Sirvan Moradi; Seyed Davoud Mohammadi; Abbas Aghajani Bazzazi; Ali Aali Anvari; Ava Osmanpour
Abstract
Feasibility studies of mining and industrial investment projects are usually associated with uncertain parameters; hence, these investigations rely on prediction. In these particular conditions, simulation and modelling techniques remain the most significant approaches to reduce the decision risk. Since ...
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Feasibility studies of mining and industrial investment projects are usually associated with uncertain parameters; hence, these investigations rely on prediction. In these particular conditions, simulation and modelling techniques remain the most significant approaches to reduce the decision risk. Since several uncertain parameters are incorporated in the modelling process, distribution functions are employed to explain the parameters. However, due to the usual constrain of limited data, these functions cannot significantly explain the variation of those uncertain parameters. Support vector machine, one of the efficient techniques of artificial intelligence, provides the appropriate results in the classification and regression tasks. The principal aims of this research work are to integrate the simulation and artificial intelligence methods to manage the risk prediction of an economic system under uncertain conditions. The financial process of the Halichal mine in the Mazandaran province, Iran, is considered a case study to prove the performance of the support vector machine technique. The results show that integrating the simulation and support vector machine techniques can provide more realistic results, especially when including uncertain parameters. The correlation between the net present value obtained from the simulation and the net present value is about 0.96, which shows the capability of artificial intelligence methods and the simulation process. The root mean square error of the support vector machine prediction is about 0.322, which indicates a low error rate in the net present value estimation. The values of these errors prove that this method has a high accuracy and performance for predicting a net present value in the Halichal granite mine.
Rock Mechanics
Erfan Amini; Masoud Mojarab; Hossein Memarian
Abstract
Landslides are defined as the downward movement of a portion of land materials under the direct influence of gravity. Landslides would get triggered by a wide spectrum of initiative factors such as earthquakes as a site effect of that event. In the vicinity of Tehran, significant historical earthquakes ...
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Landslides are defined as the downward movement of a portion of land materials under the direct influence of gravity. Landslides would get triggered by a wide spectrum of initiative factors such as earthquakes as a site effect of that event. In the vicinity of Tehran, significant historical earthquakes have occurred; therefore, tracing them could enhance the Tehran’s historical earthquake catalogue, due to the reason Tehran is a metropolitan and capital of Iran. However, paleoseismology could not determine the magnitude and seismic characteristics of historical earthquakes. Mobarak Abad landslide is a large and historical landslide located on Haraz road, a vital artery connecting Tehran to the Mazandaran Province, and there are significant faults like Mosha, North Alborz, and Khazar in its neighborhood. Hence, it is probable that this landslide occurred due to the generation of dynamic force resulting from an earthquake. Therefore, in this study, the geometrical characteristics of the landslide were measured by field surveying. Then with the empirical equations proposed by various researchers, we estimated the landslide volume and the magnitude of the corresponding earthquake, respectively. In the following, the epicenter and hypocenter of all the historical earthquakes within 200 kilometers of the landslide were identified. Then we utilized some conditions such as Keefer's graphs, error value in epicenter location, and peak ground acceleration to omit earthquakes and identify the corresponding earthquake event. The results demonstrate that two earthquakes of 1830 AD and 855 AD with a maximum acceleration of 0.16g are more probable than the 743 AD earthquake.
Exploitation
Elham Lotfi; Javad Gholamnejad; Mehdi Najafi; Mohammad Sadegh Zamani; Mahboobe Honarvar
Abstract
In the context of open pit mining operations, long-term production scheduling faces significant challenges due to inherent uncertainties, particularly in commodity prices. Traditional mathematical models often adopt a single-point estimation strategy for commodity price, leading to suboptimal mine plans ...
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In the context of open pit mining operations, long-term production scheduling faces significant challenges due to inherent uncertainties, particularly in commodity prices. Traditional mathematical models often adopt a single-point estimation strategy for commodity price, leading to suboptimal mine plans and missed production targets. The simultaneous effect of commodity price uncertainty on the cut-off grade and long-term production scheduling is less considered. This paper introduces a novel model for optimizing open pit mine long-term production scheduling under commodity price uncertainty considering a dynamic cut-off grade strategy, based on a two-stage Stochastic Production Programming (SPP) framework. The presented model seeks to identify optimal mining block sequences, maximizing total discounted cash flow while penalizing deviations from production targets. To illustrate the model's efficiency, it was implemented in a copper mine. First, the Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM) model is used to quantify the future commodity price. Then, both deterministic and SPP models were solved using GAMS software. The results showed that the practical NPV obtained from the SPP model is approximately 3% higher than the DPP model, while all constraints are satisfied.
Maysam Abedi; Gholam-Hossain Norouzi; Nader Fathianpour; Ali Gholami
Abstract
This paper describes the application of approximate methods to invert airborne magnetic data as well as helicopter-borne frequency domain electromagnetic data in order to retrieve a joint model of magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity. The study area located in Semnan province of Iran consists ...
