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By Jim Buckley, Ryan Sibley, Scott G. Giltner, Thomas Pallua, Joe Schrank, Robert Cidlik

Because of variation in rock type and site conditions, it is important to create site-specific prediction models for peak particle velocity (PPV) and understand instrumentation mounting locations to better interpret the readings provided following blasting operations. The Atlanta Airport is expanding the section of underground tunnels for its Plane Train people mover, and drill and blast operations were determined to be the suitable method of excavation for the project. Extensive work was done to begin creating prediction models and determining levels of concern based on readings from various types of instrumentation. This paper analyzes the effect of close quarters construction blast vibrations and observed frequency spectrum on existing structures with data from 22 different seismographs mounted in various locations and ground conditions.

Dec 1, 2022

By Harry E. LeGrand

The purpose of this paper is to outline briefly some basic principles of ground-water hydrology that have application in mine hydrology and to suggest that an understanding of these principles can help to forestall problems that are internal as regards mining operations and external as regards damage or harm to surrounding areas. The development of a mine below the water table pleads for accurate values to answers of hydrologic problems. Such internal problems involve both an inflow of water without adequate drainage facilities and a deficiency of water for the required mining or milling use. Methods which give acceptable quantitative values for the solution of many ground-water problems depend on rather simple geologic structures, characterized chiefly by homogeneous rocks of considerable areal extent. Unfortunately, mining operations are likely to be centered where rocks are not homogeneous. Consequently, methods that attempt to show values of the storage and transmitting capacity of rocks in mining areas must be applied with caution. In spite of complex geology and apparent uniqueness of individual mines and quarries, adherence to some concepts of ground-water occurrence and movement should be helpful to mine operators. Mining operations that extend below the water table disturb the natural hydrologic regimen. Prior to development, the water table slopes away from the site of a mine in at least one direction, but as soon as development begins and water is removed from the mine, the mine becomes the apex of a depressed cone in the water table, causing a convergence in the flow of water toward the mine, The behavior of the cone of depression, as it tends to deepen and to increase in areal extent when the mine is deepened, is related to the rate of withdrawal of water necessary to keep the mine dry. The significance and nature of the cone of depression in the vicinity of pumped wells has been studied by ground-water hydrologists for years, but the cone caused by pumping water from mines has generally been less systematically appraised. The geologic and hydrologic settings of mines range greatly so that a simple standard procedure for dealing with problems

Jan 1, 1972

By John C. Cook

There is pressing need for better means of exploring ground conditions ahead of mining. Exploration drilling has the drawbacks of high cost and a seriously restricted sampling zone. Traditional geophysical exploration methods including gravity, magnetic and resistivity techniques have been used with some success underground, but all give poor target delineation relative to range, since they depend upon minor distortions of a potential force field. Much greater ratios of resolution to range can, in principle, be obtained by employing electromagnetic or seismic radiation as the exploring agent. This is because propagation time delays can be used to measure range accurately, and to separate the small effect of a distant target from the much larger effects of nearer targets and of the transmitter. Seismic waves have long been used with great success in exploration for petroleum, and recent research on their application underground is promising. Electromagnetic (radar) waves have been very successfully used for detection and location through the air and outer space, and have also explored through polar icecaps more than a mile thick.l It is not generally realized that below the soil many rocks are also somewhat radar-transparent, and that radar can be used for exploring such rocks, once a quarry, a mine, a borehole, or other means of access has been opened. Radar waves are reflected by any boundary or object where they encounter a large change in electrical properties.2 The usual cause of such a change is a difference in moisture content. Radar waves passing

Jan 1, 1972

By Yu. A. Polozov, V. A. Lagunov, O. Yu. Lushinkova, Yu. I. Svirskiy, Eh. Ya. Kipko, Roy A. Williams

