PILLAR DESIGN – concentrating on room and pillar

PILLAR FUNCTIONS

SUPPORT systematic layout

room and pillar (support of overburden)

PROTECTIVE barrier pillar (between adjacent mines)

shaft pillar
ensure integrity of surface structures (rail, buildings etc.)

CONTROL systematic layout (regional pillars)

stabilising pillars (rock burst alleviation)
yield pillars (designed to fail under ‘control’)

Brady, B.H.G. and Brown, E.T. (1993). Rock mechanics for underground mining
(2nd edition), Chapman & Hall, London.
Martin, C.D. and Maybee, W.G. (2000). The strength of hard-rock pillars, International
Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 37, 1239-1246.
 COALBROOK DISASTER (1960) – 432 FATALITIES

Key research in South Africa (Salamon) during the 1960’s,

Primarily related to coal, but subsequently extended to ‘hard

rock’

PILLAR STRENGTH
FACTOR OF SAFETY
PILLAR STRESS

Brady, B.H.G. and Brown, E.T. (1993). Rock mechanics for underground mining
(2nd edition), Chapman & Hall, London.
Martin, C.D. and Maybee, W.G. (2000). The strength of hard-rock pillars, International
Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 37, 1239-1246.
ROOM

PILLAR
Pillar stress – Tributary area

PLAN view

W+R

W = pillar width
R = room width

Assign overburden so that each pillar is equally loaded.

Pillar carries full height of overburden.
 Rock column area
Pillar stress h( )
Pillar area

(W R) 2 W = pillar width, m
Pillar stress h R = room width, m
(W) 2 = unit weight of rock, kN/m3
h = depth below surface, m

(W R) 2 - ( W) 2 Note σv = h
Extraction ratio
( W R) 2

R
W PLAN view
W

W+R W+R
Pillar stress – Tributary area
Pillar stress – Tributary area

Limitations:

•Mining span should be greater than mining layout

•Suitability for steeply dipping orebodies
•Requires systematic and regular layout
•Lack of consideration for abutment pillar effects
•Assumes regular surface topography
•Assumes uniform stress redistribution over pillar

Computer simulation required for evaluation of pillar stress

for complex layouts. Software: Map3D, NFOLD, MinSim3D
Streamline flow analogy
Effect of extraction ratio on pillar stress
PLAN view

Pillar Stress
h W

W+R

At high e, further extraction would lead to dramatic increases in stress.

Where pillars are sole means of support > 75% extraction rare (e = 0.75 or 75%)
 Pillar strength

Two general forms of equation:

Pillar strength KW
H

W
Pillar strength mass (A B H )

Factors to consider:
Scale effect
Shape effect
Pillar material (rock type/strength)
Scale or Size Effect

Strength reduction
Shape Effect – width to height ratio

Increasing strength
Stress distribution across pillars
 Pillar strength

Pillar strength KW
Two general forms of equation: H

W
Pillar strength mass (A B H )

(after Martin and Maybee, 2000)

(after Brady and Brown, 1993)
(after Madden, 1991)
(after Madden, 1991)
(after Madden, 1991)
(after Madden, 1991)
(after Madden, 1991)
(after Madden, 1991)
(after Madden, 1991)
(after Madden, 1991)
(after Madden, 1991)
Worked example:

Find optimum pillar width ?

Estimate e ?

Check W/H ratio