A study of the effect of pillar shape on pillar strength

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dc.contributor.author Maritz, Jan Abram
dc.contributor.author Malan, D.F. (Daniel Francois)
dc.date.accessioned 2024-08-15T11:22:41Z
dc.date.available 2024-08-15T11:22:41Z
dc.date.issued 2023-05
dc.description.abstract 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. Owing to the poor quality of pillar cutting, many hard-rock pillars have an irregular shape and it is not clear how this affects pillar strength. Furthermore, the strength of rectangular pillars in comparison with square pillars is also difficult to quantify. The ‘perimeter rule’ is widely adopted for rectangular pillars, but its applicability for pillars with irregular shapes has never been tested. We used numerical modelling in this study to investigate the effect of pillar shape on strength. An analytical limit equilibrium model of a square and a strip pillar also provided useful insights. For slender pillars, the strength of a long rib pillar is essentially similar to that of a square pillar. In contrast, for rib pillars with a large width to height ratio, there is a substantial increase in strength. The study found that the perimeter rule should not be used for irregularly shaped pillars. Displacement discontinuity modelling, using a limit equilibrium approach, is proposed as an alternative to determine the strength of these pillars. en_US
dc.description.department Mining Engineering en_US
dc.description.librarian am2024 en_US
dc.description.sdg SDG-09: Industry, innovation and infrastructure en_US
dc.description.uri http://www.saimm.co.za/journal-papers en_US
dc.identifier.citation Maritz, J.A. and Malan, D.F. 2023 A study of the effect of pillar shape on pillar strength. Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, vol. 123, no. 5. pp. 235–244. http://dxDOI.org/10.17159/2411-9717/2473/2023. en_US
dc.identifier.issn 2225-6253 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 2411-9717 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.17159/2411-9717/2473/2023
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/97668
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy en_US
dc.rights © The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2023. en_US
dc.subject Pillar shape en_US
dc.subject Pillar strength en_US
dc.subject Displacement discontinuity modelling en_US
dc.subject Bord-and-pillar layout en_US
dc.subject SDG-09: Industry, innovation and infrastructure en_US
dc.title A study of the effect of pillar shape on pillar strength en_US
dc.type Article en_US


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