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An analytical solution for evaluating the safety of an exposed face in a paste backfill stope incorporating the arching phenomenon

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Abstract

In current underground mining, the stability of the exposed backfill face is a basic issue associated with mining design and has been the subject of considerable research in mining safety and efficiency. In this study, an improved analytical solution for evaluating the safety of vertically exposed faces in backfilling was proposed. Based on a differential slice method, the proposed solution emphasizes the arching effect as having the advantages of more rigor and wider scalability. Feasibility of the proposed solution was validated with classic centrifuge results. Good agreement between compared results indicated that the proposed solution skillfully predicts the behavior of the paste centrifuge model. Additionally, calculation of exposed face safety in sequential filling was presented. The proposed solution has practical significance in mine backfill design.

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Acknowledgement

This work was financially supported by the China Scholarship Council (No. 201506420049).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering, University of Western Australia, Perth, 6009, Australia

    Xu Zhao & Andy Fourie

  2. School of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Chong-chong Qi

Authors
  1. Xu Zhao
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  2. Andy Fourie
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  3. Chong-chong Qi
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Correspondence to Chong-chong Qi.

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Zhao, X., Fourie, A. & Qi, Cc. An analytical solution for evaluating the safety of an exposed face in a paste backfill stope incorporating the arching phenomenon. Int J Miner Metall Mater 26, 1206–1216 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-019-1885-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-019-1885-7

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