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This paper describes the application of approximate methods to invert airborne magnetic data as well as helicopter-borne frequency domain electromagnetic data in order to retrieve a joint model of magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity. The study area located in Semnan province of Iran consists of an arc-shaped porphyry andesite covered by sedimentary units which may have potential of mineral occurrences, especially porphyry copper. Based on previous studies, which assume a homogenous half-space earth model, two approximate methods involving the Siemon and the Mundry approaches are used in this study to generate a resistivity-depth image of underground geologically plausible porphyry unit derived from airborne electromagnetic data. The 3D visualization of the 1D inverted resistivity models along all flight lines provides a resistive geological unit which corresponds to the desired porphyry andesite. To reduce uncertainty arising from single geophysical model, i.e., the resistivity model acquired from the frequency domain electromagnetic data, a fast implementable approach for 3D inversion of magnetic data called the Lanczos bidiagonalization method is also applied to the large scale airborne magnetic data in order to construct a 3D distribution model of magnetic susceptibility, by which the obtained model consequently confirms the extension of an arc-shaped porphyry andesite at depth. The susceptible-resistive porphyry andesite model provided by integrated geophysical data indicates a thicker structure than what is shown on the geological map while extends down at depth. As a result, considering simultaneous interpretation of airborne magnetic and frequency domain electromagnetic data certainly yield lower uncertainty in the modeling of andesite unit as a potential source of copper occurrences.
Exploitation
B. Sohrabian; R. Mikaeil; R. Hasanpour; Y. Ozcelik
Abstract
The quality properties of andesite (Unit Volume Weight, Uniaxial Compression Strength, Los500, etc.) are required to determine the exploitable blocks and their sequence of extraction. However, the number of samples that can be taken and analyzed is restricted, and thus the quality properties should be ...
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The quality properties of andesite (Unit Volume Weight, Uniaxial Compression Strength, Los500, etc.) are required to determine the exploitable blocks and their sequence of extraction. However, the number of samples that can be taken and analyzed is restricted, and thus the quality properties should be estimated at unknown locations. Cokriging has been traditionally used in the estimation of spatially cross-correlated variables. However, it can face unsolvable matrices in its algorithm. An alternative to cokriging is to transform variables into spatially orthogonal factors, and then to apply kriging to them. Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is one of the methods that can be used to generate these factors. However, ICA is applicable to zero lag distance so that using methods with distance parameter in their algorithms would be advantageous. In this work, Minimum Spatial Cross-correlation (MSC) was applied to six mechanical properties of Cubuk andesite quarry located in Ankara, Turkey, in order to transform them into approximately orthogonal factors at several lag distances. The factors were estimated at 1544 (5 m × 5 m) regular grid points using the kriging method, and the results were back-transformed into the original data space. The efficiency of the MSC-kriging was compared with Independent Component kriging (IC-kriging) and cokriging through cross-validation test. All methods were unbiased but the MSC-kriging outperformed the IC-kriging and cokriging because of having the lowest mean errors and the highest correlation coefficients between the estimated and the observed values. The estimation results were used to determine the most profitable blocks and the optimum direction of extraction.
Exploitation
I. Masoumi; Gh.R. Kamali; O. Asghari
Abstract
Dilution can best be defined as the proportion of waste tonnage to the total weight of ore and waste in each block. Predicting the internal dilution based on geological boundaries of waste and ore in each block can help engineers to develop more reliable long-term planning designs in mining activities. ...
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Dilution can best be defined as the proportion of waste tonnage to the total weight of ore and waste in each block. Predicting the internal dilution based on geological boundaries of waste and ore in each block can help engineers to develop more reliable long-term planning designs in mining activities. This paper presents a method to calculate the geological internal dilution in each block and to correct the ultimate grade of each geological block according to the internal dilution values that have already been calculated for each one of them. In this regard, the input data is first indexed based on the lithological logs of drill holes. The occurrence probabilities of ore and waste in each block are calculated via 100 realizations using the sequential indicator simulation. Dilution is computed as the ratio of waste rock tonnage to the total tonnage of ore and waste. Furthermore, joint simulation of the continuous variables is performed for each mining block using the minimum/maximum auto-correlation factors. In the next step, for each block, the final grade variables including iron and iron oxide are computed by considering the calculated internal dilution. These analyses are applied to the Gohar Zamin iron ore deposit, and the actual internal dilution calculated based on the lithological logs of blast holes is compared with the same values obtained based on the proposed method in each block. The results obtained were found to be satisfactory.
Y. Asgari Nezhad; A. Moradzadeh
Abstract
One of the most essential factors involved in unconventional gas reserves for drilling and production is a suitable quality facies determination. The direct core and geochemical analyses are the most common methods used for studying this quality. Due to the lack of this data and the high cost, the researchers ...