The integrated grouting method, as developed in the USSR, can be applied to multi-purpose operations that in¬clude the construction of shafts, drifts, and tunnels. In the USSR it has been used extensively for primary and final grouting of underground excavations in mining engineering and civil engineering projects. It has been applied in projects where the primary objective was waste contain¬ment. It has also been used to control subsidence beneath buildings located over mined out openings and to eliminate the flow of ground water beneath and around dams. This chapter considers several industrial applications in the form of case histories. The word integrated means that grouting activities were integrated with other activities. 9.1 CASE HISTORIES OF GROUTING FRACTURED ROCK WHEN SINKING VERTICAL SHAFTS The integrated grouting method has been applied most widely in the sinking of vertical shafts in fractured, satu¬rated rock. As explained previously herein, grouting oper¬ations preferably are carried out from the ground surface where they are integrated into the schedule of the setting up of the shaft excavation and construction equipment. Such integration reduces significantly the length of time required for preparation of shaft construction and the time required to sink the shaft. The increased efficiency is achieved by the elimination of cementing operations from the working face upon the penetration of each aquifer. Concomitantly, labor and energy consumption during shaft sinking are minimized because the more complicated and labor-intensive work is carried out at the surface section. Table 9.1 presents the essential parameters for the pri¬mary grouting of saturated fractured rock carried out by the integrated method when sinking vertical shafts. 9.1.1 NAGOL'CHANSK MINE NO. 1-2, VENTILATION SHAFT NO. 1 The integrated method of grouting saturated fractured rock through holes drilled from the surface was employed for the first time during the sinking of vertical shaft No. 1 at the Nagol'chansk mine No. 1-2 in the Don Basin. The shaft had an inside diameter of 6 m. The grouting operations commenced by using cement grout with a density of 1.7 to 1.8 g/cm3. Clay-based grout with cement and other addi¬tives was used only for grouting the aquifers where cement grout proved to be ineffective. By the time of the grouting of ventilation shaft No. 1, hydrodynamic analytical methods were well in hand and a preliminary method for designing isolation curtains had been developed. A method for designing and drilling ori¬ented directional drillholes whose natural curvature re¬flected the characteristics of the fracturing had been devel¬oped. The majority of the necessary equipment had been developed. Clay-based grouts were considered ready for the first industrial application. The hydrogeologic environment at the Nagol'chansk mine No. 1-2 contained many prolific aquifers. According to monitored drillhole data, the total expected inflow into ventilation shaft No. 1 without grouting was 425 m3/hr. This large ground water inflow rate was supported by in¬formation obtained during the sinking of the main shaft and from the auxiliary shaft of the "Nagol'chansk" mine No. 1-2. The construction contractor at the site began sinking ventilation shaft No. 1 to a depth of 217 m by cement grouting from the working face of the shaft. As a result of the cement grouting operations, the inflow of water was reduced from 105.4 to 40 m3/hr over this 217 m interval. However the residual inflow rate caused the shaft to become functional at the depth of 217 m. At this point all grouting operations were transferred to SPETSTAMPONAZHGEOLOGIA (STG) in an effort to improve the operation. In order to carry out preliminary grouting from the sur¬face, seven drillholes were installed and designed for re¬ceiving grout. Drilling was implemented by the ZIF-1200A rig to the design depth of the shaft. The geometry of the principal fracture system that would be encountered by the shaft was estimated while breaking ground using informa¬tion from other shafts. The drillholes were arranged so that they cut through the aquifers uniformly around the shaft. Some preference was given to intercepting the aquifers that were located along the rock dip above the shaft bottom because it was established that the ground water in the aqui¬fers flowed downward along the dip into the cone of de¬pression of the shaft. Investigations in the drillholes using the DAU-3M flowmeter described in Chapter 3 showed that all of the nine aquifers were penetrated by the time a depth of 690 m had been reached. The flowmetric information showed that aquifer numbers [1 and 2], [4, 5, and 6], and [7 and 8] had practically identical hydrogeologic characteristics; so it was decided to connect them into combined stopes and inject the grout using five stopes instead of nine. Table 9.2 shows the results of the grout injection into the aquifers. The volume of grout pumped into the separate intervals through single holes varied from 204 to 15 m3. The trend of grout consumption showed a reduction of grout consump

