Mining Engineering Commons^™

The Behavior Of Suas Under Explosive Loading Conditions And Implications For Safe Operating Procedures, Ashok Em Sudhakar

Doctoral Dissertations

"Drones are increasingly being used for tasks previously unimagined and the beneficial uses are evolving. The United States Congress has envisioned the possible uses of drones for both combating and conveying explosive threats and other harmful and destructive activities. Congress' intent is reflected in new laws (2018) and policies (2019).

All civilian available Small Unmanned Aerial Systems sUASs (Drones), weighing less than 55 pounds, in the current market are not designed for operations in explosive environments. This first of a kind research focuses on further understanding of sUASs response to explosive loading and the public policy implications. This research measured …

The Effect Of Overloading On Reliability Of Wheel Loader Structural Components, Eric Raymond Achelpohl

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research attempts to provide a fundamental understanding into the relationship between the productivity of material handling equipment, specifically wheel loaders, and their ability to operate reliably when subjected to high overload conditions. The overall aim is to determine the effect of overloading the bucket on wheel loader reliability. The specific objectives of the research are to: 1) evaluate the effect of overloading the bucket on wheel loader productivity; 2) examine the effect of overloading the bucket on hydraulic pressures in the hoist cylinders (used as a proxy for forces on a wheel loader); and 3) investigate the effect of …

Mitigation Of Environmental Hazards Of Sulfide Mineral Flotation With An Insight Into Froth Stability And Flotation Performance, Muhammad Badar Hayat

Doctoral Dissertations

"Today's major challenges facing the flotation of sulfide minerals involve constant variability in the ore composition; environmental concerns; water scarcity and inefficient plant performance. The present work addresses these challenges faced by the flotation process of complex sulfide ore of Mississippi Valley type with an insight into the froth stability and the flotation performance. The first project in this study was aimed at finding the optimum conditions for the bulk flotation of galena (PbS) and chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂) through Response Surface Methodology (RSM). In the second project, an attempt was made to replace toxic sodium cyanide (NaCN) with the biodegradable chitosan …

Computational Dynamics And Virtual Dragline Simulation For Extended Rope Service Life, Muhammad Wardeh

Doctoral Dissertations

"The dragline machinery is one of the largest equipment for stripping overburden materials in surface mining operations. Its effectiveness requires rigorous kinematic and dynamic analyses. Current dragline research studies are limited in computational dynamic modeling because they eliminate important structural components from the front-end assembly. Thus, the derived kinematic, dynamic and stress intensity models fail to capture the true response of the dragline under full operating cycle conditions. This research study advances a new and robust computational dynamic model of the dragline front-end assembly using Kane's method. The model is a 3-DOF dynamic model that describes the spatial kinematics and …

Imaging And Mitigating Karst Features, Kenneth Joseph Bansah

Doctoral Dissertations

"Over the last three years, a comprehensive subsurface investigation that combines both conventional and geophysical techniques has been conducted near Springfield in southwest Missouri, United States. This study, which forms part of the comprehensive subsurface investigation, aimed to (1) image and characterize the subsurface, (2) map variations in engineering properties of soil/rock, (3) map variable depth to top of rock, (4) explore the utility of the geophysical techniques, (5) determine the factors contributing to karst processes, and (6) propose karst mitigation. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) were employed for the acquisition of subsurface geophysical …

A New Signal Processing Method For Acoustic Emission/Microseismic Data Analysis, Charles Mborah

Doctoral Dissertations

"The acoustic emission/microseismic technique (AE/MS) has emerged as one of the most important techniques in recent decades and has found wide applications in different fields. Extraction of seismic event with precise timing is the first step and also the foundation for processing AE/MS signals. However, this process remains a challenging task for most AE/MS applications. The process has generally been performed by human analysts. However, manual processing is time consuming and subjective. These challenges continue to provide motivation for the search for new and innovative ways to improve the signal processing needs of the AE/MS technique. This research has developed …

Correlation Between Delay Time And Measured Concentration And Concentration Uncertainty By Neutron Activation Analysis, James Thomas Seman

Doctoral Dissertations

"For the last several decades, it has been apparent that new methods of identifying explosives can help investigators trace their origins. One way to identify an explosive is through the use of taggants: materials added to a product that encodes information about the product such as when it was manufactured.