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One of the most essential factors involved in unconventional gas reserves for drilling and production is a suitable quality facies determination. The direct core and geochemical analyses are the most common methods used for studying this quality. Due to the lack of this data and the high cost, the researchers have recently resorted to the indirect methods that use the common data of the reservoir (including petro-physical logs and seismic data). One of the major problems in using these methods is that the complexities of these reproducible repositories cannot be accurately modeled. In this work, the quality of facies in shale gas is zoned using the deep learning technique. The applied method is long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network. In this scheme, the features required for zoning are automatically extracted and used to model the reservoir complexities properly. The results of this work show that zoning is done with an appropriate accuracy (86%) using the LSTM neural network, while it is 78% for a conventional intelligent MLP network. This specifies the superior accuracy of the deep learning method.
J. Zadhesh; A. Majdi
Abstract
The mechanisms of deformation and failure of the structures in and on the jointed rock masses are often governed by the characteristics of the geometrical properties of joints. Since the joint geometry properties have a range of values, it is helpful to understand the distribution of these values in ...
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The mechanisms of deformation and failure of the structures in and on the jointed rock masses are often governed by the characteristics of the geometrical properties of joints. Since the joint geometry properties have a range of values, it is helpful to understand the distribution of these values in order to predict how the extreme values may be compared with the values obtained from a small sample. This work studies three datasets of joint systems (1652 joint data) from nine outcrops of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks in order to determine the probability distribution function of the rock joint geometry properties. Consequently, the goodness-of-fit (GOF) tests are applied to obtain the data. According to these GOF tests, the Lognormal is the best probability distribution function representing the joint spacing, aperture, and trace length. The Cauchy is the best probability distribution function for the joint dip angle. It is found that the Cauchy distribution function is the best probability distribution function to represent the joint dip direction of igneous rocks, and the Burr distribution function is the best probability distribution function to define the joint dip direction of the sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
Rock Mechanics
L. Nikakhtar; Sh. Zare; H. Mirzaei Nasir Abad
Abstract
One of the main issues involved during tunnel construction with tunnel boring machines is the tail gap grouting. This gap is between the external diameter of tunnel lining and the excavation boundary that is filled with high-pressure grouting materials. In this work, three different approaches of gap ...
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One of the main issues involved during tunnel construction with tunnel boring machines is the tail gap grouting. This gap is between the external diameter of tunnel lining and the excavation boundary that is filled with high-pressure grouting materials. In this work, three different approaches of gap grouting modeling in the FLAC3D software are investigated with a special attention to the influence of the grout material hardening process. In the first approach, the grout is modeled as a liquid during injection, and considering the TBM advancement and its hardening time, the grout characteristics are changed to the properties of the solid grouting. In the second approach, the grouting material from the beginning of injection is considered with the properties of solid grouting in the model, and the liquid phase is ignored. In the third approach, without considering the back-filled grouting area in the model geometry, only the injection pressure is applied to the end of the shield and behind the installed segments. The validity of the approaches is evaluated with respect to the maximum ground surface settlement. All the three approaches estimate different surface settlement but the result of the first approach is closer to the monitoring data. Also as a sensitivity analysis, in this work, we investigate the effect of the elastic modulus of liquid and solid grouting materials on the amount of surface settlement that can help to gain a more accurate insight into the effect of grout mixture.
Mohammad Rezaei; Navid Nyazyan
Abstract
Rock drilling is one of the most important processes in the mining operations, which involves high costs. Deep knowledge of the drilling conditions and rock mass properties can help the optimum selection of drilling system, precise determination of type and number of drilling equipment, and accurate ...
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Rock drilling is one of the most important processes in the mining operations, which involves high costs. Deep knowledge of the drilling conditions and rock mass properties can help the optimum selection of drilling system, precise determination of type and number of drilling equipment, and accurate prediction of drilling rate. The above process leads to enhance the drilling efficiency and mining productivity. In this work, relationships between the rock the physico-mechanical properties and horizontal drilling rate (HDR) are investigated. For this purpose, HDR is firstly measured during the drilling process at the Malawi marble quarry mine, Islamabad-e-Gharb, Iran. Then core samples are prepared from the representative minor rock blocks to conduct the laboratory tests and evaluate the influence of rock properties on HDR. The experimental results prove that natural density (ρn), dry density (ρd), slake durability index (Id), Schmidt hammer rebound (SHR), compression wave velocity (Vp), point load index (PLI), uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), and modulus of elasticity (E) have inverse relationships with HDR. Conversely, HDR has a direct relationship with porosity (n), water content (Wa), Los Angeles abrasion (LAA), and Poisson ratio (ν). Generally, it is proved that HDR is more associated with the rock's physical properties than the mechanical characteristics. Moreover, sensitivity analysis confirm that n and ρd are the most and least effective variables on HDR. Furthermore, new optimum empirical equations with acceptable accuracy are proposed to predict HDR based on the statistical modeling. Finally, experimental verification analysis confirm the superiority of this study compared to the prior similar studies.
