Mining Engineering Commons^™

Quantitative Proteomic Profiling In Brain Subregions Of Mice Exposed To Open-Field Low-Intensity Blast Reveals Position-Dependent Blast Effects, M. Jackson, S. Chen, P. Liu, M. Langenderfer, C. Li, H. R. Siedhoff, A. Balderrama, R. Li, Catherine E. Johnson, C. M. Greenlief, I. Cernak, R. G. Depalma, J. Cui

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Neurological Consequences of Combat Blast-Induced Neurotrauma (BINT) Pose Important Clinical Concerns for Military Service Members and Veterans. Previous Studies Have Shown that Low-Intensity Blast (LIB) Results in BINT with Multifaceted Characteristics in Mice Exposed to Open-Field Blast in Prone Position. Although the Prone Position is Natural for Rodents, Experimental Models of Blast using This Position Do Not Represent Common Scenarios of Human Standing While Being Exposed to Blast during Deployment or Military Training. in This Study, We Used Our Previously Developed BINT Mouse Model of Open-Field LIB with Mice in an Upright Position and Then Used Quantitative Proteomics and …

Experimental Investigation Of A Viscoelastic Liner To Reduce Under Helmet Overpressures And Shock Wave Reflections, Cody J.H. Thomas, Fatih Dogan, Catherine E. Johnson

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Introduction: Shock wave overpressure exposures can result in blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) in warfighters. Although combat helmets provide protection against blunt impacts, the protection against blast waves is limited due to the observed high overpressures occurring underneath the helmet. One route to enhance these helmets is by incorporating viscoelastic materials into the helmet designs, reducing pressures imposed on the head. This study aims to further investigate this mitigation technique against under-helmet overpressures by adding a viscoelastic liner to the inside of a combat helmet. Methods: The liner's effectiveness was evaluated by exposing it to free-field blasts of Composition C-4 …

A Review Of Current Safe Distance Calculations And The Risk Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, A. R. Loflin, C. E. Johnson

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Explosive breaching is a tactic operational professionals use to gain rapid entry and tactical advantage. This tactic exposes individuals to repeated low-level blasts (LLB), overpressure exposure generally occurring from user-directed munitions. The experimentation described in this paper highlights the need for further research into implementing explosives in tactical situations, specifically in confined areas, and the effects on individuals exposed. While current safety calculations predict peak pressures from an open-air detonation, this study incorporates the impulse of the total explosive event in a confined space. Sixteen explosive events were conducted to measure peak overpressures of the total duration of the event …

Novel Uses Of Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing For Geo-Mechanical Monitoring, Samuel Vincent Nowak

Doctoral Dissertations

"Rock mass monitoring in underground excavations is crucial for ensuring workplace safety and efficiency. As mines become deeper and more complex, the need to monitor larger volumes of rock during mining becomes impractical with existing instruments due to high costs. Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing (DOFS) is a powerful technology with advantages like long sensor length, real-time measurement capabilities, ease of installation, low cost, and distributed measurement. However, its application in rock mass monitoring is limited, especially in the mining industry. This study addresses a major gap in DOFS technology, specifically the inability of long-range distributed optical fiber strain sensors to …

Monitoring And Control Of Coal Dust Exposure Using Low-Cost Pm Sensors And Computational Fluid Dynamics, Nana Kobina Amoako Amoah

Doctoral Dissertations

"Overexposure to respirable coal mine dust has been linked to causing serious health problems including coal workers pneumoconiosis (CWP) and chronic massive fibrosis. The prevalence of these health problems has been on the increase since the 2000s due to increased exposure levels with roof bolter operators having the highest exposure levels. The currently used PDM3700 is too expensive, heavy and bulky which limits their use only for regulatory monitoring failing to measure miners’ personal exposure levels. Also, since roof bolter operators are more prone to elevated coal dust levels, the canopy air curtain (CAC) was developed to protect then high …

Optimization Of Fire Emergency Preparedness In Underground Mining Environments: An Agent-Based Evacuation Approach, Oluwafemi Babatunde Salami

Doctoral Dissertations

"Underground mining environments present a complex interplay of thermal and non-thermal hazards, with fires constituting a significant risk due to the release of heat smoke from incomplete combustion. The propagation of these hazards through the ventilation networks underscores the critical need for understanding fire scenarios and their interaction with the underground environment. Existing knowledge regarding past mine fire disasters, and quantification of associated hazards and risks are insufficient for optimizing emergency evacuation strategies in the event of an underground fire emergency.

