This paper describes the development of a new ground penetrating radar system for measuring coal thickness in underground mining operations. Although subsurface radar exhibits significant potential for depth measurement, the raw signals are complicated and cannot be readily interpreted by mining personnel. We show how real-time digital signal processing plays a key role in transforming the raw ...

Compared to opencut mining, underground coal mining is more common in Australia due to its lesser impact on the environment. Although there are several underground mining methods, such as the longwall, pillar, bord, and miniwall, longwall mining is the most commonly used method due to its high efficiency. However, longwall mining does lead to significant ground subsidence. Mining subsidence is ...

The purpose of this study was to survey the EMS (emergency medical services) personnel preparedness for major incidents in the underground mining industry in Sweden. Every year, a high number of incidents, workplace accidents and fires are reported from the Swedish mining industry. Taking care of patients located in an underground mine represents a challenge to EMS personnel. Today, knowledge a...

Ground subsidence monitoring is of paramount importance in relation to the safety and efficiency of underground mining operations. Moreover, in established coal fields in eastern Australia, it has become harder and harder to select underground minesites which can avoid major engineering structures both on the surface and underground (highways, bridges, buildings, abandoned workings of old under...

Achieving substantial reductions in the exposure of underground miners to diesel particulate matter in a number of metal and nonmetal mines in the U.S. depends on the ability of the industry to widely implement advanced diesel emissions control technologies, primarily diesel particulate filter (DPF) systems. Recent field studies showed that diesel particulate filter systems with Cordierite and ...

Underground mining method selection is one of the most crucial decisions that should be made by mining engineers. Choosing a suitable underground mining method to carry out extraction from a mineral deposit is very important in terms of the economics, safety and the productivity of mining operations. The aim of this study is developing a fuzzy model to selection the optimum mining method by usi...

In underground mining, hydraulic backfill materials, such as waste tailings, river sand, and cement, are often used to fill underground mined stopes. In cut-and-fill mining methods with blasthole stoping and delayed backfill, after extraction of adjacent pillars that contain economic minerals, the backfill is often subject to exposure of free standing on at least one side. A key concern for min...

The uncontrolled spread of illegal artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASM), popularly termed “galamsey” in Ghana, has, for decades, impacted adversely upon water bodies, soils, wildlife, human health, and safety. A lack of understanding, however, of the types of galamsey, their operational attributes, and their relative impacts has unfortunately hindered an effective policy response despite num...

Due to the high attenuation of radio frequency (RF) signals in underground mines and the statutory power restriction of communication gadgets especially for coal mines, the wireless communication systems have restricted applications in the underground mines. The paper discusses different radio frequency communication techniques being employed for Indian underground mines. Experiments were condu...

Many studies have been carried out and many commercial software applications have been developed to improve the performances of surface mining operations, especially for the loader-trucks cycle of surface mining. However, there have been quite few studies aiming to improve the mining process of underground mines. In underground mines, mobile mining equipment is mostly scheduled instinctively, w...