Underground mining accidents have the potential of leaving miners trapped in unknown and life-threatening locations for an extended period of time. The lives of the trapped and unaccounted-for miners are at risk and require ...
Napier, J.A.L. (John); Malan, D.F. (Daniel Francois)(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2023-05)
A number of shallow coal or hard rock mines employ pillar mining systems as a strategy for
roof failure control. In certain platinum mine layouts, pillars are designed to ‘crush’ in a stable
manner as they become loaded ...
Esterhuyse, Johann C.; Malan, D.F. (Daniel Francois)(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2023-05)
In this study we explore the use of a novel numerical modelling approach to study the effect of pillar
reinforcement on pillar stability. Case studies in the literature indicate that tendons, strapping of
the pillars, ...
Ngobese, S.; Pelders, J.; Botha, W.; Magweregwede, F.; Schutte, S.(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2023-04)
A people-centric, systematic approach that involves different stakeholders is considered necessary
to successfully address changes associated with modernizing the South African mining industry.
In this paper we discuss ...
Els, Ruan P.; Malan, D.F. (Daniel Francois)(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2023-05)
The limit equilibrium model, used in displacement discontinuity codes, is a popular method
to simulate pillar failure. This paper investigates the use of physical modelling to calibrate this
model. For the experiments, ...
Couto, Paul Michael; Malan, D.F. (Daniel Francois)(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2023-05)
We propose a layout design for the UG2 Reef where weak geological alteration layers are present.
The collapse of the Everest platinum mine in South Africa indicated that these layers substantially
weaken the pillars. The ...
Oates, Thomas E.; Malan, D.F. (Daniel Francois)(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2023-05)
A recent experimental pillar extraction project at a UG2 bord-and-pillar mine presented a unique
opportunity to compile a new pillar database. Currently, the South African hard rock bordand-
pillar mines are designed ...
Maritz, Jan Abram; Malan, D.F. (Daniel Francois)(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2023-05)
Pillar strength is affected by pillar shape, but this has largely been ignored in past research studies.
Bord-and-pillar layouts are typically designed using empirical strength equations developed for
square pillars. ...
Ile, Divine-Ito; Malan, D.F. (Daniel Francois)(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2023-05)
This study explores the use of backfill in hard rock bord-and-pillar mines to increase the pillar
strength and extraction ratio at depth. The use of backfill will also minimize the requirement for
tailings storage on ...
Van der Walt, Jennifer; Spiteri, William(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2023-04)
Flyrock remains a significant threat to the health and safety of mine employees and integrity of
infrastructure, as well as to the safety of the neighbouring communities and their property. This
investigation was motivated ...
This paper investigates the use of a novel time-dependent bulking model in a displacement discontinuity code to
simulate the convergence between the roof and the floor of deep tabular stopes. This study is important as ...
This study investigated the use of a limit equilibrium model to simulate the time-dependent scaling of hard rock pillars. In
the manganese bord and pillar mines in South Africa, extensive scaling is observed for pillars ...
Bosman, Isak de Villiers; Smith, Annique Elizabeth; Ka, Kwan Sui Dave; De Beer, Koos; Maritz, J.A. (Jan)(CEUR-WS, 2023)
Virtual reality possesses various properties that have the potential to be beneficial for the
visualisation of spatial data, including intuitive gestural affordances for looking around and
interacting with data and the ...
Ngwenyama, Philani Larrance; Webber-Youngman, Ronald C.W.(Springer, 2023-12)
Entrapments are a huge risk in underground mines. This happens when miners (or any other persons who have entered underground) survive the initial event of an accident, become trapped or lost in unknown and life-threatening ...
This paper reflects critically on why individuals engaged in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) struggle to obtain formal loans. Several studies have concentrated on the perceptions of formal lenders on the risks ...
The production of tailings is inherent to mining and minerals processing and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Catastrophic tailings dam failures, such as those at Canada’s Mount Polley in 2014 and Brazil’s Samarco ...
Mulder, Hardus; Bekker, M.C. (Michiel Christiaan)(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2022-09)
The principal objective of this investigation was to conduct a thorough literature review on the status of
project readiness mechanisms, tools, techniques, and frameworks for mining projects. The review aimed
at identifying ...
Malan, D.F. (Daniel Francois)(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2022-09)
This paper provides an overview of the concepts of citations and journal impact factors, and the
implications of these metrics for the Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
(JSAIMM). Two key ...
Eniowo, Olushola Daniel; Meyer, Lambertus Daniel; Kilambo, Sixta Raphael; Gerber, L.J. (Leonardus)(Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2022-03)
Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) operations continue to grow across sub-Saharan Africa and
serve as a source of livelihood to many rural communities. Owing to safety, health, environmental, and
social concerns, the ...