predictions of the various modelling techniques currently available to rock engineers. It is essential that the behaviour of the hangingwall, and in particular the interaction between the hangingwall rock and the support system be better understood in order to effectively design stope support.

The current study on stope support design was initiated during years of careful observation of different stope support types and its reaction

This content is only available via PDF.
You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.