Jan 1, 1993

By R. B. Tippin

The material balance computer program (MAT-BAL) developed at the Minerals Resource Research Center of the University of Minnesota, has been used in conjunction with routine process profile samples taken in the potash compaction plant at Great Salt Lake Minerals and Chemicals Corporation, Ogden, Utah. In this manner, a uniform data base is being established for the process, and selected key indicators are used for decisions in plant operation and maintenance. With present emphasis on improving product quality and increasing production rates, the standard data base system provides a means of measuring results from test programs to optimize the circuit. The development and application of this process control method is discussed. The compaction plant computer-assisted data base has been in existence for only two years, but it has made significant contributions to the knowledge of the process and continues to assist in monitoring the plant performance. It is anticipated that the material balance program will be adapted to the GSL flotation plant in 1979, and to other circuits in the potassium sulfate chemical plant.

Jan 1, 1979

By A. Rajoria

A dynamic process model for predicting the fluidized bed roasting of copper concentrates with high arsenic content is presented in this work. Mass and energy balances were performed based on roasting mechanism derived from thermodynamic data of species. The reaction rate data, obtained from pilot plant studies on major reactions, were used in tuning the kinetic parameters of the model. DEAS, a dynamic simulation package, is used in setting up the fluidized bed roaster plant model. The effect of process parameters such as concentrate feed rate, concentrate composition, airflow and cooling water rate on the temperature and conversion of roasting reactions are analyzed. The plant model captures the highly transient conditions occurring during the plant start-up, shutdown and other process perturbations. The application of this model in constructing a virtual plant environment for validating the operating procedures and operator training is presented.

Feb 23, 2014

By Blair K. Salisbury

Dissolution within Permian evaporites of the Delaware basin has created extreme lateral geologic and physical property inhomogeneity within and above the evaporites. Discriminating a sulfur deposit's geophysical signature from other variances is difficult. This is particularly true of porosity-dependent gravity and electrical methods. However, other techniques that detect alteration of strata above sulfur deposits may be applicable individually or in combination with other types of data. Relationships between sulfur deposits and gravity, magnetic, gamma radiation, spontaneous potential, and soil geochemical measurements are illustrated by data from several Delaware basin geophysical and geochemical surveys.

Jan 1, 1992

By E. Watkins, M. B. Daza

Although there have been great advances regarding the understanding of mine fires in underground mines in the last century, fires remain high risk incidents. During fire scenarios, many crucial decisions and actions can be made that greatly influence the outcomes of these scenarios. Underground worker decisions are mainly based on training and experience, which in some cases can be complemented with previous analysis of fire effects. In order to review the guidelines that should be taken into account for this kind of examination, a numerical analysis of effects produced by a shuttle car fire under five different ventilation conditions was carried out. The analysis provides some insightful recommendations for firefighting personnel such as time for direct attack and best attack position for first responders and fire brigade groups. Also, the most critical parameters for each scenario were determined. Finally, all results were systematically organized and a first approximation of a fire classification based on the tenability limits was provided for first responder and fire brigade groups. The methodology used in this study for the fire classification could allow for the most appropriate decisions by firefighting personnel increasing the probability to put fires out without compromising their health and safety. INTRODUCTION While there have been great advances regarding the causes of mine fires in underground mines in the last century “small fires have occurred and always will occur in underground mines” (Conti, Chasko, Wiehagen, & Lazzara, 2005). The response time and decisions made during an underground mine fire are critical elements that have direct influence on the event outcome. Mine fires can grow in size quickly causing catastrophic consequences, thus rapid and suitable response actions can result in the difference between an minor emergency situation and a disaster. Upon the confirmation of a fire, a decision must be made regarding whether to fight the fire or evacuate the mine. Even though all underground coal mines possess emergency response plans and firefighting personnel are highly trained, decisions can be complemented with previous numerical analyses. Such analyses could contribute with the knowledge of potential fire effects and consequently with fire preparedness in the mine. Preparedness in underground mines is an important element to reduce the probability of the negative consequences of a mine fire. The time elapsed between the detection of the fire and response in the early stage is a serious component since small fires can produce larger and more serious consequences. If a mine fire cannot be put out within the short time after discovery, the chance of getting the system back in balanced or the success of safely controlling and extinguishing a mine fire is reduced (Conti et al., 2005, Conti, Chasko, Wiehagen, & Lazzara, 2000, Trevits, Yuan, Teacoach, Valoski, & Urosek, 2009, Brake, 2013). As confirmed by Conti and others, if a mine fire cannot be controlled by direct firefighting methods the probability of extinguishing the fire, without sealing is greatly reduced (Conti et al., 2005). However, response actions such as direct extinguishment must be carried out without compromising the health and safety of the firefighting personnel (Kim, Lönnermark, & Ingason, 2010).