This research endeavors to bridge this gap by developing advanced quantitative risk assessment and evacuation models tailored specifically for …

Stochastic Modeling Of Decarbonizing Strategy, Policy, And Market-Induced Incentives For The Us Electricity Sector, Jessica W.A. Azure, Samuel Frimpong, Mahelet G. Fikru

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In line with the global pursuit of achieving net-zero carbon emissions, integrating carbon capture and storage (CCS) and renewable energy (RE) technologies is important in power production. This study evaluates the profitability of CCS and RE technologies as alternative ways of achieving climate change goals. While past research focused on costs, technological advancements, and capture methods, there is a need for more studies on assessing the financial feasibility of these climate change solutions under uncertain conditions, alongside specific performance goals and strategies to entice power producers. Using a comprehensive framework featuring deterministic and stochastic modeling approaches, this research explores the …

Modeling And Simulation Of Flotation Reagents System In Anionic Reverse Iron Oxide Flotation At Different Temperatures, Ying Hou, Ahmed Sobhy

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Removal of quartz from iron ore was accomplished industrially via an anionic reverse flotation technique. However, in that kind of flotation, the interaction of the flotation reagents with the components of the feed sample makes the flotation a complicated system. Thus, the selection and optimization of regent dosages at various temperatures were performed using a uniform experimental design to estimate the optimum separation efficiency. Besides, the produced data as well as the reagent system were mathematically modeled at different flotation temperatures, and the graphical user interface GUI of MATLAB was conducted. The advantage of this procedure is that the user …

Experimental Study Of Surfactants’ Performance For Suppressing Coal Dust With Respirable Size, Zidong Zhao, Ping Chang, Guang Xu, Apurna Ghosh, Ramakrishna Morla

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Long-term exposure to coal dust can lead to severe health problems in coal workers, including Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis, making effective control of coal dust in underground mines essential. Water spraying is a widely used method for controlling coal dust, and adding surfactants can remarkably enhance its effectiveness. While previous studies have examined the influences of different coal particle sizes on surfactant performance, they have primarily focused on inhalable dust with sizes less than 100 µm. The impact of finer particle sizes, such as respirable dust with sizes less than 10 µm, remains inconclusive. This study aims to investigate the effects …

Iron Oxide Ore Mineralogy And Its Plant Flotation Circuits Nodal Analysis Simulation And Comparison, Ying Hou, Ahmed Sobhy, Samah Abdel Aziz

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Mining operations usually provide ore of varying characteristics. At the Donganshan Sintering Plant, the ore is a low-grade, complex, hard-to-separate carbonate containing iron ore, and a two-step flotation circuit was previously developed to overcome the negative impact of the carbonates on the reverse flotation process. However, with the further expansion in the mining operations, it was difficult to maintain a highly efficient flotation process. Thus, the mineral liberation analyzer (MLA) was utilized to conduct an in-depth process mineralogy investigation. MLA showed that the main useful minerals in this ore are magnetite/hematite of 45% total iron, and the main gangue mineral …

Cost Modelling For Dimension Stone Quarry Operations, M. A. Raza, S. Raza, M. U. Khan, M. Z. Emad, K. Jalil, S. A. Saki

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Dimension stone mining is Increasing because of growing demand from the building and construction industries. Diamond wire saw cutting is a popular dimension stone mining technique around the world. Estimation of the production cost for this method is critical for these operations. In this research a production cost model was developed for the mining of granite using a diamond wire saw. Cost and production data were collected from a granitic dolerite operation in Pakistan for a 4.5-year period and analyzed to identify the cost components. Fuel (34%), labor (15%), consumables (40%), and maintenance (5%) were found to be the four …

Demo-Abstract: A Dtn System For Tracking Miners Using Gae-Lstm And Contact Graph Routing In An Underground Mine, Abhay Goyal, Sanjay Kumar Madria, Samuel Frimpong

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Localization and prediction of movement of miners in underground mines have been a constant problem more so during a mine disaster. Due to the unavailability of GPS signals, the pillars are used as a method to locate these miners, and thus, location prediction is also carried out with reference to these pillars. In this work, we demon- strate a Delay-tolerant Network (DTN) system called Miner-Finder that leverages Machine Learning (ML) framework (GAE-LSTM) that works on edge devices (e.g., mobile phones, tablets) to predict the location of miners in an underground mine. The information such as speed, angle, time, nearest pillar …

Discrete Choice Experiment Consideration: A Framework For Mining Community Consultation With Case Studies, Sisi Que, Yu Huang, Kwame Awuah-Offei, Liang Wang, Songlin Liu

