Friction: Edition 7 | May 2023
FROM THE EDITOR
Ensuring the safety of a mine site is of utmost importance to any geotechnical engineer and there are numerous ways and techniques to achieve this. The final line of defence is ground support.
In the May edition of Friction, we dive deep into the application of ground support, and other techniques, to ensure the safety of everyone working on a mine site.
We also talk to Neil Bar, Geotechnical Engineer at Gecko Geotechnics, about his role and thoughts about future trends in the industry.
Make sure to keep an eye out on our events calendar to find an event near you. And, don’t forget Friction’s Associations Directory if you are interested in joining a geotechnical association in your area.
If you have something you would like to share with us, please contribute at friction.news
Regards,
Tim Cartledge
Ground Support – an ever-evolving component of safe mining
There are several factors that contribute to ground instability that can be influenced by a geotechnical engineer. Ground support, the final line of defence for geotechnical engineers, ensures the safety and stability of mines.
From the natural materials that geotechnical engineers work with, to the design of excavations, ground support is an ever-evolving aspect of geotechnical engineering. Understanding how and when these changes occur whilst conducting constant reviews of the support design implementation is critical in ensuring mine stability.
This article by Paul Couto, Senior Geotechnical Engineer, discusses the importance of ground support and the way it is an ever-evolving component of safe mining practices.
Q&A with Neil Bar
Everyone has a story to tell, and this month we asked the Geotechnical Engineer at Gecko Geotechnics, Neil Bar, to tell us about his role, his career and his thoughts about the future of our industry.
NEWS, PUBLICATIONS AND UPDATES
CT Operations (Strata Control Technology)
Since 1999, the Australian mining industry has used Pre-Conditioning (SCT) on hydraulic fracturing to manage windblast events. Due to the high success rate of this practice, it is still used today in several mine sites across to the country.
To further understand how this practice can be used for hydraulic windblast management, click below.
Automated ground support a bolt from the blue
Ground support practices are set to be revolutionised with a bespoke cable bolting solution recently gaining approval from Northern Star Resources.
Mining engineers John Devereux and Nic Hicks, along with Rangecon, have addressed the gap in the underground mining industry to create an affordable solution to the cable bolting process.
Using RS3 to evaluate room and pillar mining in Greece
Due to Greece's heavy dependency on lignite resources, there has been a rise in underground mining in the country's unexploited coal reserves.
A recent study by Rocscience evaluated the feasibility of a room and pillar approach for a pilot-scale underground mine project in Northern Greece. Part of the evaluation included a detailed analysis using 3D numerical analysis, RS3's 3D Finite Element Analysis (FEA).
Strategic short-term geotechnical design
Geotechnical engineers are primarily responsible for the safety of mine operations, ensuring conditions are geotechnically optimised for the site in line with slope configuration parameters.
However, this can change due to unforeseen factors or circumstances that affect the mining production cycle.
Principal Consultant, Tim Cartledge, and Principal Geotechnical Engineer, Keith Mandisodza, from Cartledge Mining and Geotechnics, stress the importance of taking a short-term approach to geotechnical design.
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