Underground mining can be summarized as the removal of economically viable volumes of rock which creates underground voids. In order to optimize ore extraction, a material is used to backfill these openings prior to creating any adjacent openings. The use of cemented paste backfill (CPB), a mixture of mine tails, water, and cement binder, has gained prominence as it not only provides a material that has engineered strength and can be deployed rapidly, but also decreases the surface storage volume of the mine tails. There is limited knowledge about the behavior of the stresses within the CPB during the filling of an underground opening, particularly during the early curing ages of the hydrating CPB which is critical to the design of fill barricades. This thesis presents a design procedure which can be used to determine the in situ stresses within the CPB. Three methodologies were used in the development of this design procedure. The first was to develop a laboratory testing method that determined the time-dependent consolidation characteristics and strength parameters of the hydrating cemented paste material. The second was to collect several field-data sets. The third methodology was to numerically model the CPB using Itasca’s FLAC3D, which incorporated the underground void’s geometry, backfilling strategy, and time-dependent backfill parameters in order to determine the in situ stresses of the CBP. This simulation allowed for the prediction of both total and effective stress throughout the stope. The model and the laboratory results were used to model the stresses in several test stopes so that a comprehensive comparison could be made between the model and field instrumentation results. Four case studies were examined using a total of six different field instrumentation datasets. The results from these case studies showed that the modeling approach, given some model calibration, is capable of quantitatively representing the important geomechanical aspects of paste filling and curing.

Measurement of the strength development of Cemented Paste Backfill in laboratory cast cylinders does not replicate the in situ strengths of CPB in mine stopes. The mass of CPB in a filled stope is large and temperature rises due to the heat of hydration of the cementing materials, thus accelerating the gain in strength, relative to laboratory specimens stored at ambient temperature. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact on strength development when CPB test cylinders were subjected to a temperature profile mimicking that in a large mass, such as a mine stope. Also, maturity (the integral of time and temperature during hydration of the CPB) was compared to actual strengths, and the maturity – strength concept used in concrete technology was applied. It was found that the strength- maturity relationship was applicable to CPB once the base line or datum temperature was adjusted.

Underground mining can be summarized as the removal of economically viable volumes of rock which creates underground voids. In order to optimize ore extraction, a material is used to backfill these openings prior to creating any adjacent openings. The use of cemented paste backfill (CPB), a mixture of mine tails, water, and cement binder, has gained prominence as it not only provides a material that has engineered strength and can be deployed rapidly, but also decreases the surface storage volume of the mine tails. There is limited knowledge about the behavior of the stresses within the CPB during the filling of an underground opening, particularly during the early curing ages of the hydrating CPB which is critical to the design of fill barricades. This thesis presents a design procedure which can be used to determine the in situ stresses within the CPB. Three methodologies were used in the development of this design procedure. The first was to develop a laboratory testing method that determined the time-dependent consolidation characteristics and strength parameters of the hydrating cemented paste material. The second was to collect several field-data sets. The third methodology was to numerically model the CPB using Itasca’s FLAC3D, which incorporated the underground void’s geometry, backfilling strategy, and time-dependent backfill parameters in order to determine the in situ stresses of the CBP. This simulation allowed for the prediction of both total and effective stress throughout the stope. The model and the laboratory results were used to model the stresses in several test stopes so that a comprehensive comparison could be made between the model and field instrumentation results. Four case studies were examined using a total of six different field instrumentation datasets. The results from these case studies showed that the modeling approach, given some model calibration, is capable of quantitatively representing the important geomechanical aspects of paste filling and curing.

Measurement of the strength development of Cemented Paste Backfill in laboratory cast cylinders does not replicate the in situ strengths of CPB in mine stopes. The mass of CPB in a filled stope is large and temperature rises due to the heat of hydration of the cementing materials, thus accelerating the gain in strength, relative to laboratory specimens stored at ambient temperature. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact on strength development when CPB test cylinders were subjected to a temperature profile mimicking that in a large mass, such as a mine stope. Also, maturity (the integral of time and temperature during hydration of the CPB) was compared to actual strengths, and the maturity – strength concept used in concrete technology was applied. It was found that the strength- maturity relationship was applicable to CPB once the base line or datum temperature was adjusted.

