• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.373-382
• /
• 2012

Cessation of dewatering usually results in groundwater rebound after closing an underground coal mine because the mine voids and surrounding strata flood up to the levels of decant points such as shafts and drifts. Several numerical models have been developed to predict the timing, magnitude and location of discharges resulting from groundwater rebound. This study reviews the numerical models such as VSS-NET, GRAM and MODFLOW, and compares their scopes of assessment at different spatial and time scales. In particular, the GRAM model was reviewed in details to implement it. This paper describes the implementation of GRAM model and its application to the Dongwon coal mine in Korea. The application showed that the groundwater level modeled at the shaft of Dongwon coal mine using the GRAM model is similar to the observed one in the field.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.1-14
• /
• 2024

An image-reconstruction technology, involving the deployment of an unmanned mobility equipped with high-speed LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) has been proposed to reconstruct the shape of abandoned mine. Unmanned mobility operation is remarkably useful in abandoned mines fraught with operational difficulties including, but not limited to, obstacles, sludge, underwater and narrow tunnel with the diameter of 1.5 m or more. For cases of real abandoned mines, quadruped robots, quadcopter drones and underwater drones are respectively deployed on land, air, and water-filled sites. In addition to the advantage of scanning the abandoned mines with 2D solid-state lidar sensors, rotation of radiation at an inclination angle offers an increased efficiency for simultaneous reconstruction of mineshaft shapes and detecting obstacles. Sensor and robot posture were used for computing rotation matrices that helped compute geographical coordinates of the solid-state lidar data. Next, the quadruped robot scanned the actual site to reconstruct tunnel shape. Lastly, the optimal elements necessary to increase utility in actual fields were found and proposed.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.129-137
• /
• 2003

We interpreted the seismic signal characteristics from crosswell seismic tomography in the underground cavity like abandoned mines. The first arrival time delay and amplitude attenuation showed clearly at the low velocity zone of cavity and fracture. Also ray density decreased by detour of raypath. As a result of the amplitude spectrum analysis of fresh rock and low velocity zone, there were no noticeable differences of the amplitude up to about 1000Hz frequency, but indicated that the one passed around cavity decreased about 7dB at 2000Hz, and 20dB at 3000Hz. It was possible to compare the signal characteristics between two media by extracting the signal data from the fresh rock zone and the underground cavity through the seismic crosswell tomography.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.453-464
• /
• 2008

This study is to examine a relation between coal mining subsidence occurrence at abandoned underground coal mines and underground goaf with respect to surface geology, subsurface structure, depth and thickness of coal beds and the distribution of drifts. A study is carried out at the site where susceptibility of coal mining subsidence was proven high in a previous study. In that previous study, the susceptibility of coal mining subsidence was spatially analyzed by GIS using digitized geological maps, investigation reports, digitized mining tunnel maps without consideration of subsurface structure and the multi-level arrangement of drifts. Here we analyze geological characteristics around the goaf and the distribution of coal seam based upon digitized geological maps and investigation reports on the study area. And digitized mining tunnel maps are also used to analyze the depth and multi-level arrangement of drifts. The results show that weakened surface rock strength, relatively shallow depth and large thickness of coal seam below the surface are closely related to the coal mining subsidence occurrence. Complicatedly inter-connected drifts, shallow depth of drifts and surface rock fractures are revealed as additional control factors affecting coal mining subsidence. These factors examined in this study as well as original factors should be taken into account for the quantitative estimation of coal mining subsidence occurrence at abandoned underground coal mine.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.372-380
• /
• 2007

Surface damage due to subsidence is an inevitable consequence of underground mining, which may be immediate or delayed for many years. The surface damage due to abandoned underground mine is observed to be two subsidence types such as simple sinkhole or trough formation to a large scale sliding of the ground from with in the subsided area. An evaluation of the risk of a subsidence occurrence is vital in the areas affected by mining subsidence. For a subsidence prediction or a risk evaluation, there has been used various methods using empirical models, profile functions, influence functions and numerical models. In this study, a simple but efficient evaluation method of subsidence hazard is suggested, which is based on a diffusion theory and uses just information about geometry of caving and topography. The diffusion model has an analogous relationship with granular model which can explain a mechanism of subsidence. The diffusion model is applied for the evaluation of subsidence hazard in abandoned metal and coal mines. The model is found to be a simple but efficient tool because it needs information of geometry of caving and gangway and the topography.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.107-111
• /
• 2004