Environment
Abdollah Yazdi; rahim dabiri; Habib Mollai
Abstract
Geosites and their contents including minerals, fossils, etc. can strongly represent the history of a region. They greatly help our understanding of the evolution of Earth, volcanic activities, plate tectonics, and the characteristics of different environments. These are some of the vital information ...
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Geosites and their contents including minerals, fossils, etc. can strongly represent the history of a region. They greatly help our understanding of the evolution of Earth, volcanic activities, plate tectonics, and the characteristics of different environments. These are some of the vital information about 4500 million years of the Earth's life, and are our common international heritage. Geoconservation’s main purpose is the protection of geosites as major units of geoheritage, and this principle is achieved through the application of specific methods such as indexing geological phenomena, assessment, preservation, valuation, and estimating the importance of each geosite, as well as monitoring (or watching these phenomena). In this paper, geoconservation is introduced as a specialized and essential branch of geological science, which is currently under development. Therefore, geoconservation principles are presented here, and their relation to other geosciences is discussed. In addition, through scientific and cultural education related to sustainable development (in regard to the geoscience), citizens can be informed that lack of conserving natural resources would reduce geo-resources, and on the other hand, is a serious threat to geoheritage of the planet Earth. This crucial subject can be achieved by making information available and by teaching skills by which making prospective and correct decisions is possible.
M. Abedini; M. Ziaii; Y. Negahdarzadeh; J. Ghiasi-Freez
Abstract
The porosity within a reservoir rock is a basic parameter for the reservoir characterization. The present paper introduces two intelligent models for identification of the porosity types using image analysis. For this aim, firstly, thirteen geometrical parameters of pores of each image were extracted ...
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The porosity within a reservoir rock is a basic parameter for the reservoir characterization. The present paper introduces two intelligent models for identification of the porosity types using image analysis. For this aim, firstly, thirteen geometrical parameters of pores of each image were extracted using the image analysis techniques. The extracted features and their corresponding pore types of 682 pores were used for training two intelligent models, BPN (back-propagation network) and SAE (stacked autoencoder). The trained models take the geometrical properties of pores to classify the type of six porosity types including intra-particle, inter-particle, vuggy, moldic, biomoldic, and fracture. The MSE values for the BPN and SAE models were found to be 0.0042 and 0.0038, respectively. The precision, recall, and accuracy of the intelligent models for classifying the types of pores were calculated. The BPN model was able to correctly recognize 193 intra-particle pores out of 197 ones, 45 inter-particle pores out of 50 ones, 7 vuggy pores out of 9 ones, 10 moldic pores out of 12 ones, 2 biomoldic pores out of 3 ones, and 6 fractures out of 7 ones. Also the SAE model was able to correctly classify 193 intra-particle pores out of 197 ones, 46 inter-particle pores out of 50 ones, 8 vuggy pores out of 9 ones, 10 moldic pores out of 12 ones, 3 biomoldic pores out of 3 ones, and 7 fractures out of 7 ones. The results obtained showed that the SAE model carried out a bit more accuracy for classification of the inter-particle, vuggy, biomoldic, and fracture pores.
Rock Mechanics
Seyed M. Fatemi Aghda; M. Kianpour; M. Talkhablou
Abstract
In this research, the relationship between P-wave velocity (Vp) and Electrical Resistivity (ER) parameters with rock mass quality indices is investigated; parameters such as rock mass quality classification (Q) and modified system for sedimentary rocks, known as Qsrm. For making predictive models, about ...
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In this research, the relationship between P-wave velocity (Vp) and Electrical Resistivity (ER) parameters with rock mass quality indices is investigated; parameters such as rock mass quality classification (Q) and modified system for sedimentary rocks, known as Qsrm. For making predictive models, about 1200 data-sets extracted from sections drilled in Seymareh and Karun 2 Dam Sites (SDS and KDS) in Asmari Formation, south-west Iran. Statistical and fuzzy methods used to study the relationships between physical characteristics and rock mass quality. Since in Qsrm classification, the existence of cavities, layering and rock texture is considered in addition to the parameters considered in the Q classification; therefore, it provides a better description of rock mass and is closely related with Vp and ER parameters. The obtained equations for predicting Q and Qsrm showed the determination coefficients (R2) 0.48 and 0.67, respectively, and the coefficient of determination 0.86 for Qsrm calculated from the fuzzy model. Finally, Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD), Variance Accounted For (VAF) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) used to check the prediction performance of statistical and fuzzy methods. The results of the calculated errors also showed that fuzzy models are interesting because they have good accuracy for predicting Qsrm. In addition, by increasing the degree of karstifiction, the efficiency of the geophysical method for estimate of Q decreases rapidly, this is due to ignoring the cavities in these categories.
Seyyed S. Ghannadpour; A. Hezarkhani
Abstract
In several uranium (U) prospecting projects in Iran, particularly Central Iran, the association and enrichment of rare earth elements (REEs) are known as the usual features. Sometimes the association of REEs and U with high economic perspective has caused that the relation between the rare earth and ...
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In several uranium (U) prospecting projects in Iran, particularly Central Iran, the association and enrichment of rare earth elements (REEs) are known as the usual features. Sometimes the association of REEs and U with high economic perspective has caused that the relation between the rare earth and radioactive elements is taken into consideration in other types of mineralization, and if there is any relation, radioactivity will be applied in the exploration of REEs. In the current work, sampling from Baghak anomaly in the Sangan mines is carried out based on the radioactivity and radiation measurement methods (as the optimal sampling pattern). In fact, the goal of this work is to survey the presence or absence of such a relation in a skarn mine, which is a different case study from Central Iran. In the case of presence, this will lead to a new exploration method and sampling pattern for REEs. The mineralogical studies (based on the optical and electronic microscopic observations), statistical investigations, and geochemical analyses are applied in this research work. The results obtained from the statistical studies show that the Baghak anomaly due to involving a significant amount of U, Ce, and La and a high concentration of REEs can be considered as one of the important mines. Spider diagrams and their geochemical investigations include the features that are typical of the subduction-related magmas in the calcalkaline volcanic arcs of the continental active margins. The chondrite-normalized REE pattern shows the enrichment of LREE, and a positive pattern close to flat HREE due to the entry of LREE ions into the allanites network. The mineralogical study results also confirm that REEs (especially Ce) are accumulated as a solid solution in the allanite minerals. Moreover, from the mineralogical, geochemical, and statistical analyses, it can be observed that in addition to the presence of such a relation in the mentioned mineralization (Central Iran mineralizations), there is an acceptable correlation between these elements in the Baghak iron-skarn mineralization. Eventually, it can be said that the idea and introduced method for the exploration of REEs in this work could present a new viewpoint to the decision-makers of this industry.
J. Abdollahei Sharif; A. Jafarpour; S. Yousefi
Abstract
The computer-based 3D modeling of ore bodies is one of the most important steps in the resource estimation, grade determination, and production scheduling of open-pit mines. In the modeling phase, the volume of the orebody model is required to be filled by the blocks and sub-blocks. The determination ...
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The computer-based 3D modeling of ore bodies is one of the most important steps in the resource estimation, grade determination, and production scheduling of open-pit mines. In the modeling phase, the volume of the orebody model is required to be filled by the blocks and sub-blocks. The determination of Block Size (BS) is important due to the dependence of the geostatistical issues and calculations related to mining capabilities on it. There are some factors effective in the determination of an optimal BS including the metal content, estimation error, recovery percentage, mining ability, safety, and dilution. In this work, an optimal BS is determined using a two-stage approach. In the proposed approach, the Fuzzy Delphi Analytic Hierarchy Process (FDAHP) and Fuzzy Multi-Objective Optimization by Ratio Analysis (FMOORA) methods are used. In the first phase, the weight of each criterion is calculated based on the opinions of the experts using the FDAHP method. In the second phase, the FMOORA method is applied in order to determine a suitable BS for the design and operation of mining considering the extracted weights in the previous phase. The block model of the Sungun copper mine is studied as a case study to evaluate the capability of the proposed approach. The results of implementation of this approach are desirable because of converting the opinions of the experts to fuzzy values, weighing the experts according to the experience and technical knowledge, weighting the criteria by FDAHP, and choosing the optimal option with FMOORA. Furthermore, the 12.5×12.5×12.5 m3 block (A5) is chosen as an appropriate BS, which is compatible with the real conditions of the studied mine.
Zohreh Nabavi; Mohammad Mirzehi; Hesam Dehghani; Pedram Ashtari
Abstract
Back-break is one of the adverse effects of blasting, which results in unstable mine walls, high duration, falling machinery, and inappropriate fragmentation. Thus, the economic benefits of the mine are reduced, and safety is severely affected. Back-break can be influenced by various parameters such ...