The use of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls has become quite prevalent in highway embankment applications. A design criterion for these walls was originally established by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and has been modified on a state by state basis. Recently, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has recorded several wall failures mostly due to excessive settlement and lateral wall deformation and wanted to evaluate the current state design guidelines for regionally available backfill materials. Prior to numerical modeling simulations, material parameters of regionally available backfill needed to be evaluated. As the state guidelines require 85-percent of the wall backfill material to be above the No. 4 sieve, large scale triaxial testing was an option to evaluate strength and volume change parameters. This research used cylindrical specimen 6-inches in diameter and 12- inches in height in a large scale triaxial apparatus. Three types of backfill material were tested and specimens were mixed and compacted in 4 different gradations for each material type. Each gradation was tested at confining stresses corresponding to wall heights of 10, 15, and 20 feet for a total of 36 tests. Basic material parameters such as unit weight and friction angle were evaluated directly from testing, while more complex material parameters were selected from the data for use in the Duncan-Chang elastic constitutive model. This method utilizes hyperbolic curve fitting of both strength and volumetric test data to define soil behavior parameters which include the following: modulus number (K), modulus exponent (n), initial tangent modulus (Ei), failure ratio (Rf ), initial Poisson’s Ratio (νi), and Poisson’s Ratio Parameters G, F, and d. Friction angles from triaxial testing ranged from 32 to 53 degrees having some uncertainty due to inconsistent compaction. The variation in sand and fine size particles in the backfill tended to reduce friction angles, except in the case of Type-B material where density increased due to the high percentage of sand and fines. Duncan-Chang parameters fit reasonably well with experimental data for strength barring some experimental errors. Volumetric parameters were inconclusive due to inconsistent compaction and membrane leakage. Additional testing is needed to provide more sound volumetric data.

Advancements in technology in mining have allowed previously unfeasible ore bodies to be developed. Paste backfill is one technological advancement that has allowed for the development of high-grade, low tonne production when employing the cut and fill mining method. Goldcorp Inc.'s Red Lake Mine currently utilizes this method and is the site for the study of this thesis. Paste backfill (paste) is defined as a mine backfill material that consists of eighty-five percent solids by weight and does not bleed water when placed often consisting of between two and fifteen percent Portland cement by weight. A paste barricade or paste fill fence is a constructed barricade whose purpose is to retain backfill within a mined out stope. The construction of the barricade varies with different operations, for Red Lake Mine the barricade consists of an anchored rebar skeleton covered with an adequate thickness of shotcrete. The majority of the applicable barricade research focuses on hydraulic fill barricades in open stope mining. The barricade pressures in these instances are much larger than those experienced in paste backfill barricades. As such, the current paste loading theory is based on material with a different loading mechanism. Although some research is currently underway, the majority of the barricade research is based on brick barricades and not the shotcrete, rebar skeleton as used at Red Lake. Catastrophic failures of barricades can occur without an understanding of the loading mechanisms. Based on the catastrophic risk, this thesis provides an investigation into the behaviour of the paste backfill and paste barricades at Red Lake Mine in order to provide a safe, cost effective design of paste barricades. This thesis develops an understanding of paste loading mechanisms and barricade capacity derived from a field study of nine instrumented fill fences at Red Lake Mine. Eight of thefences were instrumented to monitor the reaction strain in the fence and the applied pressures during standard production paste pours, the ninth fence was a controlled destructive test that determined the ultimate capacity of the fence. The data for these tests were gathered in real time and was subsequently reduced to assist in analysis. Yield Line Theory, Rankine Theory, strain induced stress, stress vs. strain analysis and numerical modeling were used to develop an understanding of the paste loading mechanisms and the capacity of the paste fill barricades. The analysis determined that the paste backfill behaves as a Rankine-like soil in the initial stages of loading with an average coefficient of lateral earth pressure, Ka, of 0.56. The destructive test determined that the yielding stress of a paste barricade is approximately 100 kPa. Further findings from the research determined that the rate of placement of paste does effect the loads applied to the fence and that the largest pressures exerted on the fill fence occur when paste lines were flushed with water at the end of the pour. This thesis provides an understanding of the paste loading and fill fence interaction with respect to failure. Based on this research the Red Lake Mine should be able to increase production without increasing risk to mine personnel by quantifying the overall loading and strengths of the fill barricade.

