Work

Design Parameters Affecting Rill Swell Events for Block Caving Applications

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Rill swell (RS) events are outflows of dry, fine-grained material mainly observed at drawpoints in cave mining. These events can negatively affect production and have fatal consequences. Unfortunately, comprehensive studies analyzing these events are lacking. This paper uses the discrete element method to study RS events. With this method, a numerical model was constructed and calibrated based on an RS event recorded in Ridgeway Deeps Block Cave. Drawpoint geometries, material properties, and the initial mass of the fine material were then analyzed. The results show that both the brow beam height and drawpoint width had a noticeable influence on the RS magnitude, mainly on the tonnage of the flow and the distance reached by coarse particles dragged into the extraction drift. While the mass of fine material is crucial to the magnitude of RS events, results suggest that narrowing drawpoint width and/or increasing brow beam height can mitigate the impact of RS events.

Source: Applied Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/app14188545

Authors: Raúl Castro, Carlos Valdés, René Gómez, Krzysztof Skrzypkowski, Krzysztof Zagórski

Institutions: Advanced Mining Technology Center, University of Chile, University of Concepción, AGH University of Krakow

Language: English

Topic: Geomechanics and Mining Engineering

Subfield: Mechanics of Materials

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,728

Funders: Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza im. Stanislawa Staszica, Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico