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Date submitted2023-07-25
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Date accepted2024-05-02
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Date published2024-08-26
Finite element analysis of slope failure in Ouenza open-pit iron mine, NE Algeria: causes and lessons for stability control
Slope failures in mining engineering pose significant risks to slope stability control, necessitating a thorough investigation into their root causes. This paper focuses on a back analysis of a slope failure in the Zerga section of the Ouenza – Algeria open-pit iron mine. The primary objectives are to identify the causes of slope failure, propose preventive measures, and suggest techniques to enhance stability, thereby providing crucial insights for monitoring slope stability during mining operations. The study commenced with a reconstruction of the slopes in the affected zones, followed by a numerical analysis utilizing the Shear strength reduction method within the Finite element method (SSR-FE). This approach enables the examination of slope stability under both static and dynamic loads. The dynamic load assessment incorporated an evaluation of the vibrations induced by the blasting process during excavation, introducing seismic loading into the finite element analysis. The findings reveal that the primary triggering factor for the landslide was the vibration generated by the blasting process. Furthermore, the slope stability was found to be critically compromised under static loads, highlighting a failure to adhere to exploitation operation norms. The challenging geology, particularly the presence of marl layers where maximum shear strain occurs, contributed to the formation of the landslide surface. The study not only identifies the causes of slope failure but also provides valuable lessons for effective slope stability management in mining operations.
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Date submitted2023-04-10
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Date accepted2024-12-27
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Date published2024-04-25
Optimization of specific energy consumption for rock crushing by explosion at deposits with complex geological structure
The selection of efficient drilling and blasting technology to achieve the required particle size distribution of blasted rock mass and reduce ore dilution is directly related to the accurate definition of rock mass properties. The zoning of the rock massif by its hardness, drillability and blastability does not consider the variability of the geological structure of the block for blasting, resulting in an overestimated specific consumption of explosives. The decision of this task is particularly urgent for enterprises developing deposits with a high degree of variability of geological structure, for example, at alluvial deposits. Explosives overconsumption causes non-optimal granulometric composition of the blasted rock mass for the given conditions and mining technology. It is required to define physical and mechanical properties of rocks at deposits with complex geological structure at each block prepared for blasting. The correlation between the physical and mechanical properties of these rocks and drilling parameters should be used for calculation. The relation determined by the developed method was verified in industrial conditions, and the granulometric composition of the blasted rock mass was measured by an indirect method based on excavator productivity. The results demonstrated an increase in excavation productivity, thus indicating the accuracy of given approach to the task of identifying the rocks of the blasted block.
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Date submitted2021-07-05
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Date accepted2022-07-21
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Date published2022-11-10
Fragmentation analysis using digital image processing and empirical model (KuzRam): a comparative study
The rock fragmentation reflects the degree of control of blasting. Despite the accuracy of screening analysis to determine the size distribution of blasted rocks, this technique remains complex and long because of the large volume of blasted rocks. The digital image processing method can overcome these constraints of accuracy and speed. Our method uses the empirical model of KuzRam and numerical method (Digital image processing) through two image processing software’s (WipFrag and Split-Desktop) to analyze the particle size distribution of rocks fragmented by explosives in Jebel Medjounes limestone quarry. The digital image processing is based on the photography of the pile of blasted rock analyzed using image processing techniques. The objective of this work is to evaluate and compare the results obtained for each blast from the two methods and to discuss the similarities and differences among them. Three different blasts with the same design were analyzed through the two methods. The result of the KuzRam model gave idealistic results due to the heterogeneity of the structure of the rocks; although, this model can be used for an initial evaluation of blast design. For better efficiency of the explosion, we proposed a new fragmentation indicator factor in order to compare the fragment produced to the estimated ideal size obtained from the KuzRam model by incorporating the blast design parameters and the rock factor. Both image processing gives close results with more accuracy for the Split-Desktop software. Our method can improve the efficiency and reduce crushing costs of the studied career.
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Date submitted2021-10-14
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Date accepted2022-04-07
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Date published2022-04-29
The influence of the shape and size of dust fractions on their distribution and accumulation in mine workings when changing the structure of air flow
The results of the analysis of statistical data on accidents at Russian mines caused by explosions in the workings space have shown that explosions of methane-dust-air mixtures at underground coal mines are the most severe accidents in terms of consequences. A detailed analysis of literature sources showed that in the total number of explosions prevails total share of hybrid mixtures, i.e. with the simultaneous participation of gas (methane) and coal dust, as well as explosions with the possible or partial involvement of coal dust. The main causes contributing to the occurrence and development of dust-air mixture explosions, including irregular monitoring of by mine engineers and technicians of the schedule of dust explosion protective measures; unreliable assessment of the dust situation, etc., are given. The main problem in this case was the difficulty of determining the location and volume of dust deposition zones in not extinguished and difficult to access for instrumental control workings. Determination of the class-shape of coal dust particles is a necessary condition for constructing a model of the dust situation reflecting the aerosol distribution in the workings space. The morphological composition of coal mine dust fractions with dispersion less than 0.1 has been studied. Particle studies conducted using an LEICA DM 4000 optical microscope and IMAGE SCOPE M software made it possible to establish the different class-shapes of dust particles found in operating mines. It was found that the coal dust particles presented in the samples correspond to the parallelepiped shape to the greatest extent. The mathematical model based on the specialized ANSYS FLUENT complex, in which this class-form is incorporated, is used for predicting the distribution of explosive and combustible coal dust in the workings space. The use of the obtained model in production conditions will allow to determine the possible places of dust deposition and to develop measures to prevent the transition of coal dust from the aerogel state to the aerosol state and thereby prevent the formation of an explosive dust-air mixture.
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Date submitted2020-06-16
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Date accepted2021-03-29
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Date published2021-09-20
Empirical regularities investigation of rock mass discharge by explosion on the free surface of a pit bench
- Authors:
- Igor A. Alenichev
- Ruslan A. Rakhmanov
Minimizing the discharge of blasted rock mass into the developed space of the pit is a very relevant area for study, as it allows to increase the processability of work and reduce the cost of mining. The article presents the results of experimental industrial explosions, during which the study of this issue was conducted. The main purpose of the work was to establish the key factors affecting the volume of rock mass discharge to the pit haulage berm. During the analysis of the world experience of research on this topic, the key factors affecting the formation of collapse and discharge – natural and technological – are identified. The method of conducting experiments and collecting data for analyzing the influence of technological parameters of location, charging and initiation of wells on the volume of rock mass discharge is described. It is established that the main discharge to the pit haulage berm is formed by the volume of rock mass limited by the prism of the slope angle. With a sufficient rock mass displacement from the edge of the bench crest towards the center of the block, only the wells of the 1st and 2nd rows participate in the discharge formation. Empirical dependences of the total volume of rock mass discharge on the length of the block along the bench crest, the specific consumption of explosives, the size of a rock piece P 50 and the rate of rock breaking are obtained. The obtained results can be used to design the parameters of the drilling and blasting operations (DBO), as well as to predict and evaluate the possible consequences of a mass explosion in similar mining and geological conditions.
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Date submitted2021-01-25
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Date accepted2021-02-22
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Date published2021-04-26
Conducting industrial explosions near gas pipelines
The problem to ensure the safety of objects which are in the area of blasting operations, ensuring the destruction of hard rocks, remains relevant. The article presents the results of a large-scale experiment to determine the safe conditions for conducting drilling and blasting operations near the active gas pipeline. The simplest and most reliable way to ensure the safety of the protected object from seismic impact is to reduce the intensity of the seismic wave, which is achieved by changing the parameters of drilling and blasting operations. This requires research to determine the impact of blasting operations on the parameters of seismic waves and the development of methods for measuring these parameters. The paper presents a detailed analysis of the seismic blast wave impact on the displacement of the ground and the model gas pipeline. The features of seismic monitoring during blasting operations near the active gas pipeline are shown. The seismic coefficients and attenuation coefficient of seismic waves are determined. It is proved that the readings of the seismic receivers on the surface and in the depth of the massive differ by two or more times.
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Date submitted2020-06-16
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Date accepted2020-07-13
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Date published2020-11-24
Study of Aluminum Influence on the Adhesion of Stainless Steel in Flame Spraying
This paper is dedicated to a study of aluminum influence on the improvement of surface adhesion strength. The main purpose of this work is to investigate the strength of adhesion to the substrate by mixing flame spray powder with aluminum, which not only possesses high corrosion resistance and conductivity, but also provides additional strength, as it combines and reacts with other components of the powder. Research results of sandblasting dependence on surface roughness parameter Ra are demonstrated. The paper describes authors’ original device for a measuring instrument “Profilometer”, which was also used for measuring roughness parameter in order to obtain comparative results. Authors present results of adhesion measurements given obtained values of surface roughness by mixing nominal chemical composition of PR-30X13 powder, used as a testing material, with aluminum, which reacts with oxides on the surface of steel substrates, imparts strength to the bonding between the coating and the substrate, protects the base metal due to a combination of chemical components of the powder and creates a layer of dense surface coating. These dependencies are analyzed and parameters, exerting the greatest influence on their values, are identified. Taking into account the results obtained through numerical modeling, authors propose a mathematical model of a dependency between adhesion strength and certain values of surface roughness for different chemical compositions of flame spray powder. These studies will help in the development of certain material types for spraying and hardening of steel parts and products in order to improve their durability.
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Date submitted2019-09-04
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Date accepted2019-12-25
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Date published2020-04-24
Composition of spherules and lower mantle minerals, isotopic and geochemical characteristics of zircon from volcaniclastic facies of the Mriya lamproite pipe
The article presents the results of studying the rocks of the pyroclastic facies of the Mriya lamproite pipe, located on the Priazovsky block of the Ukrainian shield. In them the rock's mineral composition includes a complex of exotic mineral particles formed under extreme reduction mantle conditions: silicate spherules, particles of native metals and intermetallic alloys, oxygen-free minerals such as diamond, qusongite (WC), and osbornite (TiN). The aim of the research is to establish the genesis of volcaniclastic rocks and to develop ideas of the highly deoxidized mantle mineral association (HRMMA), as well as to conduct an isotopic and geochemical study of zircon. As a result, groups of minerals from different sources are identified in the heavy fraction: HRMMA can be attributed to the juvenile magmatic component of volcaniclastic rocks; a group of minerals and xenoliths that can be interpreted as xenogenic random material associated with mantle nodules destruction (hornblendite, olivinite and dunite xenoliths), intrusive lamproites (tremolite-hornblende) and crystalline basement rocks (zircon, hornblende, epidote, and granitic xenoliths). The studied volcaniclastic rocks can be defined as intrusive pyroclastic facies (tuffisites) formed after the lamproites intrusion. Obviously, the HRMMA components formed under extreme reducing conditions at high temperatures, which are characteristic of the transition core-mantle zone. Thus, we believe that the formation of primary metal-silicate HRMMA melts is associated with the transition zone D".
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Date submitted2019-01-10
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Date accepted2019-03-02
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Date published2019-06-25
Modeling of the welding process of flat sheet parts by an explosion
- Authors:
- M. A. Marinin
- S. V. Khokhlov
- V. A. Isheyskiy
The list of materials subject to explosive welding is very extensive and amounts to several hundred combinations of various alloys and metals, and the variety of explosive welding schemes has more than a thousand options. In almost all technical solutions, the process involves the sequential creation of physical contact of the materials to be welded and their connection due to plastic deformation of the contacting surfaces. The strength of such a connection depends on the mode of the welding process. With the correct selection of the parameters of the mode, it is possible to obtain a high-quality connection of the required strength. However, the experimental selection of such options is a very laborious and costly process. Computer simulation and application of mathematical models for solving dynamic problems of explosion mechanics simplifies the search for optimal parameters and allows to predict the expected result in the shortest possible time. The article discusses the issues of modeling of explosive welding of metals, calculations related to the parameters of the process of formation of the weld using the Ansys Autodyn software package. A model is presented for analyzing the deformation process of explosion welding of a plate and its connection with a matrix. The main parameters of explosion welding (velocity, pressure, time) are determined. The adequacy of the obtained values was evaluated in the systems aluminum – copper and copper – steel. It also provides a comparative analysis of simulation results and field experiments. Based on numerical calculations, a conclusion was substantiated on the suitability of the model obtained for a preliminary analysis of the main welding parameters at the preparatory stage.
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Date submitted2018-12-25
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Date accepted2019-03-22
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Date published2019-06-25
Technology of blasting of strong valuable ores with ring borehole pattern
- Authors:
- I. V. Sokolov
- A. A. Smirnov
- A. A. Rozhkov
The ores of non-ferrous and precious metals, represented by hard rocks, has a peculiar feature, that is the effect of segregation, that is the tendency of ore minerals to break down into small size classes, which in the underground mining method accumulate in significant quantities on uneven surface of bottom layers and subsequently are lost. When mining valuable non-metallic materials, there is an acute problem of overgrinding, when fines do not meet the requirements for the quality of the final product. It is well known that the granulometric composition of the ore depends mainly on the technology and parameters of drilling and blasting operations. In underground mining of ore deposits, the main method of drilling and blasting is the borehole blasting with continuous construction charges with the ring pattern. The main drawbacks of the method are: uneven distribution of the explosive along the plane of the broken layer and the expenditure of a significant part of the blast energy of the charges of the continuous structure on the blasting effect, necessarily associated with over-grinding the ore. To solve these problems, the authors proposed a blasting technology, the essence of which lies in the fact that the uniform distribution of the energy concentration of explosives in the broken layer is ensured by the dispersion of charges by air gaps and a certain order of their placement in the ring plane. For the practical implementation of the technology, a method has been developed to form dispersed charges in deep boreholes that do not require a significant increase in labor costs and additional special means. A special technique has been created that allows defining the dispersion parameters, ensuring the sustained specific consumption of explosives over the entire plane of the broken layer. Experimental studies of the proposed technology in the natural conditions of an underground mine for the extraction of valuable granulated quartz were carried out. As a result, the possibility of a significant reduction in the specific consumption of explosives (by 42 %) has been established. At the same time, the yield of the commercial product increased by 10.7 % in total, and the yield of the fraction most favorable for further processing increased by 33.7 %.
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Date submitted2018-07-21
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Date accepted2018-09-14
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Date published2018-12-21
Natural ventilation of gas space in reservoir with internal floating roof
- Authors:
- M. G. Karavaichenko
- N. M. Fathiev
The article deals with safe operation issues of vertical steel reservoirs with an internal floating roof when storing volatile oil products. The purpose of the work is to study the influence of ventilation openings area and wind speed on the duration of explosive state of vertical reservoirs with an internal floating roof. The influence of ventilation pipes' dimensions and the wind speed on the duration of explosive state of the reservoir has been studied. Method for calculating this time is proposed. It is shown that natural ventilation of the reservoir gas space is caused by the effect of two forces, which are formed due to: 1) the density difference between the vapor-air mixture in the reservoir and outside air; 2) wind pressure occurring on the roof of the reservoir. An algorithm for calculating the duration of reservoir being in an explosive state with wind pressure and no wind is obtained. The greater the difference in geodetic marks of the central and peripheral nozzles, the more efficient the ventilation. This distance will be greatest if the lower ventilation pipes are located on the upper belt of the reservoir or the reservoir is equipped with an air drain. Increase in wind speed of more than 10 m/s does not significantly affect the duration of the reservoir being in an explosive state. Increasing the diameter of the central nozzle from 200 to 500 mm can significantly reduce the duration of the reservoir degassing in windless weather.
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Date submitted2018-01-04
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Date accepted2018-03-08
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Date published2018-06-22
Influence of mining-geological conditions and technogenic factors on blastholes stability during open mining of apatite-nepheline ores
- Authors:
- M. N. Overchenko
- S. A. Tolstunov
- S. P. Mozer
The paper presents the results of borehole stability research and considers possible causes of emergencies. The features of the blast hole drilling process are analyzed taking into account the properties of the rock. Based on the distribution of speed of drill fines removal from the well, an algorithm for selecting drilling modes is proposed. The nature of change in the size of the holess over time has been analyzed. This paper investigates the influence of rock fracturing and its water content on borehole stability. Possible options for eliminating the man-made impact on the massif near holes and options for fixing the hole walls with soft shells are suggested. The experimental data on the installation of shells for the conditions of open mining of apatite-nepheline ores are given. The operability and effectiveness of the technology is proved.
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Date submitted2017-11-22
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Date accepted2018-01-04
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Date published2018-04-24
Justification of a methodical approach of aerologic evaluation of methane hazard in development workings at mines of Vietnam
- Authors:
- V. V. Smirnyakov
- Nguen Min' Fen
The methods of evaluation of the aerological conditions to be performed for the purpose of normalization of mining conditions are provided in the present review; the location of possible accumulations of explosive gases during the drift of the development workings are taken into account. To increase the safety of the development working regarding the gas factor, a complex evaluation of a working was developed with respect to the dynamics of methane emission and air coursing along the working which is strongly affected by the character of the leakages from the ventilation ducting. Thereby, there occurs a necessity of the enhancement of a methodical approach of calculation of ventilation of a working which consists in taking into consideration a total aerodynamic resistance of the booster fan including the local resistances of the zones of the working. An integer simulation of the gas-air flows realized on the basis of a software package FLowVision allows to evaluate a change in the methane concentration in the zones of local accumulations.