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Back-break is one of the adverse effects of blasting, which results in unstable mine walls, high duration, falling machinery, and inappropriate fragmentation. Thus, the economic benefits of the mine are reduced, and safety is severely affected. Back-break can be influenced by various parameters such as rock mass properties, blast geometry, and explosive properties. Therefore, during the blasting process, back-break must be accurately predicted, and other production activities must be done to prevent and reduce its adverse effects. In this regard, a hybrid model of extreme gradient boosting (XGB) is proposed for predicting back-break using gray wolf optimization (GWO) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Additionally, validation of the hybrid model is conducted using XGBoost, gene expression programming (GEP), random forest (RF), linear multiple regression (LMR), and non-linear multiple regression (NLMR) methods. For this purpose, the data obtained from 90 blasting operations in the Chadormalu iron ore mine are collected by considering the parameters of the blast pattern design. According to the results obtained, the performance and accuracy level of hybrid models including GWO-XGB (R2 = 99, RMSE = 0.01, MAE = 0.001, VAF = 0.99, a-20 = 0.98), and PSO-XGB (99, 0.01, 0.001, 0.99, 0.98) are better than the XGBoost (97, 0.185, 0.132, 0.98, 95), GEP (96, 0.233, 0.186, 0.967, 0.935), RF (97, 0.210, 0.156, 0.97, 0.94), LMR (96, 0.235, 0.181, 0.964, 0.92), and NLMR (96, 0.229, 0.177, 0.968, 0.93) models. Notably, the GWO-XGB hybrid model has superior overall performance as compared to the PSO-XGB model. Based on the sensitivity analysis results, hole depth and stemming are the essential effective parameters for back-break.
Rock Mechanics
Ghorban Khandouzi; Mohammad Hossein Khosravi
Abstract
Granular materials used in engineering structures tend to experience arching under different geotechnical factors. Arching is a factor of load transfer from the destroyed zone to stable areas in these structures. Soil arching plays an important role in stress redistribution, settlement, and load on supports ...
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Granular materials used in engineering structures tend to experience arching under different geotechnical factors. Arching is a factor of load transfer from the destroyed zone to stable areas in these structures. Soil arching plays an important role in stress redistribution, settlement, and load on supports in tunneling. This paper reviews the effect of various parameters on the development of soil arching and formation of expansion and contraction zones around the tunnel. A comprehensive literature review, analysis of new published papers, and investigations were conducted to study the effects of various parameters on soil arching. The results were obtained by studying the formation of shear bands, deformed zones, and their development. The achieved results of investigations show that soil arching and ground deformation around tunnels in sandy grounds are complex phenomena that require careful consideration during tunnel construction. Also the results reveal that despite the arching zone, a loosened zone with non-linear slip surfaces forms above the tunnel. With the onset of tunnel convergence, initial non-linear sliding surfaces appear, and the arching area forms above the tunnel. When tunnel convergence increases, a stable arch forms inside the arching zone, and a de-stressed area as a loosened zone is created under the stable arch. Understanding of soil arching, ground deformation, and the stable arch formed inside the arching zone around tunnels in sandy grounds is very important for the engineers evaluating stress redistribution and load on tunnel supports. Also understanding these issues can help the designers and practitioners make informed decisions during tunnel construction.
Rock Mechanics
H.C. ZHAO; H.J. An; M.S. Gao
Abstract
Both the deformation characters and the failure mode of the large cross-sectional longwall installation roadway under compound roof are becoming an emergent issue than ever before due to the rapid development of modern mining equipment. Various engineering applications have revealed that the insufficient ...
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Both the deformation characters and the failure mode of the large cross-sectional longwall installation roadway under compound roof are becoming an emergent issue than ever before due to the rapid development of modern mining equipment. Various engineering applications have revealed that the insufficient design and inappropriate support technology are the main reasons for the fatal accidents associated with the sudden roof fall attributed to the separation of the overlying compound strata. The present research work, therefore, starts with a case study using the conventional support technology in order to demonstrate the importance of this issue followed by a summarization of the typical failure mode of the longwall installation roadway under compound strata with varied thicknesses. Then a simplified theoretical model is proposed and set up aiming at a better understanding of the distribution of the elastic-plastic zones as well as the effects of different caving procedures. The finite element analysis software program FLAC3D is adopted to evaluate the effect of the caving method and the reinforcement provided by an additional support. Then a case study conducted at a typical coal mine with compound roof condition is presented to verify the advantages of the proposed design. The results obtained show that the optimized design presented in this research work is effective to control the deformation of the surrounding rock, particularly in terms of separation of the overlying compound strata.
Mineral Processing
M. R. Khani; M. Karamoozian
Abstract
In the present work, we investigated and optimized the digestion efficiency, A/S (Al2O3/SiO2 in red mud), and N/S (Na2O/SiO2 in red mud) of mixed bauxite in Iran Alumina Company using the Bayer process. Digestion experiments were carried out in an induction rotary autoclave on a mix of Jajarm, Yazd, ...
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In the present work, we investigated and optimized the digestion efficiency, A/S (Al2O3/SiO2 in red mud), and N/S (Na2O/SiO2 in red mud) of mixed bauxite in Iran Alumina Company using the Bayer process. Digestion experiments were carried out in an induction rotary autoclave on a mix of Jajarm, Yazd, Tash, and Shirin Cheshmeh bauxites. A 4-factor 3-level response surface methodology was applied for the design and analysis of the experiment with the optimization of Na2O concentration, digestion temperature, residence time, and amount of lime addition. Towquadratics and one linear model were derived for the prediction of digestion efficiency, and A/S and N/S responses. The results obtained showed that the optimum amounts for Na2O concentration, temperature, amount of lime addition and residence time were 180 g/L, 275°C, 7.73%, and 50 minutes, respectively, in which the digestion efficiency, A/S, and N/S reached 72.05%, 1.169, and 0.27, respectively. Validation experiment showed that the digestion efficiency, A/S, and N/S were 72.24%, 1.162, and 0.28% respectively, which meant a 2% increase in digestion efficiency and a 0.09 and 0.02 decrease in A/S and N/S, respectively, compared to the current operating condition.
