WEAK ROCKS AT

CASSIAR INCLINE
CAVE MINE –
LESSONS LEARNED
Presented by: Jarek Jakubec
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CASSIAR MINE, BC

VANCOUVER

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WEAKEST ROCK
MASS OF ALL
CAVING MINES

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• CHRYSOTILE FIBRE – BEST QUALITY FIBER IN WORLD

• OPEN PIT MINING 1953–1990, PRODUCTION RATE 3,000tpd

• U/GROUND PLANNING AND FEASIBILITY 1984-87

• PRE-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT 1988, PRODUCTION 1990

• U/G RESERVES OF 19Mt @ 6% FIBER

• > 1Mt PRODUCED BETWEEN 1990-1992

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• SERPENTINE THRUST SHEET WITHIN VOLCANIC AND

ARGILLITES OREBODY 300m ON STRIKE, 400m DIP LENGTH,
DIPS 30-50°

• FIRST PRODUCTION LEVEL (1350) APPROXIMATELY 600m BELOW

THE PEAK AND 250m BELOW THE BOTTOM OF THE PIT

• OREBODY IS WEAK, POOR TO VERY POOR ROCK MASS,

TRANSECTED BY SHEARS AND FIBRE SEAMS

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• FOOTWALL DRAWPOINT CAVING, CAVE HEIGHTS 100-200m

• SUBLEVELS @ 15m VERTICAL INTERVALS AND 20m

HORIZONTAL DISTANCE

• DRAWPOINT SPACING @10m

• 2.7m3 LHD, HAUL DISTANCE AVERAGE 120m TO MINERAL

SIZER, ~400t/SHIFT/MACHINE, ~300t/DAY/DWP

• 1.5m STEEL LINED O/PASS @50° (65m LONG) TO FEEDER

BREAKER AND TO HAULAGE CONVEYOR THROUGH 20%
DECLINE UP TO THE SURFACE

• PLANNED PRODUCTION CAPACITY 4-5,000 tpd

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CASIAR MINE, BC CHRYSOTILE
CASSIARSEAMS

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• EXTRACTION DRIFT 3.9 m WIDE AND 3.7 m HIGH (EXCAVATED).

DRILL & BLAST ON 1350 LEVEL AND CUT BY ROADHEADER ON
1335 LEVEL. CONCRETE FLOOR.

• LENGTH OF ADVANCE 1.5 – 2..4m. IN VERY POOR GROUND

SPILED WITH FULLY GROUTED 22mm DYWIDAG BOLTS +10° AT
0.35m SPACING.

• DRAWPOINT ACCESS 3.9 M WIDE AND 3.5 m HIGH, BROW

LOCATION 4.0 m WIDE AND 3.5 m HIGH (FULLY SUPPORTED
PRIOR TO STEEL ARCH INSTALLATION).

• DRAWPOINT SPACING 10m.

• UNDERCUT 3.0 m WIDE AND 3.2 m HIGH (LENGTH OF UNDERCUT

20m)

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 CASSIAR – UNDERCUT BLASTING
• Undercut blast holes were 50mm, undercut rings were drilled to a maximum
height of 13m. In total 8 holes were drilled in the fan with 1m burden and
1.5m spacing. There were cases of drillholes being pre-loaded two weeks.
• Holes were pneumatically loaded with AMFO over the leg wires of electric
caps (needed special permission from mining inspectorate). Pre-loading sg
was 0.84 g/cm3 and this increased to 0.95-1.05 loaded. Toe priming was
initially exercised to ensure complete breaking and to minimize cut-offs.
Because of no major problem was experienced with blasting later collar
priming was introduced. Instantaneous blasting caps were used for every
hole and the delays required between rings were programmed on CIL
sequential blasting machine. Pre-loading and pre-priming was required
because of movement in weak rock mass was anticipated. Because of
problem with contamination with plastic NONEL blasting techniques could
not be introduced.
• Hand-drilled slash techniques was used to establish a breaking slot because
of difficulty of rising in the highly sheared serpentinite. 2.7 m3 LHD units
were used to pull out the swell from each blast until the drawpoint brow was
reached. Lag of 3-4 rings were kept between the adjacent undercut tunnels.
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 CASSIAR – UNDERCUT BLASTING

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 CASSIAR - UNDERCUTTING

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 CASSIAR – PRODUCTION RATES

6,000

LEVEL 1350 LEVEL 1335 (planned)

5,000

4,000
tones/day

3,000

2,000

1,000

0
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33
months

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CASIAR MINE, BC CHRYSOTILE

INITIAL GROUND SUPPORT

PERFORMANCE

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• 50mm SHOTCRETE AFTER

BLASTING / MUCKING

• 2.4m LONG 22mm DIAMETER

DYWIDAG BOLTS FULLY GROUTED
AT 1m SPACING FLOOR TO FLOOR

• RESIN CARTRIGE GROUT WAS

REPLACED WITH CEMENT - ~80%
OF THE BOLTS FAIL THE PUL TEST
DUE TO POOR MIXING OF RESIN IN
POOR GROUND CONDITIONS

• WELDED WIRE MESH (9 GAUGE

WITH 100 X 100 mm OPENINGS)
WAS INSTALLED AND SECURED TO
THE BOLTS WITH 150 X 150 mm
PLATES AND BOLTS

• 3 ROUND BEHIND THE FACE ,

SECOND 50 mm THICK LAYER OF
SHOTCRETE WAS APPLIED

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Large displacement (up to

100mm per week) and
inadequate support resulted
in heavy damage to the
excavations.