Jan 1, 2019

By Edward H. Peplow

Mr. Chairman; honored guests; ladies and gentlemen: The subject assigned me today by your committee, according to the program, is "the mineral industry and the public land law I have preferred to title the talk, "you can't mine here", for that is the essence of the message we, as an industry, have been getting from so many agencies of the federal government for so long. And, unfortunately, we can expect to hear the same message even louder and clearer -- with increasing frequency in future, unless. Every segment of the industry devotes the necessary time, energy and creative thought to combat successfully the forces that are writing and broadcasting that message. I said that agencies of the federal government are sending the message --- and this, of course, is true, the forest service, for example, and some bureaus of the department of the interior as well as others have appeared in recent years to be abiding by a policy designed to block mineral entry to as much of the public lands as possible and to wipe out existing mining claims.

Jan 1, 1967

By Donald C. Rotherham

The Endako, British Columbia, deposit was initially discovered in 1927 by two local men, Charles H. Foote and Alf Lagdon, who were at that time on a hunting expedition. Four mineral claims were located to cover an area of quartz-molybdenite float that was centered on two small ridges. They subsequently uncovered a 0.5-m (1.6-ft) wide vein on which an inclined shaft was sunk to a depth of 8.3 m (27.2 ft) in 1934. Additionally, a short adit was driven to intersect another vein. Numerous trenches and small pits were also dug. Small test shipments of vein material from this early work were sent to G.S. Eldridge and Co. in Vancouver for metallurgical testing. A concentrate assaying 89.2% MoS, was produced with a recovery reported as 93.3%. The concentrate was essentially free of copper, arsenic, and phosphate. The property was examined by many geologists and engineers during 1934 to 1952, but the only work done was undertaken by the owners in order to maintain their claims in good standing. In 1952, Kennco Explorations (Canada) Ltd. carried out a limited program of bulldozer trenching, sampling, and geological mapping before relin- quishing their option. In 1956, American Standard Mines Ltd. acquired an option on the property, but no assessment work was apparently recorded and the property was allowed to lapse. The key claims were restaked in 1959 by C. Riley and H.T. James of Vancouver. The property was optioned from the new owners by Andrew Robertson in July 1961, and a small amount of trenching was conducted. Robertson, on behalf of his own company, R & P Metals Corp., reoptioned the property in January 1962. The initial results of this work were favorable and justified further exploration. The additional finances required to continue the program resulted in the formation of Endako Mines Ltd. (N.P.L.) on June 21, 1962. Field work by R & P Metals and the first Endako Mines exploration was directed by Bob Couts.

Jan 1, 1991

By Fred D. Wright

In this paper the principal theories used to design roof bolting systems are presented and discussed. Then the characteristics of various types of roof bolts are presented and finally the interaction between rock and roof bolt characteristics on choice of roof bolts is discussed. Theories can be considered design tools which may or may not be appropriate for a specific situation. It is good for a design engineer to have a number of such tools available and also important that he understand their good features as well as their limitations. Hence, some of the principal theories and classification systems used for design of roof bolting systems are discussed first.