Mining has been one of the main industries in the course of the development of human civilization and economies of various nations. However, every industry has issues, and one of the problems the mining industry has faced is the management of waste, especially sulphide-bearing tailings, which are considered to be a global environmental problem. This issue puts pressure on the mining industry to seek alternative approaches for tailings management. Among the several different types of methods used, cemented paste backfilling is one of the technologies that offers good management practices for the disposal of tailings in underground mines worldwide. Cemented paste backfill (CPB) is a cementitious composite made from a mixture of mine tailings, water and binder. This technology offers several advantages, such as improving the production and safety conditions of underground mines. Among these advantages, CPB is a promising solution for the management of sulphidic tailings, which are considered to be reactive materials (i.e., not chemically stable in an atmospheric condition) and the main source of acid mine drainage, which constitutes a serious environmental challenge faced by mining companies worldwide. Such tailings, if they come into direct contact with atmospheric elements (mainly oxygen and water), face oxidation of their sulphidic minerals, thus causing the release of acidic drainage (i.e., acid mine drainage) and several types of heavy metals into surrounding water bodies and land. Therefore, the reactivity of sulphidic tailings with and without cement content can be considered as a key indicator of the environmental behavior and durability performance of CPB systems. For a better understanding of the reactivity, it is important to investigate the influencing factors. In this research, several influencing factors are experimentally studied by conducting oxygen consumption tests on different sulphidic CPB mixtures as well as their tailings under different operational and environmental conditions. These factors include time, curing temperature, initial sulphate content, curing stress, mechanical damage, binder type and content, and the addition of mineral admixtures. In addition, several microstructural techniques (e.g., x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy) are applied in order to understand the changes in the CPB matrices and identify newly formed products. The results reveal that the reactivity of CPB is affected by several factors (e.g., curing time, initial sulphate content, ageing, curing and atmospheric temperature, binder type and content, vertical curing stress, filling strategy, hydration and drainage, etc.), either alone or in combination. These factors can affect reactivity either positively or negatively. It is observed that CPB reactivity decreases with increasing curing time, temperature (i.e., curing and atmospheric temperatures), curing stress, binder content, the addition of mineral admixtures, degree of saturation, and the binder hydration process, whereas reactivity increases with increases in sulphide minerals (e.g., pyrite), initial sulphate content, mechanical damage, and with decreased degrees of saturation and binder content. The effect of sulphate on the reactivity of CPB is based on the initial sulphate content as well as curing time and temperature. It is concluded that the reactivity of CPB systems is time- and temperature-dependent with respect to other factors. Also, binders play a significant role in lowering CPB reactivity due to their respective hydration processes.