This research investigates the survivability of a new identification taggant called the Nuclear Barcode that overcomes some of the downfalls that have been identified in prior taggants. The Nuclear Barcode encodes information as a unique combination of concentrations of rare earths (Ho, Eu, Sm, Lu, and Dy) and precious metals …

Dragline Excavation Simulation, Real-Time Terrain Recognition And Object Detection, Godfred Somua-Gyimah

Doctoral Dissertations

"The contribution of coal to global energy is expected to remain above 30% through 2030. Draglines are the preferred excavation equipment in most surface coal mines. Recently, studies toward dragline excavation efficiency have focused on two specific areas. The first area is dragline bucket studies, where the goal is to develop new designs which perform better than conventional buckets. Drawbacks in the current approach include operator inconsistencies and the inability to physically test every proposed design. Previous simulation models used Distinct Element Methods (DEM) but they over-predict excavation forces by 300% to 500%. In this study, a DEM-based simulation model …

Discrete Element And Artificial Intelligence Modeling Of Rock Properties And Formation Failure In Advance Of Shovel Excavation, Muhammad Waqas

Doctoral Dissertations

"Rock tests are performed before the start of every mining or civil engineering project as part of a detailed feasibility study. The feasibility study is costly and it comprises drilling, sample collection, sample handling and laboratory testing. Numerical modeling techniques, such as Particle Flow Code (PFC), can be used to provide reliable estimates of rock strength values. The numerical models for unconfined compressive strength (UCS), direct tension, and Brazilian tests were developed in PFC, and validated using data from literature. A particle size range of 3-5 mm with D_max/D_min = 1.67 gave the best results. The numerical …

Thermomechanical Fatigue Life Investigation Of An Ultra-Large Mining Dump Truck Tire, Wedam Nyaaba

Doctoral Dissertations

The cost benefits associated with the use of heavy mining machinery in the surface mining industry has led to a surge in the production of ultra-large radial tires with rim diameters in excess of 35 in. These tires experience fatigue failures in operation. The use of reinforcing fillers and processing aids in tire compounds results in the formation of microstructural inhomogeneity in the compounds and may serve as sources of crack initiation in the tire. Abrasive material cutting is another source of cracks in tires used in mining applications. It suffices, then, to assume that every material plane in the …

Modeling Dynamic Community Acceptance Of Mining Using Agent-Based Modeling, Mark Kofi Boateng

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research attempts to provide fundamental understanding into the relationship between perceived sustainability of mineral projects and community acceptance. The main objective is to apply agent-based modeling (ABM) and discrete choice modeling to understand changes in community acceptance over time due to changes in community demographics and perceptions. This objective focuses on: 1) formulating agent utility functions for ABM, based on discrete choice theory; 2) applying ABM to account for the effect of information diffusion on community acceptance; and 3) explaining the relationship between initial conditions, topology, and rate of interactions, on one hand, and community acceptance on the other …

Pillar Design For St. Peter Sandstone Formation, Francis Anohomah Arthur

Doctoral Dissertations

"Silica sands produced primarily from St. Peter Sandstone are used for hydraulic fracturing in the petroleum industry, glassmaking, chemicals, ceramics, filtration and the foundry industry in the US. The recent high demand for silica sands for hydraulic fracturing has triggered increased production and commissioning of new silica sand mines to support natural gas production from shale and tight gas deposits in the US. Most mines use surface mining methods to extract St. Peter Sandstone. The room and pillar mining method has been successfully used for St. Peter Sandstone mining in a few US locations, however, no one has proposed a …