Jan 1, 1982

By D. Kumar, R. J. Sweigard, J. Silva

The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) recommends that the upper 1.22 m (4 ft) of spoil material on reclaimed surfaces should be left as uncompacted as possible to facilitate efficient tree root growth. However, the main concerns about applying the FRA to steep slopes is that the upper 1.22 m (4 ft) of loose spoil material could cause instability. Successful application of the FRA on the flat and rolling surfaces precipitated this investigation. Details of a field investigation conducted at a steep-slope mine site are available in an earlier publication (Kumar and Sweigard, 2011). A total of 70 survey monuments were driven into the slope in a regular pattern to monitor any type of slope movement. Quarterly surveying of the monuments were done to quantify slope movement, either horizontally or vertically. The methodology developed in this research for field slope movement monitoring was validated using computer model results. Analytical models based on the limit equilibrium method (LEM) and numerical models based on the finite element method (FEM) were developed for slope stability analysis. The LEM analysis was done using the Geo-Slope/W program following the simplified Bishop method. However, numerical models were developed using the PLAXIS computer program following the Mohr’s Coulomb failure criterion and strength reduction technique. The slope stability analysis was performed for two different scenarios: first with the top 1.22 m (4 ft) of loose graded spoil material and second without top loose graded spoil material. Finally, the field investigation results were compared with stability analysis results. Both of these approaches showed that application of the FRA on steep slopes is not causing any significant instability problems, due to 1.22 m (4 ft) loose graded spoil that would not exist otherwise for overly steepened slopes.

Jan 1, 2013

By Dejan Petrović, Pavle Stojković, Jelena Ivaz, Saša Stojadinović

In spite of the fact that flyrock phenomenon represents the real threat for personnel and machinery, it still remains insufficiently investigated. There are efforts, in the mining community, to explain the causes of flyrock, but the models capable to accurately predict flyrock occurrence and define the flyrock distance still do not exist. This article is an attempt to establish such a predictive model. The model utilized the adaptive nature of artificial neural networks and combined it with the accuracy of numerical modeling of physical phenomena. Necessary data were collected by high-speed camera recordings of actual blasts at three different surface mines and processed for further use for artificial network training. The result was a neuro-numerical couple which was capable to predict flyrock occurrence, estimate the launch velocity of flyrock fragments, and calculate the maximum distance of flyrock fragments. The safe distance was then calculated by multiplying the flyrock distance with a factor of safety. The article explains the procedure for data acquisition and processing, artificial network construction, training, and validation. It also explains the principles of flyrock distance calculation and, finally, provides a definition of factor of safety and safe distance. The results showed that the prediction was satisfactorily accurate and reliable.

Oct 22, 2021

By A. Delgado-Jiménez, O. J. Restrepo-Baena, G. Aristazabal

"Mining industry as a source of raw material is essential to society however, it lacks of good reputation due to the type of management historically applied to many of its social and environmental impacts. It is argued that this situation has hampered the obtaining of social license to operate of a lot of mining projects around the world. The last considerations are very common in Latin American countries. As a result, the mining sector has understood that the viability of the business long term is associated with more profit for the shareholders but also with activities that improve the livelihoods of local communities, enhance the capabilities of local governments and preserve the ecosystems around the projects. Nevertheless, recent studios have shown that most of the current advances to incorporate sustainability concepts in mining have been mainly focused on control and the prevention of environmental and social impacts of extractive activities. Thus, contributing to the development of territories around mining projects constitutes a fundamental aspect of the business competitiveness through reducing cost and risks of stopping projects, innovating new ways of relationship with stakeholders, improving the level of reputation of the industry as well as its position in the market. However, this contribution requires formal strategies and models that enable companies understand the different resources in the territories where their mining activities are developed and those resource transformations, in order to establish the best way to articulate the project with the territory, pursuing an effective contribution to its development, truly sustainable over time even after the mine closure. CONTEXT Currently in the world but especially in developing countries such as Latin Americans, different stakeholders are increasingly vigilant of how mining companies carry out their activities in terms of socio-economic and environmental management of territories, not only for its impact on the livelihoods of the communities that inhabit them, but also because many demanders of raw materials -both countries and companies- have set sustainability standards as a prerequisite to establishing business relationships with mining companies, such as the recently declared Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 (UN, 2015). Accordingly, decide underinvest or not to invest in sustainability issues carries risks for mining companies. However, invest much in the wrong way may involve the same risks. Managers are concerned to ensure profits, and therefore they decide carefully how to invest in the areas of production, R & D or marketing. Likewise, they should think strategically about investing in initiatives related to sustainability. This if they really want that those investments in fact help to improve the competitiveness of the company. The mining industry benefits from natural capital that extracts, so it should implement strategies that lead to remunerate such benefit to the territories (Almaguer, 2007). One option is through the transformation of natural capital in other types of non-existent capital or poorly developed in their areas of influence. In this way, the value generated by the extraction of underground resources is shared and additionally contributing to improving the quality of life of the communities. Historically, mining industry has been into several problems to achieve this, which represents one of the aspects that has most influenced the current reputation of mining industry in some regions of Latin America. Many communities, local governments and civil society organizations continue to associate this activity with the destruction of the social fabric and ecosystems in the territories, and their opposition against companies working in the areas has led to affect the operational continuity of many projects (Hamann, 2003; Prno and Scott, 2012; Slack, 2012)."