After the
deformation

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CASIAR MINE, BC GROUND SUPPORT FAILURE 1350 N
CASIAR MINE, BC CHRYSOTILE

Due to the absence of the floor

support and high ground
pressure, excessive floor
heave occurred soon after the
production, making ore
transportation very difficult

Plastic flow of sheared serpentine

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 CASIAR MINE, BC WELDED MESH FAILURE

Failed in tension at
the weld

Welded mesh provided good support

pressure but did not tolerate large
displacement

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Plate were strong but with no

straps (shotcrete not
adequately reinforced) then
the shotcrete is sheared

The nut is pulled through if the

plate is not strong enough

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 CASSIAR – DRAWPOINT ARCHES

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 CASSIAR - BULLNOSES

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 CASSIAR – GROUND SUPPORT

• SHOTCRETE NOT ADEQUATLY REINFORCED – STRAPS INTRODUCED

• WELDED MESH FAILURE – REPLACED WITH CHAINLINK MESH

• SUPPORT SURFACE REINFORCED “SANDWICH” NOT ANCHORED DEEP

ENOUGH – COUPLED 4.8m BOLTS INTRODUCED

• FLOOR HEAVE – FLOOR SUPPORT INTRODUCED

• BULLNOSES NOT ADEQUATLY SUPPORTED – SYSTEMS OF STRAPS AND

CABLE SLINGS INTRODUCED

• PILLARS YILDED – LONG CABLES INTRODUCED

• YEILDING ARCHES DID NOT YIELD – “HENDERSON” TYPE ARCHES

INTRODUCED

• ARCHES WERE SQUEEZING IN - BETTER FLOOR PLATES AND

ANCHORES INTO THE WALLS MITIGATED THE PROBLEM

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CASIAR MINE, BC GROUND SUPPORT 1350 SOUTH

• 50mm SHOTCRETE AFTER BLASTING /

MUCKING

• 2.4m LONG 22mm DIAMETER DYWIDAG

BOLTS FULLY GROUTED AT 1m
SPACING FLOOR TO FLOOR

• WELDED WIRE MESH WAS REPLACED

WITH CHAINLINK (6 GAUGE WITH 75 X
75 mm OPENINGS) AND SYSTEM OF
VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL STRAPS
WAS INSTALLED AND SECURED TO THE
BOLTS WITH 150 X 150 mm PLATES AND
BOLTS

• 3 ROUND BEHIND THE FACE , SECOND

50 mm THICK LAYER OF SHOTCRETE
WAS APPLIED

• AFTER THE DRAWPOINT EXCAVATION

WAS COMPLETED 4.8m LONG FULLY
GROUTED DYWIDAGS AT 1m SPACING • CONCRETE FLOOR (WITH STEEL MATS AND
WERE INSTALLED 3m LONG CABLES) WAS PORED IN ALL
PRODUCTION DRIFTS, DRAWPOINTS AND 2m
BEHIND THE STEEL ARCHES
CASIAR MINE, BC GROUND SUPPORT 1350 SOUTH
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 CASSIAR – FLOOR SUPPORT

Reinforced concrete surface and cable

bolts installed into the floor, eliminated
heave problem and increased production
rate

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 CASSIAR – CHAIN LINK MESH

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 CASSIAR – CHAIN LINK MESH

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 CASSIAR – ROADHEADER EXCAVATION

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 CASSIAR - INSTRUMENTATION

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DRAWPOINT # 2

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DRAWPOINT # 9

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DRAWPOINT # 16

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• EXTREMELY DIFFICULT GROUND TO HANDLE , WEAK, HETEROGENEOUS

AND WHEN DISTURBED EXTREMELY LOW SHEAR STRENGTH

• UNALTERED PERIDOTITE “BOULDERS” SURROUNDED BY SOFT SHEARED

MATERIAL CREATE POINT LOADING PROBLEMS AND WERE “CHALLENGE”
IN TERMS OF FRAGMENTATION

• LARGE WEDGES SLIDING ON TALK RICH FAULTS AND SHEAR ZONES

• COMPACTION CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BROKEN ORE VERY

UNFAVOURABLE

• THE KEY ISSUE IS NOT LET GROUND RELAX AND PROVIDE 360° SUPPORT

• ACTIVE REINFORCEMENT RATHER THAN PASSIVE SUPPORT

• QA/QC OF EVERY ASPECT OF MINING IS PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE

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• CASSIAR CASE WAS PART OF INTERNATIONAL “GROUND

SUPPORT IN WEAK ROCK” STUDY

• NUMERICAL MODEL OF CASSIAR WAS CREATED AND

CALIBRATED TO KNOWN ROCK MASS PROPERTIES AND
DILATION

• STABILITY OF THE MODEL COULD NOT BE ACHIEVED IN THE

MODEL …… DESPITE THE FACT THAT CASSIAR WITH NEW
GROUND SUPPORT PERFORMED WELL

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… THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

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