J. Vazifeh Mehrabani; M. Goharkhah
Abstract
In the current research work, a piping system is designed for slurry transport to the tailing dam in the Kooshk lead-zinc mine, Iran. The experiments are carried out primarily to investigate the rheological behavior of the slurry at different densities and obtain a non-Newtonian model for the shear stress ...
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In the current research work, a piping system is designed for slurry transport to the tailing dam in the Kooshk lead-zinc mine, Iran. The experiments are carried out primarily to investigate the rheological behavior of the slurry at different densities and obtain a non-Newtonian model for the shear stress variation with the deformation rate. It is shown that the shear stress of concentrated slurry follows the plastic Bingham model. The results obtained also indicate the increasing trend of the yield stress and the apparent viscosity of the slurry with the density. Appropriate correlations are proposed for the apparent viscosity and yield stress as a function of pulp concentration. At the next step, the required design parameters such as the slurry flow rate, pressure drop, critical velocity, and minimum required head for flow initiation and head losses are calculated for different slurry densities and pipe sizes. The appropriate piping system is finally designed based on the experimental data and the calculated parameters. It is concluded that the 3 in diameter pipe can be used to deliver the slurry with solid concentrations between 44% < Cw < 60% by weight, without a pumping system.
Gh. Khandouzi; H. Memarian; M. H. Khosravi
Abstract
The dynamic fracture characteristics of rock specimens play an important role in analyzing the fracture issues such as blasting, hydraulic fracturing, and design of supports. Several experimental methods have been developed for determining the dynamic fracture properties of the rock samples. However, ...
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The dynamic fracture characteristics of rock specimens play an important role in analyzing the fracture issues such as blasting, hydraulic fracturing, and design of supports. Several experimental methods have been developed for determining the dynamic fracture properties of the rock samples. However, many used setups have been manufactured for metal specimens, and are not suitable and efficient for rocks. In this work, a new technique is developed to measure the dynamic fracture toughness of rock samples and fracture energy by modifying the drop weight test machine. The idea of wave transmission bar from the Hopkinson pressure bar test is applied to drop weight test. The intact samples of limestone are tested using the modified machine, and the results obtained are analyzed. The results indicate that the dynamic fracture toughness and dynamic fracture energy have a direct linear relationship with the loading rate. The dynamic fracture toughness and dynamic fracture energy of limestone core specimens under the loading rates of 0.12-0.56kN/µS are measured between 9.6-18.51MPa√m and 1249.73-4646.08J/m2, respectively. In order to verify the experimental results, a series of numerical simulation are conducted in the ABAQUS software. Comparison of the results show a good agreement where the difference between the numerical and experimental outputs is less than 4%. It can be concluded that the new technique on modifying the drop weight test can be applicable for measurement of the dynamic behavior of rock samples. However, more tests on different rock types are recommended for confirmation of the application of the developed technique for a wider range of rocks.
Mahyar Yousefi; Samaneh Barak; Amir Salimi; Saeed Yousefi
Abstract
In this paper, we discuss the concepts behind dispersion patterns of geochemical anomalies when applied for prospecting mineral deposits in different exploration scales. The patterns vary from regional to local scale geochemical surveys, which is due to the differences in the corresponding underlying ...
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In this paper, we discuss the concepts behind dispersion patterns of geochemical anomalies when applied for prospecting mineral deposits in different exploration scales. The patterns vary from regional to local scale geochemical surveys, which is due to the differences in the corresponding underlying processes. Thus the ways for modelling the dispersion patterns and driving significant geochemical signatures should consider the variety when the area under study are delimited from regional to deposit scales exploration. Subsequently, this paper faces with two questions, namely (1) should various geochemical indicators be integrated in different exploration scales aiming at introducing stronger signatures of mineral deposits? and (2) how does the exploration scale affect dispersion patterns of geochemical indicator elements? We demonstrate that the exploration scale plays an important role on the reliability and usefulness of geochemical anomaly models. In this regard, although fusion may achieve reputable outcomes at regional scale exploration, we demonstrate that integration doesn’t gain accurate results for exploration at local scale, which is due to the diversities of the elemental distributions in the two different scales. This achievement is approved by comparing two geochemical signatures, one obtained by integration of two different indicator factors and the other one that used a single factor. The former produces almost the whole studied area as prospective, while the later recognizes ~10% of the area for further exploration, which is closely related to the porphyry Cu mineralization and is verified by drilling results.