Jan 1, 2017

By Louis M. Schlesinger, Michael J. Garska, Joel F. Hutwelker, James T. Jr. Tanner

A pilot plant was constructed and operated to investigate the column flotation of 20 x 200 mesh North Carolina phosphate ore, using high throughput, high solids operating conditions developed at the NCSU Minerals Research Laboratory. Flotation was performed at 45% solids in a 9.5 cm (3.75 in.) diameter by 2.26 m (7.4 ft.) tall column at throughputs of 19.1 t/hr/m2 (2.0 stph/ft2) and 31.7 t/hr/m2 (3.3 stph/ft2). Recoveries in excess of 98% of the phosphate value were obtained at the lower throughput -- while obtaining concentrate grades containing over 28% P205 (61.2% BPL) at that recovery. Recoveries of about 95% of the phosphate value were obtained at the higher throughput, while making a concentrate averaging 27.6% P205 (60.3% BPL). In addition, a better understanding of the variables governing the column flotation of coarse nonmetallic minerals was gained. Variables examined included superficial air velocity, throughput (superficial feed velocity), frother type, frother dosage, and bias rate.

Jan 1, 1993

By Dávila-Pulido. G., L. Magallanes-Hernández, F. López-Saucedo, J. Batista Rodríguez, A. Uribe-Salas

"This paper presents the results of tests performed to study the effect of slurry solids concentration on the behavior of gas dispersion in industrial-scale mechanical flotation cells. The experiments were conducted at five concentrator facilities run by a Mexican mining company, specifically in the rougher bank of the lead/zinc flotation circuits. Those mechanical cells having significant contribution to the performance of the circuit, that is, the cells that enable high recovery, were characterized. The measurement protocol enables measurement of the superficial gas velocity, gas holdup and bubble size, and sampling of the mineral slurry. The measured data indicate that bubble size and gas holdup decreases as the concentration of solids increases. IntroductionThe process of mineral concentration by flotation is based on contact between particles and air bubbles, the selective adhesion of hydrophobic particles onto the bubbles, and the rising of the bubble-particle aggregates to the surface of the flotation cell to overflow over the lip to form the concentrate. It is now accepted that the physical and chemical process variables that control the flotation of hydrophobic particles are closely related to gas dispersion (Schwarz and Alexander, 2005). Gas dispersion is defined by the superficial gas velocity, Jg (Torrealba-Vargas, Gomez and Finch, 2006), the gas holdup, eg (Tavera, Gomez and Finch, 1997), the bubble size, d32 (Dobby and Finch, 1986; Gorain et al., 1995; Hernandez-Aguilar et al., 2004) , and the bubble surface area flux, Sb (Manqiu and Finch, 1989; Manqiu, Finch and Uribe-Salas, 1991). In recent years, the advances that have been made in sensor technology have enabled the characterization of gas dispersion in industrial flotation cells with excellent results (Gomez and Finch, 2007). This technology advancement has allowed the gaining of a deeper understanding of such complex mechanisms as carrying capacity (Yianatos and Contreras, 2010), collection efficiency (Gorain, Franzidis and Manlapig, 1997; Massinaei et al., 2009) and bubble coalescence (Finch, Nesset and Acuña, 2008; Zangooi, Gomez and Finch, 2010)."

