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Title: The three-dimensional structural analysis of double-entry and single-entry coal mines. Volume III: three-dimensional finite element analyses of single- and double-entry portions of Sunnyside Mine no. 1. Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6820670

Three-dimensional structural analyses of three instrumented areas of a deep, longwall coal mine were performed using the finite element code BMINES. The three instrumented areas include two single-entry portions and one double-entry portion of the Sunnyside No. 1 mine, Sunnyside, Utah. The finite element models simulated the sequence of excavation in each test area: the advance of the entry, installation of structural supports, retreat of the longwall, caving behind the longwall, and accumulation and loading of the gob. The structural supports considered in these finite element models include rock bolts, wood cribs, concrete cribs, steel arch sets, and chocks. Mechanical simulation of the geologic environment is achieved through elastic-perfectly plastic material models employing anisotropy to represent finely layered regions of the medium. The results of these calculations are compared with the instrumentation readings from the mine. These measurements include closures, crib loads, rock-bolt forces, and stress growth.

Research Organization:
Agbabian Associates, El Segundo, CA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
H0262020
OSTI ID:
6820670
Report Number(s):
PB-80-150360
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English