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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Engineering methods for the design and employment of wood cribs

Journal Article · · Information Circular - United States, Bureau of Mines; (United States)
OSTI ID:7066369
 [1];  [2]
  1. Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
  2. SSI Services Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
Wood cribs are used extensively by the mining industry to stabilize mine openings. While the cost per crib is relatively low, their extensive use can result in annual mine costs of over $1 million. In an effort to improve the utilization of these supports and to reduce ground control hazards, the US Bureau of Mines has developed engineering methods to assist mine operators in wood-crib design and employment. Design and employment criteria are established based on the strength, stiffness, and stability of the crib structure in relation to the load conditions imposed by the mine environment. Models have been developed based on full-scale tests in the USBM's Mine Roof Simulator that compute the capacity of wood cribs of various configurations and material constructions as a function of displacement of the crib structure due to roof-and-floor convergence. These models permit the comparison of the loading characteristics and cost of employment of different crib designs, and in conjunction with roof behavior models, provide a means to determine the optimum design and employment strategy. In eastern coal mines, wood cribs generally are constructed from hardwood timbers, while softwood timbers generally are used in western coal mines. 11 refs., 27 figs., 2 tabs.
OSTI ID:
7066369
Journal Information:
Information Circular - United States, Bureau of Mines; (United States), Journal Name: Information Circular - United States, Bureau of Mines; (United States) Vol. 9361; ISSN XIMIAL; ISSN 0096-1914
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English