The Isolated Extraction Zone in Block Caving — A Review

Authors: Sharrock, GB

Paper is not available for download
Contact Us

DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/808_144

Cite As:
Sharrock, GB 2008, 'The Isolated Extraction Zone in Block Caving — A Review', in Y Potvin, J Carter, A Dyskin & R Jeffrey (eds), SHIRMS 2008: Proceedings of the First Southern Hemisphere International Rock Mechanics Symposium, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 255-271, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/808_144

Download citation as:   ris   bibtex   endnote   text   Zotero


Abstract:
This paper reviews previous work on the Isolated Extraction Zone (IEZ) in Block Caving, and in particular, the parameters and mechanisms controlling the shape of the IEZ. Previous work is divided into four separate approaches namely: scaled physical modelling; numerical modelling; full scale marker trials; and empirical relations from site observations. Based on this review it is concluded that neither the dimensions of the IEZ nor the corresponding parameters thought to control its behaviour have been measured in full scale marker trials. Most existing knowledge of the IEZ (and interactive draw) comes from scaled physical modelling studies on sand and gravel. As a result, most computer programs currently used to forecast draw performance rely on calibration parameters and assumptions from scaled physical models, untested against corresponding full scale experiments. This paper explores these parameters and assumptions, and makes comments on possible directions for future work. One important direction for future study is the gravity flow of interlocking, dilatant rock masses, from the fully interlocked condition. This subject not been studied in any depth either in scaled physical models, or full scale trials.