Research and experience using various types of mine backfill - hydraulic, rock, paste, and blended - has indicated several benefits to the mining industry. Backfill is a general term that refers to any waste material that is placed into underground mine workings. Paste backfill in particular has shown environmental and economic benefits. Paste fill is generally produced from total mine tailings, meaning that it can include waste rock, sands, and clay-sized particles. It also contains no free water, meaning that water will not flow freely through it after placement causing post filling shrinkage. These characteristics make it the most environmentally "friendly" backfill option currently available. In addition, paste backfill is non-segregating and stackable, containing about 80% solids by weight, and having the consistency of medium-slump concrete, containing a cementitious content. These characteristics make paste backfill the best option for post-mining ground control in room and pillar coal mines. There are two main bodies of research regarding paste backfill. The first studies its composition, application, and performance in past and present mining environments; the second studies its theoretical application for both mine support and waste disposal. While this research has provided much for the burgeoning technology of paste backfill, little has been done to investigate its economic application to the industry in room and pillar coal mines. At present, surface disposal of waste is generally cheaper than underground disposal. The goal of this thesis is to initiate discourse investigating the hypothesis that paste backfill may be used in such a way as to allow for increased coal extraction, which may then not only cover the additional costs of underground waste disposal, but potentially increase overall mine profitability. Inherent to this discourse will be a consideration of the following issues: * The potential for increased extraction. * The preservation of long-term pillar stability. * Improved floor stability. * Diminished environmental impact at surface. * The cost benefits associated with all of the above. Data from three Illinois Basin room and pillar coal mines were collected and used for this thesis. Theoretical computer modeling using LaModel and Phase2, empirical analysis of mine stability, physical testing using simulated paste backfill models, and comparative cost analyses considering current and hypothetical mining scenarios were conducted to identify these potential benefits and their consequences, both theoretical and practical.

Advancements in technology in mining have allowed previously unfeasible ore bodies to be developed. Paste backfill is one technological advancement that has allowed for the development of high-grade, low tonne production when employing the cut and fill mining method. Goldcorp Inc.'s Red Lake Mine currently utilizes this method and is the site for the study of this thesis. Paste backfill (paste) is defined as a mine backfill material that consists of eighty-five percent solids by weight and does not bleed water when placed often consisting of between two and fifteen percent Portland cement by weight. A paste barricade or paste fill fence is a constructed barricade whose purpose is to retain backfill within a mined out stope. The construction of the barricade varies with different operations, for Red Lake Mine the barricade consists of an anchored rebar skeleton covered with an adequate thickness of shotcrete. The majority of the applicable barricade research focuses on hydraulic fill barricades in open stope mining. The barricade pressures in these instances are much larger than those experienced in paste backfill barricades. As such, the current paste loading theory is based on material with a different loading mechanism. Although some research is currently underway, the majority of the barricade research is based on brick barricades and not the shotcrete, rebar skeleton as used at Red Lake. Catastrophic failures of barricades can occur without an understanding of the loading mechanisms. Based on the catastrophic risk, this thesis provides an investigation into the behaviour of the paste backfill and paste barricades at Red Lake Mine in order to provide a safe, cost effective design of paste barricades. This thesis develops an understanding of paste loading mechanisms and barricade capacity derived from a field study of nine instrumented fill fences at Red Lake Mine. Eight of thefences were instrumented to monitor the reaction strain in the fence and the applied pressures during standard production paste pours, the ninth fence was a controlled destructive test that determined the ultimate capacity of the fence. The data for these tests were gathered in real time and was subsequently reduced to assist in analysis. Yield Line Theory, Rankine Theory, strain induced stress, stress vs. strain analysis and numerical modeling were used to develop an understanding of the paste loading mechanisms and the capacity of the paste fill barricades. The analysis determined that the paste backfill behaves as a Rankine-like soil in the initial stages of loading with an average coefficient of lateral earth pressure, Ka, of 0.56. The destructive test determined that the yielding stress of a paste barricade is approximately 100 kPa. Further findings from the research determined that the rate of placement of paste does effect the loads applied to the fence and that the largest pressures exerted on the fill fence occur when paste lines were flushed with water at the end of the pour. This thesis provides an understanding of the paste loading and fill fence interaction with respect to failure. Based on this research the Red Lake Mine should be able to increase production without increasing risk to mine personnel by quantifying the overall loading and strengths of the fill barricade. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Mining Engineering, Keevil Institute of / Graduate

No description available.