Characterization And Numerical Simulation Of The Microstructural And Micromechanical Viscoelastic Behavior Of Oil Sands Using The Discrete Element Method, Eric Kofi Gbadam

Doctoral Dissertations

"Oil sands are naturally geologic formations of predominantly quartz sand grains whose void spaces are filled with bitumen, water, and dissolved gases. The electric rope shovel is the primary equipment used for excavating the Athabasca oil sand formations. The equipment's static and dynamic loads are transferred to the formation during excavation and propel. These loads cause ground instability leading to sinkage or rutting, crawler wear, and fracture failures. These problems result in unplanned downtimes, production losses, and high maintenance costs. In order to address these problems, there is a need to develop valid models that capture the behavior and performance …

Real-Time Diesel Particulate Matter Monitoring In Underground Mine Atmospheres, Association With The Standard Method And Related Challenges, Muhammad Usman Khan

Doctoral Dissertations

"Diesel-powered equipment is a significant component of underground mining operations. Miners' exposure to diesel exhaust is harmful. The standard Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM) monitoring method (NIOSH 5040 method) has limitations that preclude rapid DPM estimation and detailed understanding of DPM variations over time. However, real-time DPM monitors do not inherit these limitations. Biodiesel is often used as a substitute for regular petroleum-diesel because of its ability to emit less DPM. However, accuracy of available real-time DPM monitors has not been determined in mines using 70% to 99% (high-percent) biodiesel. The present research addresses this need by rigorous testing of a …

Lhd Vibrations Analysis And Numerical Modeling During Operations, Kgosietsile Kolobe

Doctoral Dissertations

"Load-haul-dump vehicles (LHDs) are extensively used as primary loaders in mining operations. LHDs have proven to be vigorous, extremely productive and reliable in mining applications. They have a wide range of tramming capacities that have enabled them to become an essential component in the hard rock mining industry.

Increased mining economic challenges and global competition means the mining industry has to maximize productivity by cutting down operating and capital costs. Also, improvements in safety standards have led to the demand for safer and efficient machines.

LHD operators are at a high risk of whole-body vibrations (WBVs) exposure leading to musculoskeletal …

The Influence Of Caprock On Blast Fragmentation Distribution, Matthew Kurtis Coy

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation describes the development of a small-scale model of a caprock-laden quarry blast and discusses the results from that testing. The purpose of this testing was to provide insight into the reasons for poor caprock breakage during blasting.

Small-scale test blocks were poured using a weak mortar mix to represent a limestone formation at a small scale. A cold joint was created in the upper portion of the test specimens to represent the bedding plane that separates caprock and substrate layers in a caprock-laden limestone bench. The scale-model test blocks were blasted using detonating cord. The primary configuration for …

Dynamic Impact Of Ageing Dump Truck Suspension Systems On Whole-Body Vibrations In High-Impact Shovel Loading Operations, Saeid R. Dindarloo

Doctoral Dissertations

"Surface mining operations typically deploy large shovels, with 100+ tons per pass capacity, to load dump trucks in a phenomenon described as high-impact shovel loading operations (HISLO). The HISLO phenomenon causes excessive shock and vibrations in the dump truck assembly resulting in whole body vibration (WBV) exposures to operators. The truck suspension system performance deteriorates with time; therefore their effectiveness in attenuating vibrations reduces. No research has been conducted to study the impact of ageing suspension mechanisms on the magnitudes of WBV in HISLO operations.

