Mining Engineering Commons^™

An Adaptive Immersive Training Framework For Miner Self-Escape Readiness In Underground Mining Emergencies, Muhammad Azeem Raza, Samuel Frimpong, Saima Ghazal

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Underground mining environments are complex and hazardous operations where emergencies continue to happen. Underground mine emergencies require rapid, high-stakes decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, stress, and limited visibility. Conventional mine emergency training largely relies on instruction-based approaches which provide insufficient exposure to the cognitive and behavioral demands of real underground emergency situations. There has been an identified need to train miners for knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs). This study proposes an Adaptive Immersive Training Framework (AITF), a cognitively grounded architecture that integrates cognitive task analysis (CTA), KSAOs, and situational awareness assessment for miner self-escape training and readiness. The …

Understanding The Usefulness Of Self-Escape Technologies In Underground Mining: Perspectives Of Metal/Nonmetal Miners, Eugene A. Gyawu, Kwame Awuah-Offei, D. A. Baker

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Research on mine self-escape often focuses on coal mining, while perspectives from underground metal/nonmetal miners remain understudied despite their distinct emergency response challenges and unique operating environments. Using a scenario-based survey approach, this study evaluated underground metal/nonmetal miners' perceptions of the usefulness of 18 hypothetical self-escape interventions and how these perceptions are influenced by worker characteristics. Employment type was the strongest predictor of usefulness ratings, with hourly employees rating several self-escape interventions significantly higher than salaried employees, including those related to improving self-contained self-rescuers (SCSRs) and tethered guidance systems. The data suggested potential trends where perceived usefulness increased with more …

Applying Human System Integration Principles To The Investigation, Design And Validation Of Interventions For Self-Escape In Underground Mines, Eugene Adubofour Gyawu

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the use of human systems integration (HSI) to develop technologies for miners’ self-escape during a mine emergency, addressing barriers that compromise miner safety during emergencies.

Recognizing the inherently hazardous nature of underground mining, this study has three core objectives: (1) assessing miners' perceptions of proposed self-escape interventions, (2) designing interventions based on these insights, and (3) validating their effectiveness using experimental testing. This work evaluates self-escape interventions for both coal and metal/non-metal miners using scenario-based surveys, information design reviews, label designs and experimental testing methods varying across three distinct studies.

Results reveal that miners identified improvements to …

Application Of D-Insar In Monitoring The Impacts Of Shaft Grouting On Surface And Building Deformations, Liu Hui, Lu Rumeng, Su Lijuan, Cheng Shiguang, Zhang Pengfei, Cheng Hua

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective In coal mining engineering, damaged well walls pose a threat to the safety of production facilities and mines. Comprehensively monitoring the impacts of shaft grouting on the deformations of mine surface plants and surface buildings is critical for ensuring the safe production of mines. Methods This study investigated a coal mine in the mining area within northern Anhui Province. Using the 15 scenes of Sentinel-1A image data covering the coal mine and the differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (D-InSAR) technology, this study comprehensively monitored the subsidence of mine surface plants and surface buildings before and after shaft grouting, obtaining …

An Experimental Study Of The Evolutionary Patterns Of Mechanical Properties Of Coals Under Multiple Mining Disturbances, Ouyang Zhenhua, Liu Yang, Li Chunlei, Shi Qingwen, Li Wenshuai, Yi Haiyang, Qin Hongyan, Zhang Ningbo

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective In the mining process of coal mines, the cyclic loading and unloading effects caused by multiple mining disturbances can alter the mechanical properties of coals, serving as a significant cause of rock bursts. Revealing the response characteristics of crucial mechanical parameters and the damage mechanisms of coals can provide a basis for discriminating the impact-induced instability state, holding great significance for enhancing disaster prediction capabilities. Methods Quasi-static uniaxial cyclic loading and unloading experiments and the dynamic impact loading experiments on large-size coal-like specimens were combined to accurately capture the stress, strain, and acoustic emission responses during the experiments, thoroughly …

Research And Application Of The Seismic Exploration Technique Using Reflected In-Seam Waves In Identifying Folds And Faults In Coal Seams, Wu Guoqing

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Accurately identifying subsurface anomalies is crucial to building a geological transparency system in the transformation to intelligent coal mines. The precise exploration of fold anomalies is a challenge of underground geophysical exploration technology, holding great significance for reducing excavation costs, mining difficulties, and safety risks. Objective and Methods Previous in-seam seismic explorations reveal that folds pose significant impacts on the propagation characteristics of in-seam waves. However, conventional inversion techniques of in-seam waves are difficult to distinguish folds from faults. This study constructed numerical models for faults and folds with similar geometric shapes and equal exploration distances. Specifically, the differences …

