High-steep slope stability and its optimal excavation design in Shuichang open pit iron mine were analyzed based on a large 3D physical simulation technique. An optimal excavation scheme with a relatively steeper slope angle was successfully implemented at the northwest wall between Nos. 4 and 5 exploration lines of Shuichang Iron Mine, taking into account the 3D scale effect. The phys-ico-mechanical properties of rock materials were obtained by laboratory tests conducted on sample cores from exploration drilling directly from the iron mine. A porous rock-like composite material was formed for the model, and the mechanical parameters of the material were assessed experimentally;specifically, the effect of water on the sample was quantitatively determined. We adopted an experimental setup using stiff modular applied static loading to carry out a visual excavation of the slope at a random depth. The setup was equipped with acous-tic emission （AE） sensors, and the experiments were monitored by crack optical acquirement, ground penetrating radar, and close-field pho-togrammetry to investigate the mechanisms of rock-mass destabilization in the high-steep slope. For the complex study area, the model re-sults indicated a clear correlation between the model＇s destabilization resulting from slope excavation and the collected monitoring informa-tion. During the model simulation, the overall angle of the slope increased by 1-6 degrees in different sections. Dramatically, the modeled excavation scheme saved over 80 million tons of rock from extraction, generating enormous economic and ecological benefits.
Xing-ping LaiPeng-fei ShanMei-feng CaiFen-hua RenWen-hui Tan
Structure stability analysis of rock masses is essential for forecasting catastrophic structure failure in coal seam mining. Steeply dipping thick coal seams （SDTCS） are common in the Urumqi coalfield, and some dynamical hazards such as roof collapse and mining-induced seismicity occur frequently in the coal mines. The cause of these events is mainly structure instability in giant rock pillars sand- wiched between SDTCS. Developing methods to predict these events is important for safe mining in such a complex environment. This study focuses on understanding the structural mechanics model of a giant rock pillar and presents a viewpoint of the stability of a trend sphenoid fractured beam （TSFB）. Some stability index parameters such as failure surface dips were measured, and most dips were observed to be between 46° and 51°. We used a digital panoramic borehole monitoring system to measure the TSFB＇s height （△H）, which varied from 56.37 to 60.50 m. Next, FLAC^3D was used to model the distribution and evolution of vertical displacement in the giant rock pillars; the results confirmed the existence of a TSFB structure. Finally, we investigated the acoustic emission （AE） energy accumulation rate and observed that the rate commonly ranged from 20 to 40 kJ/min. The AE energy accumulation rate could be used to anticipate impeding seismic events related to structure failure. The results presented provide a useful approach for forecasting catastrophic events related to structure instability and for developing hazard prevention technology for mining in SDTCS.
Xing-ping LaiHuan SunPeng-fei ShanMing CaiJian-tao CaoFeng Cui