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Local community acceptance, a key indicator of the socio-political risk of a project, is addressed through good stakeholder (community) engagement. Discrete choice modeling (DCM) enhances stakeholder analysis and has been widely applied to encourage community engagement in energy projects. However, very little detail is provided on how researchers design discrete choice experiments (DCEs). DCE design is the key step for effective and efficient data collection. Without this, the discrete choice model may not be meaningful and may be misleading in the local community engagement effort. This paper presents a framework for mining community engagement DCE design in an attempt to …

Effect Of Shock Tunnel Geometry On Shockwave And Vortex Ring Formation, Propagation, And Head On Collision, Rachel L. Bauer, Emily M. Johnson, Alexander D. Douglas, Catherine E. Johnson

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Vortex ring research primarily focuses on the formation from circular openings. Consequently, the role of tunnel geometry is less understood, despite there being numerous research studies using noncircular shock tunnels. This experimental study investigated shockwaves and vortex rings from different geometry shock tunnels from formation at the tunnel opening to head on collision with another similarly formed vortex ring using schlieren imaging and statistical analysis. The velocity of the incident shockwave was found to be consistent across all four shock tunnel geometries, which include circle, hexagon, square, and triangle of the same cross-sectional area. The velocity was 1.2 ± 0.007 …

Numerical Modeling Of Rock Blocks With Nonpersistent Rough Joints Subjected To Uniaxial Compressive And Shear Loadings, Mostafa Asadizadeh, Mahdi Moosavi, Mohammad Farouq Hossaini, Ahmadreza Hedayat, Taghi Sherizadeh, Hossein Masoumi

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Characterizing the mechanical behavior of jointed rocks is important to understand the behavior of structures in rock masses. Jointed rocks can be composed of persistent and nonpersistent joints where the impact of nonpersistent joints requires careful consideration for an accurate rock mass mechanical characterization. Most previous investigations into nonpersistent jointed rocks focused on joints with smooth surfaces, and a few experimental studies focused on nonpersistent rough joints and nothing specific has been reported numerically. Therefore, this study investigated several synthetic jointed rocks with nonpersistent rough joints numerically under uniaxial compressive and shear loadings. The PFC2D-based synthetic rock mass (SRM) approach …

Experimental And Machine Learning Studies On Chitosan-Polyacrylamide Copolymers For Selective Separation Of Metal Sulfides In The Froth Flotation Process, Keitumetse Monyake, Taihao Han, Danish Ali, Lana Z. Alagha, Aditya Kumar

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The froth flotation process is extensively used for the selective separation of valuable base metal sulfides from uneconomic associated minerals. However, in this complex multiphase process, various parameters need to be optimized to ensure separation selectivity and peak performance. In this study, two machine learning (ML) models, artificial neural network (ANN) and random forests (RF), were used to predict the efficiency of in-house synthesized chitosan-polyacrylamide copolymers (C-PAMs) in the depression of iron sulfide minerals (i.e., pyrite) while valuable base metal sulfides (i.e., galena and chalcopyrite) were floated using nine flotation variables as inputs to the models. The prediction performance of …

Tensile Behavior Of Layered Rock Disks Under Diametral Loading: Experimental And Numerical Investigations, Mostafa Asadizadeh, Saeed Khosravi, Soheil Abharian, Mehrdad Imani, Jamshid Shakeri, Ahmadreza Hedayat, Nima Babanouri, Taghi Sherizadeh

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Tensile Strength and Cracking Behavior of Layered Rocks in a Tensile Stress Field Are One of the Most Significant Characteristics of Rock Masses, Which May Strongly Affect the Stability of Rock Structures. the Study Presented Here Investigated the Effect of Layer Spacing and Inclination Angle on the Indirect Tensile Strength, Crack Development, Failure Pattern, and Contact Force Chain of Layered Disks under Diametral Loading using Experimental and Numerical Investigations. Numerous Experimental Models Made from Plaster Were Examined under Diametral Loading, and a Two-Dimensional Particle Flow Code (PFC2D) Was Adopted for in Depth Simulation of the Failure Process. Both Numerical …

Review Of Current Coal Rib Control Practices, Dogukan Guner, Samuel Nowak, Taghi Sherizadeh, Maurice Sunkpal, Khaled Mohamed, Yuting Xue

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The instability of coal ribs in underground mines continues to result in the injuries and fatalities of mine workers. The proper estimation and evaluation of primary and secondary support for coal ribs is still a challenging problem in the field of ground control science and requires further research and study. Although mining operations have various support design criteria and support methodologies for strata control, most rib support designs are still based on experience and local practices. This review study is intended to summarize the currently applied practices for rib support and control in various countries and mining conditions. Firstly, critical …

Review Of Current Coal Rib Control Practices, Dogukan Guner, Samuel Nowak, Taghi Sherizadeh, Maurice Sunkpal, Khaled Mohamed, Yuting Xue

