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Rock and Gas Outbursts in Copper Mines: Use of Brazilian Tests to Evaluate the Work of Disintegration of Rock Resulting from Stresses Produced by Gas Present in its Porous Structure

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Abstract

Rock and gas outbursts occur most frequently in coal mining. Gas-induced geodynamic events in dolomite are a new and unexplored phenomenon. In the last time, two outbursts of gas and dolomite have occurred in the Legnica-Głogów Copper Region in southwestern Poland, which is one of the world’s largest copper ore mining regions. Gas-induced geodynamic events are dependent on the co-occurrence of two factors: rock porosity, and the presence of gas under significant pressure in the pores and crevices of the rock. This paper presents a condensed energy balance for the phenomenon of outbursts of dolomites and gases. The quantity of energy depends on the type of transformation taking place during decompression. The work produced enables first the disintegration of the rock, and then its transportation along the mine working space. This paper has focused on the estimation of the energy required to disintegrate the rock. It has been estimated that 0.38 MJ is needed for the size reduction of 1 m3 of ejected mass.

Highlights

  • In the case of a dolomite outburst, the energy is accumulated primarily in the form of compressed gas present in the porous structure of the rock and causes the rock to disintegrate and its transport along the mine working space.

  • Gas decompression during a gas-induced geodynamic phenomena can be between isothermal and adiabatic.

  • Existing disintegration theories: Rittinger’s, Kick’s and Bond’s are based consists chiefly of crushing, compression or abrasion, caused by the action of external factors.

  • Author's theory of disintegration of research on tensile stress and is based on Brazilian tests.

  • The disintegration of 1 m3 of rock requires the production of energy of approximately 0.38 MJ.

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Abbreviations

\(d [m]\) :

Is the edge of a smaller cube

\(D [m]\) :

Is the edge of the large cube

\({d}_{z} [mm]\) :

Is equivalent diameters

\({d}_{80} \left[\mu m\right]\) :

Is the grain size representing 80% of the population in the product

\({D}_{80} [\mu m]\) :

Is the grain size representing 80% of population in the initial material

\(E [MPa]\) :

Is Young's modulus

\(\kappa [-]\) :

Is the adiabatic index

\(n [-]\) :

Is the number of newly formed cubes with edge \(d\)

\({p}_{i} [{m}^{2}]\) :

Is the mean surface area of a single grain in the i-th class

\({P}_{max} [kN]\) :

Is value of the loading force at the moment of failure of the sample

\({p}_{p} [{m}^{2}]\) :

Is the newly formed surface area of the sample in the Brazilian test

\({p}_{r1} [\frac{{m}^{2}}{{m}^{3}}]\) :

Is the total surface area of grains of size 1–20 mm formed from the disintegration of 1 m3 of rock

\({p}_{0} [MPa]\) :

Is the pore pressure in the rock seam

\({p}_{1} [MPa]\) :

Is the atmospheric pressure in the mine working space

\({p}_{1c} [{m}^{2}]\) :

Is new surface area formed from 1 m3 of rock

\({R}_{r} [MPa]\) :

Is tensile strength

\(S [{m}^{2}]\) :

Is the newly formed surface area

\({u}_{i} [{m}^{3}]\) :

Is the volume contribution of the i-th grain size class in 1 m3 according to the grain size distribution

\({V}_{i} [{m}^{3}]\) :

Is the mean volume of a single grain in the i-th class

\({V}_{0} [{m}^{3}]\) :

Is the volume of gas at pressure \({p}_{0}\)

\(W [\frac{MJ}{{m}^{3}}]\) :

Is the work done by the gas in the course of its decompression

\({W}_{a} [\frac{MJ}{{m}^{3}}]\) :

Is the work done by the gas in adiabatic transformation

\({W}_{b} [J]\) :

Is the work done to destroy the sample in the Brazilian test

\({W}_{B} [\frac{kWh}{Mg}]\) :

Is the work done in disintegrating the rock according to Bond’s theory

\({W}_{D} [\frac{J}{{m}^{3}}]\) :

Is the work required to be done by the gas to disintegrate 1 m3 of rock

\({W}_{i} [\frac{MJ}{{m}^{3}}]\) :

Is the work done by the gas in isothermal transformation

\({W}_{I} [\frac{kWh}{Mg}]\) :

Is the unit work (Bond’s work index)

\({W}_{j} [\frac{J}{{m}^{2}}]\) :

Is the unit work

\({W}_{K} [\frac{MJ}{{m}^{3}}]\) :

Is the work done in disintegrating the rock according to Kick’s theory

\({W}_{R} [J]\) :

Is the work done in disintegrating the rock according to Rittinger’s theory

\({W}_{T}[\frac{MJ}{{m}^{3}}]\) :

Is the work of transportation of the rock

\(\sigma\) :

Is compressive stress [MPa]

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Acknowledgements

The work was financed as part of the statutory research of the Strata Mechanics Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The research was supported by scientific exchange within the Polish–Czech project CAS-PAN ID PAN-20-22.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Strata Mechanics Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 30-059, Kraków, Poland

    Katarzyna Kozieł, Andrzej Nowakowski & Norbert Skoczylas

  2. Institute of Geonics of the CAS, Studentska 1768, 708 00, Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic

    Libor Sitek

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  1. Katarzyna Kozieł
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Correspondence to Norbert Skoczylas.

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Kozieł, K., Nowakowski, A., Sitek, L. et al. Rock and Gas Outbursts in Copper Mines: Use of Brazilian Tests to Evaluate the Work of Disintegration of Rock Resulting from Stresses Produced by Gas Present in its Porous Structure. Rock Mech Rock Eng 55, 6209–6225 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-022-02955-z

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