M.R. Shahverdi; A. Khodadadi Darban; M. Abdollahy; Yadollah Yamini
Abstract
Flotation is a common process in sulfide ore beneficiation. Due to the restrictions and lack of access to high-quality water sources for industrial purposes, recycled water plays an important role in the flotation processes. Due to the existence of various organic and inorganic substances in the process, ...
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Flotation is a common process in sulfide ore beneficiation. Due to the restrictions and lack of access to high-quality water sources for industrial purposes, recycled water plays an important role in the flotation processes. Due to the existence of various organic and inorganic substances in the process, water influences the flotation performance. In this work, the effect of accumulation of sulfate ion in processed water on galena flotation was investigated. Flotation experiments using processed water without sulfate ion led to a concentrate containing 40.7% of lead and a maximum recovery of 58.9%. The presence of higher sulfate ion levels (2000 M) in processed water caused a significant decrease in the grade and recovery of the lead concentrate. With 2000 mg/L of sulfate ion, the grade and recovery of lead decreased from 40.7 to 24.3% and from 58.9 to 32.1 %, respectively. Thermodynamic calculations showed that when the sulfate ion concentration was increased from 300 to 2000 ppm, it was more likely that lead sulfate (solid) was formed. With increase in the xanthate ion concentration from 10-6 to 10-4 M, could be substituted by . On the basis of the results obtained, it was concluded that in order to reduce the negative effects of sulfate ion accumulation in water and increase the efficiency of the galena flotation process, higher dosages of xanthates should be added to the system.
Rock Mechanics
J. Mohammadi; M. Ataei; R. Kakaie; R. Mikaeil; S. Shaffiee Haghshenas
Abstract
Prediction of the production rate of the cutting dimensional stone process is crucial, especially when chain saw machines are used. The cutting dimensional rock process is generally a complex issue with numerous effective factors including variable and unreliable conditions of the rocks and cutting machines. ...
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Prediction of the production rate of the cutting dimensional stone process is crucial, especially when chain saw machines are used. The cutting dimensional rock process is generally a complex issue with numerous effective factors including variable and unreliable conditions of the rocks and cutting machines. The Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) type of neural network and Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network, as two kinds of the soft computing method, are powerful tools for identifying and assessing the unpredicted and uncertain conditions. Hence, this work aims to develop prediction models for estimating the production rate of chain saw machines using the RBF neural network and GMDH type of neural network, and then to compare the results obtained from the developed models based on the performance indices including value account for, root mean square error, and coefficient of determination. For this purpose, the parameters of 98 laboratory tests on 7 carbonate rocks are accurately investigated, and the production rate of each test is measured. Some operational characteristics of the machines, i.e. arm angle, chain speed, and machine speed, and also the three important physical and mechanical characteristics including uniaxial compressive strength, Los Angeles abrasion test, and Schmidt hammer (Sch) are considered as the input data, and another operational characteristic of the machines, i.e. production rate, is considered as the output dataset. The results obtained prove that the developed GMDH model is able to provide highly promising results in order to predict the production rate of chain saw machines based on the performance indices.
Rock Mechanics
Sajjad Khalili; Masoud Monjezi; Hasel Amini Khoshalan; Amir Saghat foroush
Abstract
Determining the appropriate blasting pattern is important to prevent any damage to the tunnel perimeter in conventional tunneling by blasting operation in hard rocks. In this research work, the LS-DYNA software and numerical finite element method (FEM) are used for simulation of the blasting process ...
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Determining the appropriate blasting pattern is important to prevent any damage to the tunnel perimeter in conventional tunneling by blasting operation in hard rocks. In this research work, the LS-DYNA software and numerical finite element method (FEM) are used for simulation of the blasting process in the Miyaneh-Ardabil railway tunnel. For this aim, the strong explosive model and nonlinear kinematic plastic material model are considered. Furthermore, the parameters required for the Johnson-Holmquist behavioral model are based on the Johnson-Holmquist-Ceramic material model relationships and are determined for the andesitic rock mass around studied tunnel. The model geometry is designed using AUTOCAD software and Hyper-mesh software is applied for meshing simulation. After introducing elements properties and material behavioral models and applying control and output parameters in LS-PrePost software, the modeling process is performed by LS-DYNA software. Different patterns of blastholes including 66, 23, and 19 holes, with diameters of 40 and 51 mm, and depths of 3 to 3.8 m are investigated by three-dimensional FEM. The borehole pressure caused by the ammonium nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO) detonation is considered based on the Jones-Wilkins-Lee (JWL) equation of state in the LS-DYNA software. The outer boundaries of the model are considered non-reflective to prevent the wave’s return. The results showed that LS-DYNA software can efficiently simulate the blasting process. Moreover, the post-failure rate of the blasting is reduced by more than 30% using the main charge with less explosive power and reducing the distance and diameter of contour holes.