This study is a pioneering effort to provide fundamental and applied knowledge for understanding the …

Cable Shovel Dipper Stress And Fatigue Failure Modeling In Formation Excavation Engineering, Muhammad Azeem Raza

Doctoral Dissertations

"Large capacity shovels are used to achieve economic bulk production in surface mining operations. The suspended payload combined with dipper weight and formation resistive forces results in severe stress loading of the shovel front-end assembly. Material flaws, high stresses and harsh excavation conditions can initiate cracks in the dipper-teeth assembly. High stresses can cause these cracks to propagate to critical lengths resulting in fatigue failure, unscheduled downtimes, costly unplanned repairs, and downstream processing circuit problems. The literature reveals that dipper-related problems significantly reduce shovel up-time. This research is a pioneering effort towards developing a solid frame work for stress profiling, …

Subterranean Photobioreactors For Commercial-Industrial Scale Algal Culture, Daniel James Vidt

Doctoral Dissertations

"There are many potential benefits to the mining industry accruing from the application of algal biotechnology. The main benefits are in the production of biodiesel and in the remediation of mining brownfields. The research in this study was centered in the original idea that these brownfields represent a tremendous opportunity for use as a hybrid model for redevelopment into sustainable "mines" of biomass. The ability of these underground spaces serving as bioreactors to control all aspects of the growing environment, from lighting, to temperature, to biosecurity, are key advantages that have been identified in the literature. The many benefits inherent …

Modeling Explosive Lensing On A Cylindrical Body In Air: A First Step Towards Sealing An Underwater Offshore Oil Spill, Phillip R. Mulligan

Doctoral Dissertations

"In 2010, the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon accident leaked oil into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days. A fast response method that can seal an oil pipe and stop the release of oil is needed in order to prevent future oil leaks from turning into ecological and financial disasters. Explosives can serve this need.

This research examined how a circular implosive discontinuous explosive lens interacts with a cylindrical surface. The following research was designed to study the applicability of the Method this author developed to predict the peak pressure from multiple shockwaves converging on a centrally located cylinder. …

Applications Of Simulation And Optimization Techniques In Optimizing Room And Pillar Mining Systems, Angelina Konadu Anani

Doctoral Dissertations

"The goal of this research was to apply simulation and optimization techniques in solving mine design and production sequencing problems in room and pillar mines (R&P). The specific objectives were to: (1) apply Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to determine the optimal width of coal R&P panels under specific mining conditions; (2) investigate if the shuttle car fleet size used to mine a particular panel width is optimal in different segments of the panel; (3) test the hypothesis that binary integer linear programming (BILP) can be used to account for mining risk in R&P long range mine production sequencing; and (4) …

Numerical Study On Scaling Effects And Decoupled Network-Based Simulation Of Gaseous Explosion, Liang Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research seeks to improve the prediction efficiency of gaseous explosions realized by numerical simulations in a full-scale underground network using a decoupled method. To provide quick predictions of overpressure distribution of methane explosions in underground airway networks, a two-section theory is employed. The explosion space is divided into a driver section and a blast-wave section. Governing equations including conservation of mass, momentum, and energy, together with chemical reaction and turbulence models are solved for the driver and the blast-wave sections using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver ANSYS Fluent (3D-based) and Flowmaster (1D-based) respectively. The three dimensional (3D) and one …

Analysis Of Effects Of Surface Roughness And Local Surface Imperfections On Measured Pressure, Laurin Ashley Bookout

Doctoral Dissertations

"When tests using pressure to characterize the performance or effects of an explosive are conducted in laboratory or other small scale, highly controlled settings, it is expected that any gages will be ideally mounted and there will not be any surface imperfections or roughness near the gage location. However, when explosive tests are scaled up, the test beds typically do not have perfect surfaces. Instead there may be rough surfaces with various types of geometry or situations where it is extremely difficult to get the gage flush mounted with a flat surface. In a time where tests with multiple replications …

A Novel Powder Factor Based Bench Blast Design Method For Large Surface Coal Mines, Andrew Clifford Blair

Doctoral Dissertations

"Large surface coal mines in Wyoming's Powder River Basin ship millions of tons of coal per annum, moving millions of cubic yards of overburden to mine the coal. Much of this volume is blasted in the form of benches, a common mining technique. Increases in production and scale of equipment in the past thirty-five years have created a paradigm shift for drill and blast personnel at these large surface mines, and the explosives industry has yet to create a blast design method specifically tailored for large surface coal mine bench blasting.

