Pillar design methods for longwall mining. Information Circular/1990

Technical Report · Sun Oct 15 04:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:7034781

Mark, C

The U.S. Bureau of Mines report summarizes 5 years of research aimed at improving longwall pillar design. Its goal is to provide longwall operators with practical procedures for maintaining longwall ground control. The report focuses on the Analysis of Longwall Pillar Stability (ALPS) design method, which was developed largely by Bureau researchers. With ALPS, mining engineers can estimate the strength of longwall pillar systems and the load that will be applied to them. Several other methods that can be directly used to size longwall pillars are also described. The design methods are evaluated using a data bank of more than 100 mining case histories, and suggestions are given for using the methods in practical design. A step-by-step solution to a sample problem using ALPS is provided. The report also discusses the theory and practice of yield pillar design and suggests strategies for special conditions, including soft floor, excessive horizontal stresses, and multiple-seam interactions.

• Research Organization: Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7034781
• Report Number(s): PB-90-222449/XAB; BUMINES-IC--9247
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
012031* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Underground Mining-- Strata Mechanics & Control-- (1987-)
A CODES
COAL MINING
COMPUTER CODES
COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN
ENGINEERING
LONGWALL MINING
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MECHANICS
MINING
MINING ENGINEERING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
ROCK MECHANICS
STABILITY
STRATA CONTROL
STRESS ANALYSIS
SUPPORT PILLARS
UNDERGROUND MINING
US BUREAU OF MINES
US DOI
US ORGANIZATIONS
YIELD STRENGTH