References:
Airey, L.D. (1965) The introduction of mechanized mining methods at Mufulira Copper Mines Ltd, 8th Commonwealth Mining and Metallurgical Conference, Australia and New Zealand, preprint 91.
Alvial, J. (1992) Analysis of Extraction at Teniente 4 Sur LHD. Proceedings of MassMin92, Johannesburg, H.W. Glen (editor), pp. 233–244. The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Brunton, I. (2008) The Impact of Blasting on Sublevel Caving Material Flow Behaviour and Recovery, PhD University of Qld, Draft Submission for Review 2008.
Bucky, P.B. (1945) Mining by Block Caving, Inspiration Mine – A series of articles reprinted from The Explosives Engineer, Hercules Powder Company, Delaware.
Castro, R., Trueman, R. and Halim, A. (2006) A study of Isolated Drawzones in Block Caving Mines by means of a Large 3D Physical Model. Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., Vol. 44, pp. 860–870.
Chen, J. and Boshkov, S.H. (1981) Recent developments and applications methods in the People Republic of China, Design and Operation of Stoping Mines, D.R. Stewart (editor), SME-AIME, New York, pp. 393–418.
Fellenius, W. (1926) Mechanical properties of soil. Statika gruntov, Gosstroiizdat.
Flores, G. and Karzulovic, A. (2002) Geotechnical Guidelines for a Transition from Open Cut to Underground Mining: Benchmarking Report. Report to International Caving Study II. JKMRC: Brisbane.
Free, G.D. (1970) Mathematical and model studies of the flow of material in the sub-level caving mining method. M. Eng. Sc. Thesis, University of Queensland.
Gustafsson, P. (1998) Waste rock content variations during gravity flow in sublevel caving: Analysis of full scale experiments and numerical simulations. PhD thesis, Department of Civil and Mining Engineering, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden.
Gardner, G.C. (1966) The region of flow when discharging granular materials from bin-hopper systems, Chemical Engineering Science, Vol. 21, pp. 261–273.
Haglund, G. (1968) (editor) Skivrasbrytnings Konferens I Malmberget 21 och 22 Maj. 1968.
Halim, A. (2004) 3D large scale physical modelling for studying interactive drawing and drawpoint spacing in Block Caving Mines. Brisbane, Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, University of Queensland.
Heslop, G. and Laubscher D. (1981) Draw control in caving operations on Southern African Chrysotile Asbestos Mines. In D.R. Stewart (editor), Design and operation of caving and sublevel stoping mines: Society of Mining Engineers-AIME, New York, pp. 715–728.
Hollins, B. and Tucker, J. (2004) Drawpoint analysis using a marker trial at the Perseverance Nickel Mine, Leinster, Western Australia. Proceedings MassMin 2004, Santiago, A. Karzulovic and M. Alvaro (editors), Instituto de Ingenieros de Chile, Santiago, pp. 498–502.
Janelid, J. and Kvapil, R. (1966) Sublevel Caving. Mt. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. and Geomechan. Abstr., 3, pp. 129–153.
Janelid, J. (1972) Study of the Gravity Flow Process in Sublevel Caving, in International Sublevel Caving Symposium, Atlas Copco, Stockholm.
Just, G.D. and Free, G.D. (1971) The Gravity Flow of Material in the Sublevel Caving Mining System, in Proceedings of the 1st Australia–New Zealand Conference on Geomechanics, Institution of Engineers, Sydney, Australia.
Just, G.D. (1981) The significance of material flow in mine design and production, in Design and Operation of Caving and Sublevel Stoping Mines, pp. 715–728. D.R. Stewart (editor), SMEAIME, New York.
Kvapil, R. (1965a) Gravity Flow of Granular Materials in Hoppers and Bins I. Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. and Geomechan. Abstr., 2, pp. 35–41.
Kvapil, R. (1965b) Gravity Flow of Granular Materials in Hoppers and Bins II – Coarse Materials. Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. and Geomechan. Abstr., 2, pp. 277–304.
Kvapil, R. (1992) Sublevel Caving. SME Mining Engineering Handbook, 2nd edition, H.L. Hartman (editor), Society for Mining Metallurgy and Exploration: Littleton, Colorado. pp. 1789–1814.
Kvapil, R. (2004) Gravity Flow in Sublevel and Panel Caving – a common sense approach, Lulea University of Technology Press, Lulea, Sweden.
Laubscher, D. (1994) Cave mining – the state of the art. Journal of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, pp. 279–293.
Lehman, G.R. (1916) Ore-drawing tests and the resulting mining methods of inspiration consolidated copper co., Eng. Mine J. Press, Vol. 55.
Lorig, L., Gibson, W., Alvial, J. and Cuevas, J. (1995) Gravity flow simulations with the particle flow code (PFC), ISRM News Journal, Vol. 3, No. 1.
Mandel, J. (1963) Test on reduced scale models in soil and rock mechanics, a study of the conditions of similitude. Int. J Rock Mech. Min. Sci. and Geomechan. Abstr., 1, pp. 31–42.
Marano, G. (1980) The interaction between adjoining drawpoints in free flowing materials and its application to mining, Chamber of Mines Journal, Zimbabwe, May, pp. 25–32.
McNicholas, F.S., Rogers, V.S. and Walker, M.S. (1946) An experimental study of caving and drawing large ore bodies, Trans. AIME, Vol. 163, pp. 156–197.
McCormick, R.J. (1968) How wide does a drawpoint draw? Engineering and Mining Journal, June, pp. 106–116.
McMurray, D.T. (1976) Sublevel caving at Shabanie mine, Rhodesia, Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, October, pp. A136–A143.
McNearny, R.L. and Abel, J.F. (1993) Large scale Two-Dimensional Block Caving Model Tests. Mt. J Rock Mech. MM. Sci. and Geomechan. Abstr., 30, pp. 93–109.
Panczakiewicz, T. (1977) Optimization of the Sublevel Caving Mining Method Investigated By Physical Models, M.E. Thesis, University of Melbourne.
Peele, R. and Church, J.A. (1967) Mining Engineers Handbook, Third Edition, John Wiley and Sons, Inc, London, pp. 10–339.
Peters, D.C. (1984) Physical Modelling of the Draw Behavior of Broken rock in Caving. Quarterly of the Colorado School of Mines, Vol. 79, No. 1.
Power, G. (2004) Modelling Granular Flow in Caving Mines: Large Scale Physical Models and Full Scale Experiments. PhD Thesis, University of Queensland, Brisbane.
Pretorius, D. (2006) The effect of dilution on the underground block cave ore reserves at Palabora Mining Company. The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy 1st International Symposium on Block and Sub-Level Caving, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa, pp. 73–82.
Pierce, M.E., Cundall, P.A., Van Hout, G.J. and Lorig, L. (2003) PFC3D modeling of caved rock under draw. Numerical Modeling in Micromechanics via Particle Methods, Konietzky (editor), pp. 211–217.
Pierce, M.E. and Hakan, S. (2004) PFC3D modelling of flow behaviour in sublevel caving. Proceedings of MassMin2004, Santiago, A. Karzulovic and A. Alfaro (editors), pp. 201–214.
Redaelli, L.L. (1963) Sub-level Caving at Koskullskulle, Mine and Quarry Engineering, June, pp. 261–264.
Rustan, A. (2000) Gravity Flow of Broken Rock – What is Known and Unknown, in MassMin 2000 Conference Proceedings, G. Chitombo (editor), ISBN 1 875776 76 9, AusIMM, Melbourne, pp. 557–567.
Sandstrom, P.O. (1972) Application and optimization of sublevel caving techniques, Engineering and Mining Journal, June.
Sharrock, G.B. (1999) Application of lattice grain cellular automata to granular flow; Technical notes on development of cellular automata theory for binary mixture.
Sharrock, G.B. (2003) Tool shearing of granular media, PhD thesis, University of Queensland, Brisbane.
Sharrock, G.B., Beck, D., Booth, G. and Sandy, M. (2004) Simulating gravity flow in sub-level caving with cellular automata. Proceeding of MassMin 2004, A. Karzulovic and A. Alfaro (editors), Chilean Engineers Institute, Santiago, pp. 189–194.
Sharrock, G.B., Ireland, A.I. and Hanbury, G. (2008) High resolution experiments on Isolated Extraction Zones, in progress ISRM.
Schuring, D. (1977) Scale models in engineering: fundamentals and applications, 1st edition, Oxford; New York: Pergamon Press.
Szwedzicki, T. and Cooper, R. (2007) Ore flow and fragmentation at Perseverence Mine, The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy 1st International Symposium on Block and Sub-Level Caving, Cape Town 2007, pp. 133–146.
Terzaghi, K. (1943) Large retaining wall tests, Eng. News. Records, pp. 112–136.
Trueman, R., Castro, R. and Halim, A. (2008) A study of Isolated Drawzones in Block Caving Mines by means of a Large 3D Physical Model. Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., Vol. 45, pp. 1044–1051.
Van As, A. and Van Hout, G.J. (2008) Implications of widely spaced drawpoints, Proc. Massmin Conference, Sweden, Lulea.
Yenge, L.I. (1980) Analysis of Bulk Flow of Materials under Gravity Caving Process: Part 1 Sublevel caving in relation to flow in bins and bunkers. Quarterly of the Colorado School of Mines, Vol. 75, No. 4.
Yenge, L.I. (1981) Analysis of Bulk Flow of Materials under Gravity Caving Process: Part 2 Theoretical and physical modelling of gravity flow of broken rock. Quarterly of the Colorado School of Mines, Vol. 76, No. 3.




© Copyright 2024, Australian Centre for Geomechanics (ACG), The University of Western Australia. All rights reserved.
View copyright/legal information
Please direct any queries or error reports to repository-acg@uwa.edu.au