The present paper considers aspects of underground iron ore mining in Ukraine, in particular the level of mine production and reserves of basic ore fields. It analyzes and generalizes the practice of using cemented rockfill under difficult mining and hydrogeological conditions of the Pivdenno-Bilozerske high-grade iron ore field. The Belozersky iron ore district is the only one in Ukraine that, without any technological cycle of beneficiation, can provide both domestic and foreign consumers with high-quality raw iron ore as required by world markets. The PJSC Zaporizhzhia iron ore plant extracts iron ore from the Pivdenno-Bilozerske field with an iron content of more than 60% using the low-waste, environmentally friendly technology of backfilling the mined-out area with a hardening mixture. The peculiarities of the technology for steep deposit mining and the main processes of backfilling operations in terms of preparation, transportation, and construction of the backfill mass with its stability assessment are explained in detail in this paper. As a result of using cemented rockfill, rock mass stability is provided, a considerable part of industrial waste is disposed of in the mined-out area, and the earth’s surface subsidence within the area is prevented (in comparison with mining enterprises in other fields).
The paper presents the study of the deformation processes development in unstable rocks of the hanging wall during mining a thick steeply dipping ore deposit in the example of the Yuzhno-Belozerskyi deposit. In the studied field, there are problems of stability of hanging wall rocks, represented by low-resistant shale rocks that do not withstand significant outcrops in time. A decrease in stability is manifested in the form of failure of the hanging wall rocks into the stope. Based on a detailed study of the ore deposit geological structure and the performance of the stopes mining, according to the survey data, an area of the deposit has been identified where the ore failure and dilution reach 4%–8% with a maximum value of 12%. This also makes it possible to determine the most important averaged source data for performing physical modeling on equivalent materials. It has been determined that the deformation value of the hanging wall rocks with subsequent failure into the stope and ore mass deformation in the sloping bottom change exponentially with an increase in the depth of the stope location, and the dynamics of increasing rock deformations in the hanging wall is noticeably higher than in the sloping bottom of the stope. This reduces the quality of the mined ore and increases the probability of rock failure area propagation to the hanging wall drifts with their subsequent destruction. The results of physical modeling are characterised by acceptable reliability and are confirmed by a high similarity with the actual data on ore dilution with broken rocks during the stopes development. It has been found that during the formation of a steeply dipping outcrop of stopes with an area of 1200 m2, unstable rocks of the hanging wall are prone to failure of significant volumes. For successful mining and achieving stope element stability, it is recommended to optimise its parameters, the height, width and the value of a steeply dipping outcrop, as well as to preserve the ore pillar in the hanging wall until the ore is broken and drawn from the rest of the stope.
The strength and microstructural properties of the backfill massif have been studied and assessed when filling underground cavities that pose a threat of mine rocks collapsing in the process of mining mineral deposits. It is suggested that due to a tendency to mechanical destruction by crushing Ca–O ionic bonds rather than Si–О covalent ones, the backfill mixture composition is saturated with a large amount of Ca2+ ions. This leads to the formation of a highly-basic type of hydrated calcium silicates and a decrease in the massif strength properties. To study the mineral composition of the components of the mixture and solidified massif and to investigate the microstructure and chemical composition of new formations in the backfill massif, infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used. Laboratory studies of the strength properties of backfill massif were also conducted. The minerals of the mixture components, melilite and pseudowollastonite, have been revealed that perform the main function of the new formations occurrence. It was found that the strength of the backfill massif is by 16% less than the required standard value of 7.0 MPa at the age of 90 days. It was determined that highly-basic jellylike hydrated silicates of tobermorite type of the group CSH (II) with variable composition and a ratio of CaO/SiO2=2–3 are formed in the studied structure of the backfill massif after 90 days of hardening. There are no strong low-basic hydrated calcium silicate bonds that could have a reinforcing effect. Providing the conditions for occurrence of low-basic hydrated calcium silicates in the structure is one of the ways to create a hard backfill massif.
Paper presents the research results of the relationship revealed between the mined ore dilution factors and the geological structure and properties of the hanging wall rocks. The research methodology is in the analysis of the structure and properties of the hanging wall rocks, the technological parameters of the stopes in contact with the host rocks, the processing of actual surveying data of the rockfall volumes and dilution factors, the construction of a 3D model of the mined floor with the stopes divided according to the sequence of mining. The peculiarities have been revealed of changing the geological structure along the strike of the ore deposit with a characteristic distinguished tendency to decreasing the hardness of hanging wall rocks, the angle of the ore deposit slope, increasing the deposit thickness and replacing the morphological composition of the rocks with the division into 3 characteristic differing areas. New patterns and empirical equations have been determined for changing the ore dilution value in the primary stopes depending on the type, hardness coefficient and the contact area of the hanging wall rocks with the inclined outcropping of the stopes. A multiple regression equation has been obtained of the relation between the primary stopes dilution with the rocks hardness within f = 11 – 15 and the contact area of the stopes with rocks 780 – 2010 m2. The regression model variability of 85.96% evidences its reliability and representativeness. The methodological approach proposed in the paper can be used to develop an improved methodology for predicting the mined ores dilution when mining the Pivdenno-Bilozirske field, supplemented by a more complete data set to increase reliability.
Purpose. The research purpose is to study the formation of quantitative-qualitative indicators of mined coal under conditions of dynamic changes in space and time with a new stope mining technology with waste rock accumulation in the underground mined-out area. Methods. The contours are formed for mining low-thickness coal reserves and extracting thicknesses, undercut rock volumes in the stoping and preparatory faces in the conditions of the Heroiiv Kosmosu mine. The average density values of coal, rock layers and wall rocks in the seam within the boundaries of mining contours are determined based on the geological data of wells and mining operations. The graphic basis is executed in the AutoCAD program. A digital spatial model of the С10t seam contours is used, according to the schedule for organizing stope and preparatory operations. The volumes of waste rocks and minerals involved in the formation of quantitative-qualitative rock mass indicators in a given time period are calculated. Findings. It has been determined that during mining of coal reserves from the studied mining area (equal to extraction site), the volume of production and the operational coal ash content in the mining technology with waste rock accumulation averages 376.5 thousand tons and 15.2%, while with traditional technology – 621.3 thousand tons and 46.7%. Nevertheless, it has been proven that in terms of energy equivalent, the value of mined coal using the mining technology with waste rock accumulation is higher by 7.4% than the traditional technology (9.6 TJ versus 8.9 TJ). Originality. For the first time, a mechanism for the formation of operational ash content and energy value of coal has been revealed when combining the processes of drifting operations to prepare reserves from new extraction pillars with associated stope operations into a new selective mining technology with waste rock accumulation in the mined-out area. Practical implications. An algorithm for predicting the operational ash content and quality of coal when using selective mining technology with waste rock accumulation in the mined-out area has been developed, which is important for the technical and economic indicators of coal mines.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.