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The instability of coal ribs in underground mines continues to result in the injuries and fatalities of mine workers. The proper estimation and evaluation of primary and secondary support for coal ribs is still a challenging problem in the field of ground control science and requires further research and study. Although mining operations have various support design criteria and support methodologies for strata control, most rib support designs are still based on experience and local practices. This review study is intended to summarize the currently applied practices for rib support and control in various countries and mining conditions. Firstly, critical …

Review Of Current Coal Rib Control Practices, Dogukan Guner, Samuel Nowak, Taghi Sherizadeh, Maurice Sunkpal, Khaled Mohamed, Yuting Xue

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The instability of coal ribs in underground mines continues to result in the injuries and fatalities of mine workers. The proper estimation and evaluation of primary and secondary support for coal ribs is still a challenging problem in the field of ground control science and requires further research and study. Although mining operations have various support design criteria and support methodologies for strata control, most rib support designs are still based on experience and local practices. This review study is intended to summarize the currently applied practices for rib support and control in various countries and mining conditions. Firstly, critical …

Are Natural Fractures In Sandstone Reservoir: Water Wet – Mixed Wet – Or Oil Wet?, Salah Almudhhi, Laila Abdullah, Waleed Al-Bazzaz, Saleh Alsayegh, Hussien Alajaj, Ralph E. Flori

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study accurately measures the wettability contact angle of native Kuwaiti sandstone reservoir that hosts mixed pore size distributions in both the tight sandstone matrix as well as the natural fracture (NF) embedded in it. Also, this study, effectively, investigates the geometrical size and shape of natural available voids whether matrix voids or NF voids captured in the rock 2D image frame system. Correspondingly, this study is, successfully, measure tight matrix, NF Pore wall, and NF pore opening wettability performance and recovery efficiency contributions inside the sandstone reservoir. A model pore/ grain contact angle wettability is generated. Therefore, this study …

Studies On The Enrichment Feasibility Of Rare Earth-Bearing Minerals In Mine Tailings, Jose L. Corchado-Albelo, Lana Z. Alagha

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Study Aimed to Investigate the Potential of Enrichment of Rare-Earth-Bearing Minerals in Historic Mine Tailing using the Froth Flotation Process. Characterization Studies Indicated that Tailings Contained 11,000 Ppm of Rare Earth Elements (REEs). the Major Mineral in the Tailings Was Apatite at ~84%, Which Was Associated with Iron Oxides (~16%). TESCAN's Integrated Mineral Analysis (TIMA) Showed that Monazite Was the Main REE Mineral, and 69% of Monazite Was Locked in Apatite Grains. Characterization Studies Suggested that the Separation of REEs-Bearing Apatite from Iron Oxides is Possible using Froth Flotation, Wherein Apatite Was Floated and Iron Oxides Were Depressed. Zeta …

Evaluating The Effect Of Overburden Depth, Mining Height, And Support Density On Coal Rib Damage Using Dem Modeling, Maurice Sunkpal, Taghi Sherizadeh, Dogukan Guner

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

There Has Been a Global Effort in the Past Decade, Especially in Major Coal-Producing Countries, toward Understanding the Mechanics Involved in the Stability of Coal Mine Ribs. Buckling and Spalling of Mine Ribs Are Known to Have an Impact on their Stability and Degradation. the Generation, Propagation, and Coalescence of Cracks in Mine Pillar Ribs Are Significantly Affected by the overburden Depths. in Addition, the in Situ Stress Magnitudes Tend to Affect the Rib Damage Process. High Horizontal Stresses and Increased Depths Can Lead to Unfavorable Stress Conditions, Inducing Coal Mass Damage and Strength Loss. Understanding the Dynamics Involved in …

Investigating Strength Anisotropy Of Plain And Steel Fiber Reinforced Shotcrete, Muhammad Usman Khan, Muhammad Usman Tahir, Muhammad Zaka Emad, Muhammad Azeem Raza, Saqib Ahmad Saki

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Shotcrete is a key initial rock support component used in underground mining and civil projects. The strength of shotcrete plays a vital role in providing and deciding the support adequacy. The strength of shotcrete is evaluated by its uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) test that is usually conducted on extracted core samples. Shotcrete cores are commonly extracted from the test panels along the direction of its application; thus, its strength perpendicular to the direction of application is often neglected. The true bearing strength of shotcrete is thereby ignored despite the fact that higher stresses act normal to the direction of its …

A Critical Comparison Of Interpolation Techniques For Digital Terrain Modelling In Mining, M. A. Raza, A. Hassan, M. U. Khan, M. Z. Emad, S. A. Saki

