Three-Dimensional Method of Fragments to Study Drainage through Hydraulic Fill Stopes
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 12, Issue 5
Abstract
The method of fragments is a simple technique for determining the flow rate, pore water pressure, and exit gradient in two-dimensional confined flow problems. This method is extended to a three-dimensional hydraulic fill stope. Expressions were developed for computing the flow rate and the maximum pore water pressure within the stope, which are two important design parameters for analyzing the drainage characteristics of the stope during filling. These expressions were validated using laboratory tests on model stopes and a numerical model using an explicit finite difference code, and good agreement was observed. The equations developed in this research note enable quick estimates of flow rate and the maximum pore water pressure within the hydraulic fill stope, without resorting to sophisticated simulation models. It is shown that the method of fragments can be applied to three-dimensional seepage problems, provided that appropriate form factors are developed.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
FLAC3D version 3.1 [Computer software]. Minneapolis, MN, Itasca Consulting Group.
Harr, M. E. (1962). Ground water and seepage, McGraw Hill, New York.
Isaacs, L. T., and Carter, J. P. (1983). “Theoretical study of pore water pressures developed in hydraulic fill in mine stopes,” Trans. Inst. Mining Metall. A Mining Industry, 92, A93–A102.
Pavlovsky, N. N. (1956). Collected works, Doklady Akademii Nauk USSR, Leningrad, Russia.
Rankine, K. J. (2005). “An investigation into the drainage characteristics and behavior of hydraulically placed mine backfill and permeable minefill barricades.” Ph.D. thesis, James Cook Univ., Townsville, Australia.
Rankine, K. J., Sivakugan, N., and Cowling, R. (2006). “Emplaced geotechnical characteristics of hydraulic fills in a number of Australian mines.” J. Geotech. Geological Eng., 24, 1–14.
Rankine, K. S. (2007). “Development of two and three-dimensional method of fragments to analyse drainage behavior in hydraulic fill stopes.” Ph.D. thesis, James Cook Univ., Townsville, Australia.
Sivakugan, N., and Rankine, K. S. (2006). “A simple solution for drainage through a 2-dimensional hydraulic fill stope.” J. Geotech. Geological Eng., 24(5), 1229–1241.
Traves, W. H., and Isaacs, L. T. (1991). “Three-dimensional modeling of fill drainage in mine stopes,” Trans. Inst. Mining Metall. A Mining Industry, 100, A66–A72.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 12 • Issue 5 • October 2012
Pages: 612 - 615
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 2, 2010
Accepted: Jul 8, 2011
Published online: Jul 11, 2011
Published in print: Oct 1, 2012
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.