This study was undertaken to summarize of the efficiencies of the passive treatment system and suggest future studies for the solution of mine drainage problem. Flow rates of mine drainage from the abandoned coal mines are about 80,000 ton/day. Contaminated mine drainages over about 50 ton/day of flow rate were treated by passive treatment facilities such as Successive Alkalinity Producing Systems(SAPS), oxidation pond and oxic wetland. Chemical analysis for 13 passive coal mine treatment facilities showed that SAPS was the core of treatment facilities because the variation of Fe removal rates was relatively smaller than any other processes and re-leaching of Fe was not measured. The performance and life of SAPS depended on decrease in permeability and retention time due to accumulation of sludge. It is inferred that upgrade of design of the passive treatment system and in-situ treatment using underground void will be necessary for the amelioration of the mine drainage with high metal loading rates.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.19 no.5
• /
• pp.463-472
• /
• 2009

Many old domestic mines were excavated with the room and pillar method or the sublevel caving method and they involve the great possibility of surface subsidence, especially in the shallow depth mines. In most of these cases, the mine roadways and openings are very irregular in shape and the information about the local geology is uncertain. Consequently it is not simple to standardize the estimation method for the possibility of subsidence, especially the sinkhole subsidence. In this study, the fuzzy reasoning method has been applied for development of estimating the possibility of subsidence occurrence in abandoned mine area. This method has the advantage in producing the reliable estimation results with a simple performance procedure even when the precise information on the local geology and mining conditions is rare. For the verification of applicability of this method, the developed method has been applied to Kumho mine in Bonghwa, Kyungbook province and the Choong-ju mine in Iryu, Choongbook province where the surface subsidence occurred already.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.1-21
• /
• 2020

The domestic abandoned mines are generating subsidence and it is difficult to predict this subsidence and evaluate the risk. The study of the subsidence risk evaluation using the existing numerical analysis only applies the integrative property to the geological structure and ground condition, and analyzes the goaf peripheral plastic domain. Also, there is a realistic limit that only restricted materials can be apprehended in securing the input information, which leads to the low reliability of the numerical analysis result. In this study, 2-dimensional modeling was performed by applying the field geological structure and ground information targeting abandoned mine where the subsidence occurred. Also, the analysis model was revised by repeating the numerical analysis for the difference between the real subsidence ground information and the analysis result to be minimized by modifying the ground property. This revision was automated by applying the optimization technique and the gradational optimal design method dividing multiple ground properties was developed.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.408-416
• /
• 2015

The collapse of the underground cavities and voids, which were made for developing mineral resources, can cause the subsidence of the ground surface in the residential areas. During the Japanese colonial era and the 1960's mining boom period, lots of mines had been developed indiscriminately in Korea. Due to complicated geological conditions and mining methods, many of dangerous underground mine cavities with steep slopes had been generated at the shallow surface. Due to such conditions, it is difficult to directly apply valid foreign reclamation practice for the cavities in Korea environments. It is necessary to develop the efficient ground stabilization technologies for the Korea underground mine conditions to solve abandoned mine reclamation properly. Therefore, MIRECO and Korea government have been carrying out practical researches and technical developments together with other academic researchers and reclamation business partners, and various practical solutions such as surveying and exploration methods, proper cavity filling materials and reinforcement methods have been developed with application in the mine field. In this article, up to date technologies and R&D trends in the field of mine subsidence prevention technology are broadly reviewed to establish the future direction of a research and development.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.174-181
• /
• 2001

The cavities created by underground mining, if remained unfilled, can cause ground settlement and surface subsidence as a result of relaxation and breakdown of the carven roof. Construction of structures above the underground mine cavity will have serious problems concerning both structural stability and safely even if the cavity is back-filled. This study was conducted to confirm the location and condition of the cavern as well as the state of the back-fill in A mine area using core logging and borehole camera. The bearing capacity and other mechanical properties of the ground were also measured by the standard penetration test(SPT). Obtained data were used to assess the stability of the ground and the structures to be built by numerical analysis using FLAC. The site investigation results showed that the mine cavities were filled with materials such as boulder and silty sand(SM by unified classification). Result of the numerical analyses indicated that constructing building structures on the over-lying ground above the filled cavities is secure against the potential problems such as surface subsidence and ground settlement.