Geological Structures Fine Monitoring Using Seismic-While-Tunneling Technique In Wangpo Mine, Zhao Huibo, Qin Si, Chen Chao, Guan Qi, Zhao Xingwei, Che Jianhang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Traditional tunnel seismic advance detection technology is limited by the use of explosives, the need for mining stoppages, prediction speed, detection range, and capabilities, making it challenging to meet the high-precision geological structure detection requirements of intelligent tunneling faces. In response, the seismic-while-tunneling technique utilizes the vibration of the roadheader cutting the coal wall as the seismic source. This method employs real-time data upload, automatic processing, and dynamic imaging. By leveraging information technology and software support, and utilizing real-time continuous super-saturation stacking supported by massive data, the imaging precision of geological anomalies ahead of the mining face is significantly enhanced. …

Status And Advance Of Seismic Diffraction Exploration In Coalfield, Peng Suping, Zhao Jingtao, Sheng Tongjie, Yang Jie, Tao Junhong

Coal Geology & Exploration

In China, there is an urgent need for intelligent and environmentally friendly coal mining practices to address the issue of accurately mapping transparent geological conditions, including coal rock structures, water-bearing bodies, goafs, and underground stress. These hidden disaster-causing bodies are prone to triggering mine accidents such as water inrush or gas outburst, which is the main obstacle to safe and intelligent coal mining. Three-dimensional seismic exploration is the main technology for detecting geological bodies such as faults and collapse columns. However, this technology, based on the framework of reflection theory, faces challenges in detecting small-drop faults and small-scale collapse columns. …

Addressing Specific Safety And Occupational Health Challenges For The Canadian Mines Located In Remote Areas Where Extreme Weather Conditions Dominate, Rachid Halabi, Mustafa Kumral

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The number of mining operations is increasing in the Canadian North, where extreme weather conditions govern. Currently, many mine development projects are also in progress in this region. These mines’ working atmosphere and employment circumstances are highly different from regular mines. One of the main differences is the special safety issues of the Canadian North. The primary sources of these special issues are: the difficulty of finding skilled employees; high employee turnover rate; insufficient training and certification requirements; delicate employment circumstances affecting the psychological well-being of employees; permafrost; mine inspection challenges; inventory and logistic hardship; and the legislative and regulative …

Explosion Testing Of A Polycarbonate Safe Haven Wall, Kyle A. Perry, Rex A. Meyr

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The MINER Act of 2006 was enacted by MSHA following the major mining accidents and required every underground coal mine to install refuge areas to help prevent future fatalities of trapped miners in the event of a disaster where the miners cannot escape. A polycarbonate safe haven wall for use in underground coal mines as component of a complete system was designed and modeled using finite element modeling in ANSYS Explicit Dynamics to withstand the MSHA required 15 psi (103.4 kPa) blast loading spanning 200 milliseconds. The successful design was constructed at a uniform height in both half-width scale and …

Modern Rock Dust Development And Evaluation For Use In Underground Coal Mines, Robert Eades

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Following the promulgation of new permissible respirable dust standards by MSHA in 2014, new alternative rock dusts were created that combined the advantages of current industry applications while potentially reducing miner exposure to respirable dust. Research was performed to compare the explosion suppressing and ejection characteristics of three new types of rock dust to existing rock dust types. Explosion suppression tests were conducted in a 38-L chamber where pressures were recorded. Angle of ejection tests were conducted using a high explosive shock tube and high speed photography to determine angle of ejection and lift velocity. A comprehensive comparison of the …

Development Of 15 Psi Safe Haven Polycarbonate Walls For Use In Underground Coal Mines, Rex Allen Meyr Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Following three major mining accidents in 2006, the MINER Act of 2006 was enacted by MSHA and required every underground coal mine to install refuge alternatives to help prevent future fatalities of trapped miners in the event of a disaster. The following research was performed in response to NIOSH’s call for the investigation into new refuge alternatives. A 15 psi safe haven polycarbonate wall for use in underground coal mines was designed and modeled using finite element modeling in ANSYS Explicit Dynamics. The successful design was tested multiple times in both half-scale and small scale using a high explosive shock …

Mining Mining Data: Bringing Empirical Analysis To Bear On The Regulation Of Safety And Health In U.S. Mining, Alison D. Morantz

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Integrating Technology To Improve Mine Safety In The Wake Of Recent Mine Disasters, Jeffery L. Kohler

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Free Markets, Individual Liberties And Safe Coal Mines: A Post-Sago Perspective, C. Gregory Ruffennach

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Failed Promise Of Workplace Health Regulation, David C. Vladeck

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Dedication, Joyce E. Mcconnell

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Approaching Coal Mine Safety From A Comparative Law And Interdisciplinary Perspective, Anne Marie Lofaso

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Let's Not Abandon What Works, Edward Chair

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.