Jan 1, 2017

By Ihsan Berk Tulu, Haochen Zhao, Deniz Tuncay

This paper proposes a new method to estimate the percentage of load carried by the gob in underground coal mines using a new parameter that introduces the site-specific overburden geology. The new parameter was defined as the total strong layer thickness (tstr) that represents the strength and stiffness of the overburden with a single value. Twelve field measurement case studies from 11 different U.S. longwall mines with different overburden geologies were used to develop the new methodology. 2D numerical models of these case studies (and additional parametric runs with different panel widths) were verified against field measurements such as surface subsidence and stress. Statistical analyses using the model results were conducted for a loading model with the new tstr parameter as one of the variables. The new methodology was found to have a coefficient of determination (R2) of 85% when compared to the field measurements and the parametric models. The method was then tested for practical implementation for pillar design. The percentages of load carried by the gob as estimated by the new method were implemented into the LaModel program, that is commonly used in the coal industry. The results obtained from LaModel were compared to the available field stress measurements, and the new method implemented into LaModel was found to give successful results.

Jul 18, 2022

By A. F. Agnew

Discussion by A.E Agnew Strachan's paper summarizes a wealth of data on water-storage dam "incidents" published by USCOLD and ASCE in 1988, together with a review of tailings-dam incidents published by USCOLD in 1994. The data is summarized by text and 11 histograms. The histograms present a useful compilation of these data, although the patterns within the histogram blocks did not survive the Mining Engineering printing process - so their usefulness is impaired. Unfortunately, the text discussion is too cursory and does not highlight the significant relationships among the various causes of the incidents. Four paragraphs of text and Fig. 1 were devoted to water-storage dams, but the discussion is too sketchy, and Fig. 1 is unclear. Important statistics that could be uncovered are: •the total number of dam incidents tabulated were 500+, •earth embankments constituted 73% of those in operation and •incidents related to earth embankments were 75%, of which dam failures accounted for 24%, major repairs accounted for 42% and accidents accounted for 34%. Strachan concluded that "the majority of the dam failures are associated with overtopping (p. 49), and that the majority of incidents are associated with spillway and other facility structures" - although this is difficult to discern from Fig. 1. Confusion regarding Strachan's use of the terms "dam failures" and "incidents" is compounded by his use of "failures" and "accidents" in one paragraph of his Introduction section followed by his use of "incidents" in the next paragraph. Getting to the meat of Strachan's important paper, the tailings-dam incident survey (USCOLD, 1994), the connection between Figs 2 through 11 seems obscure. First, in the four paragraphs of introductory material, one learns that "incidents consisted of failures, accidents, seepage and other incidents of performance that did not meet design criteria" (p. 50). One does learn the helpful caveat that "structures not related to mill tailings were not included in the review" - so that the Buffalo Creek (West Virginia in 1972) and Aberfan (Wales in 1966) coal-mine failures, together with the ongoing metal-mine remediation work at Summitville (Colorado) do not muddy the waters of his paper. The all-too-brief discussion of the data shown in Figs. 3 through 11 (185 dams in USCOLD plus 26 dams in UNEP) reveals the following: •Figure 3: 57% of the incidents (failures and accidents) occurred with dams less than 20-m (66-ft) in height. •Figure 4: 63% of the incidents were due to failures alone (subset of Fig. 3). •Figure 5: Active dams had 82% of the accidents and 93% of the failures. •Figure 6: Types of dams (upstream, water-retention, downstream, centerline and "unknown") separated according to incidents. •Figure 7: Breaks out the incidents in Fig. 6 by failures, accidents and ground water. •Figure 8: Breaks out incidents by type (overtopping, slope stability, earthquake, foundation, seepage, structural, erosion, mine subsidence and "unknown"). •Figure 9: Separates Fig. 8 data into active and inactive dams. •Figure 10: Separates Fig. 9 data into failures and accidents. •Figure 11: Same as Fig. 8, but broken out by tailings-dam type (Fig. 6). Figures 6 and 7 show that most of the failures are associated with upstream or "unknown" types. Figure 9 shows that the leading causes of incidents for active dams