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Digital modelling of a surface is crucial for Earth science and mining applications for many reasons. These days, high-tech digital representations are used to produce a high-fidelity topographic surface in the form of a digital terrain model (DTM). DTMs are created from 2D data-points collected by a variety of techniques such as traditional ground surveying, image processing, LiDAR, radar, and global positioning systems. At the points for which data is not available, the heights need to be interpolated or extrapolated from the points with measured elevations. There are several interpolation/extrapolation techniques available, which may be categorized based on criteria such …

Laboratory-Scale Investigation On Shear Behavior Of Non-Persistent Joints And Joint Infill Using Lattice-Spring-Based Synthetic Rock Mass Model, Mariam Al-E'Bayat, Taghi Sherizadeh, Dogukan Guner

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Discontinuities Mainly Control the Mechanical Behavior of Rock Mass and Cause a Significant Reduction in the Rock Mass Strength. Joint Persistency and Joint Infill Conditions Are Considered the Most Significant Joint Parameters that Control the Mechanical Response of Rock Mass. in This Study, Numerical and Statistical Analyses Were Performed on Pre-Cracked Specimens with Two Flaws to Investigate the Effect of Joint Persistence Parameters on Shear Strength. in Addition, an Extensive Study Was Conducted to Explore the Effect of Infilled Mineral Strength, Infill Thickness, and Infill Wall Roughness on Shear Strength. the Lattice-Spring-Based Synthetic Rock Mass (LS-SRM) Approach Was Utilized to …

Water-Cased Kicker Charges For Use In Explosive Demolition, Rachel L. Bauer, Paul Pitzel, Emily M. Johnson, Catherine E. Johnson

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Demolition Projects Involving Explosives Often Incorporate Cutting Charges to Sever Columns in Conjunction with Kicker Charges that "Move" the Columns Out of Alignment. Traditional Kicker Charges Use Dynamite Secured to the Column above a Linear-Shaped Cutting Charge. This Study Investigates the Use of Water-Cased Kicker Charges for Use in Explosive Demolition. the Goal is to Reduce the Fragmentation of Steel Members and the Quantity of Explosive Needed Due to the Increased Density, Incompressibility, and Impedance Mismatch Water Provides. Simulations and Experimental Tests Were Utilized to Determine What Type of Charges Provide the Optimal Column Movement and Water Placement. Water Charges …

Adoption Of Astm A956-06 Leeb Hardness Testing Standard To Rock Engineering Applications, Sasan Ghorbani, Seyed Hadi Hoseinie, Ebrahim Ghasemi, Taghi Sherizadeh

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Leeb dynamic hardness test was originally developed for metallic materials and is now widely used in rock engineering and engineering geology. This study aims to fundamentally investigate the application conditions of the Leeb hardness test in rock engineering because it is a high-precision, fast, nondestructive, and portable method. Therefore, four main limitations of the Leeb method mentioned in ASTM A956-06 have been further analyzed. The important challenges, including scale effect, temperature effect, surface roughness effect, and the effect of physical properties on the Leeb method, have been studied. For this purpose, 33 rock samples with a wide range of …

A Dtn-Based Spatio-Temporal Routing Using Location Prediction Model In Underground Mines, Abhay Goyal, Sanjay Kumar Madria, Samuel Frimpong

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Situational awareness during any disaster depends on effective communication and location tracking. In the case of underground mines, where the communication methods are mostly central, the whole communication channel would be rendered unusable during a disaster. To this end, we propose the use of Delay Tolerant Networks (DTN) to allow the miners to function in a distributed manner and help in locating the injured miners and routing distress messages. Due to the unavailability of GPS signals, the pillar numbers are used to identify the locations of the miners. For spatio-temporal routing of messages, we formulate a new scheme using Contact …

A Novel Technique For The Quantitative Determination Of Wettability Of A Severely Heterogeneous Tight Carbonate Reservoir, Saleh Al-Sayegh, Ralph E. Flori, Waleed Al-Bazzaz, Abdulaziz Abbas, Ali Qubian, Hasan Al-Saedi

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The objective of this study is to accurately measure the wettability contact angle of a cretaceous carbonate reservoir in a vertical well set-up known for as an unconventional tight carbonate oil reservoir. Also, to investigate the relative heterogeneity of these samples using digitally captured images; these images accurately capture natural pore-system in this carbonate rock samples and their wettability performance attributed towards building a vertical depth wettability/heterogeneity model. To capture, measure and model natural tight matrix static contact angle wettability in order to understand their new physics that will advance unconventional tight oil reservoir characterization. Entire vertical well depth reservoir …