This research examines the typical scale of bench blasting …

The Relative Effect Of Charge Dimensions On Elastic Vibration Attenuation And Blast-Induced Seismic Energy Concepts, Nathan Thomas Rouse

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation focuses on expanding the blasting industry's current understanding of the effect of charge geometry on blast vibration attenuation. The work includes a multiple regression analysis of a sample population of signature hole blast vibration data. The regression analysis is used to identify the relative effect of the variables that affect blast vibrations at various distances from the charge. The study suggests that the most common vibration models used in the blasting industry do not use all of the statistically significant variables. Therefore, the models neglect to fully describe the relationship between the significant variables and the blast vibration. …

Describing Local Community Acceptance With Discrete Choice Theory For Enhanced Community Engagement, Sisi Que

Doctoral Dissertations

This research sought to facilitate improved community (stakeholder) analysis by providing further insight on the determinants of local community acceptance using discrete choice theory. Specifically, the goals were to: (1) Identify, classify, and verify the important project characteristics and key demographic factors which affect local community acceptance of a mining project; (2) Account for the large number of relevant factors inherent in discrete choice experiments for mining community acceptance evaluation; and (3) Examine discrete choice models to select the most appropriate model for mining community consultation. The research will test the hypotheses that various discrete choice models can describe the …

Microstructure And Geotechnical Properties Of St. Peter Sandstone In Clayton, Iowa, Amir Hossein Bagherieh

Doctoral Dissertations

"The St. Peter Sandstone is significantly different from the minerals and rocks which have been studied extensively in mining. It is brittle and characterized by an unusually high friction angle. On the other hand it is friable, and it is nearly cohesionless. The scarcity of the ground control techniques for this particular mining environment has created many difficulties for mine operators. This research aims to establish a fundamental understanding of the basic mechanical and strength properties of the St. Peter Sandstone for engineering design and scientific research. The specific objectives are 1) characterizing the strength of the St. Peter Sandstone, …

Nonlinear Granger Causality And Its Application In Decoding Of Human Reaching Intentions, Mengting Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

Multi-electrode recording is a key technology that allows the brain mechanisms of decision making, cognition, and their breakdown in diseases to be studied from a network perspective. As the hypotheses concerning the role of neural interactions in cognitive paradigms become increasingly more elaborate, the ability to evaluate the direction of neural interactions in neural networks holds the key to distinguishing their functional significance.

Granger Causality (GC) is used to detect the directional influence of signals between multiple locations. To extract the nonlinear directional flow, GC was completed through a nonlinear predictive approach using radial basis functions (RBF). Furthermore, to obtain …

Spatial Variation Of Amd Related Co₂ Emissions On Reclaimed Mine Spoil, Moagabo Mathiba

Doctoral Dissertations

"Carbon dioxide (CO₂) from acid mine drainage (AMD)-carbonate neutralization reactions in reclaimed mine spoils, can intermittently invade homes and structures constructed on or adjacent to these spoils in hazardous and even lethal concentrations (>15%) and rendering them uninhabitable. This phenomenon is beginning to be recognized as an emerging environmental, safety and health threat with potential environmental and financial liability for mine operators, developers and owners.

Like in natural soils, soil temperature and moisture, and possibly elevation are likely to influence CO₂ emissions from reclaimed mine spoils. However, mine spoil soils are heterogeneous and have significant convective transport due to …

Fractal Oxidation Kinetics And Risk Evaluation Of Spontaneous Combustion In Coal Mines, Yutao Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

"The spontaneous combustion of coal occurs when air supply is sufficient for the oxidation of coal and air velocity is insufficient for the dissipation of generated heat. Spontaneous combustion, if not eradicated immediately, may lead to coal ignition and even a full-blown fire. The fire may engulf a large area and spread further if they are not immediately attended to. This will not only endanger miners and mining operations, but also result in possible mine closures and even fatalities.

Porous structure has a significant effect on coal adsorption and spontaneous combustion. In this research, fractal theory was utilized to quantitatively …