This thesis addresses those mine design considerations applied to mining with backfill at Denison Mines Ltd., Elliot Lake, Ontario, and reviews the specific circumstances of pillar recovery during 1985 to 1988. The rock mechanics elements of the project are presented with a case history of pillar recovery in a specific stopping district (cost center). / The use of hydraulically placed cemented tailings to recover additional ore reserves from rib pillars in a room and pillar mine required a design rationale beyond the traditional empirical approach. / The work undertaken to achieve this improved design includes both the study of the physical properties of the backfill, and its overall support characteristics. Design techniques involving analytical and numerical methods were coupled with ground behaviour data from daily monitoring and rock instrumentation. / The backfill cost center used as a case study is back analyzed with reference to a new proposed pillar strength classification system. Improvements in ground stability are assessed and comparisons with rock burst alleviation studies are made. The geomechanical parameters involving pillar design are discussed at length in the context of rock mechanics theory. This thesis attempts to demonstrate the manner in which an integrated design rationale may be employed in a room and pillar mining environment.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.59873 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Hunt, W. G. (Wm. Gregory) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Engineering (Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001169655, proquestno: AAIMM66519, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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