Jan 1, 2003

By Shiro Ishii

When construction sites are in a densely- populated area or near roads, railroad or river, restrictions upon the ways of handling and using explosives such as dynamite and large demolition equipment are being increasingly stringent, in consideration of environmental pollution such as noise, vibration, dust, flyrocks etc., and safety precaution. In view of this, the development of safe and pollution-free technology for demolishing rocks at mines and reinforced concrete structure at building sites is strongly required. To meet such requirements, the demolition by means of expantion of mineral substances has been considered long before. Recently with the demolition technique using non-explosive demolition agent developed by ONODA CEMENT CO., LTD., holes are drilled into substances to be demolished, such as rocks and concrete before-hand. Then, slurry of such agent mixed with an appropriate quantity of water is poured into the holes. It hardens and expands with the passage of time, and the expansive stress reaches more than 3m/m2 in 10 to 24 hours. This expansive stress causes the material to crack. In this article, descriptions of the non- explosive demolition agent, BRISTAR manufactured by ONODA CEMENT CO., LTD., TOKYO, JAPAN, are given briefly with regard to its physical and chemical properties and its method of use; and the way it is used at an actual construction site is reported.

Jan 1, 1982

By Gordon Clark, Basar Arioglu, Zlatanic. Sanja, Nasri Munfah, Togan. Tolga

"The 13.2 m external diameter double deck Istanbul Strait Road Tube Crossing is one of the most challenging underwater tunnel projects in the world. Subjected to 11 bars of hydrostatic pressure, variable geology, and being in a very active seismic area, the execution of the project required innovative solutions, sophisticated construction techniques, and prudent risk management approach. The 5 km tunnel consists of 3.4 km TBM bored tunnel, 1 km twin NATM tunnels, and cut and cover sections. The project is being delivered in a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract in a public-private partnership. The technical challenges, coupled with financial and commercial risks required the implementation of sophisticated risk management tactics including the provision of Independent Design Verification. Presently, the project is in its advanced stages of construction with a recent successful TBM breakthrough on August 22nd 2015. The paper presents the technical challenges of the project from the design, construction, and risk management aspects and provides the status of the construction. PROJECT BACKGROUND The $1.245 billion Istanbul Strait Road Tunnel Crossing project, dubbed the Eurasia Tunnel, is one of several major infrastructure projects being implemented in the Republic of Turkey in a public-private partnership approach. The project provides a direct and easy connection between the Anatolian (Asian) side of Istanbul and the heart of its historical district on the European side across the Bosphorus Strait which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. Upon its completion in 2017, the project will improve connections to a wide network of motorways on both sides, increase capacity across the Bosphorus by 100,000 vehicles a day, reduce congestion and save motorists an average of 45 minutes of commuting time in each direction, and bringing significant economic benefits to the city and the region; it will ease traffic across the strait, reduce congestion, decrease pollutants and emission while maintaining the historical silhouette of the city. Figure 1 provides a general view of the project location and alignment. The overall project consists of three parts totaling 14.6km. Parts 1 and 3 consist mainly of widening existing motorways, providing connections to existing roads, reconstructing local bridges and underpasses on the European and Anatolian sides respectively. Part 2 is the tunnel crossing across the Bosphorus; it is the most complex part of the project with the greatest challenges and risks. Part 2 is 5.4 km long consisting of 3.4 km of 13.2m external diameter TBM bored tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait, 1-km of twin NATM tunnels on the Asian side, cut and cover transition boxes in the Asian and the European sides and depressed approaches on both sides. In addition, this segment includes the toll plazas, ventilation buildings, and the tunnel control and maintenance facilities."

Jan 1, 2016