Mining Institute Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russia:

Kulkova M. S., Post-graduate Student, Research Assistant
Zemtsovsky A. V., Senior Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, zemtsovskiy@yandex.ru

The article discusses underground mining of the Zhdanov deposit which is located in the Pechenga area of the Murmansk Region and is one of the largest copper–nickel accumulations in Russia. The project involves several mining systems governed by geological conditions. For instance, reserves of the South-East ore body are extracted by open stoping. Application of this system needs optimizing dimensions of stopes and pillars based on the criteria of mining safety and efficiency. The problem is growing more critical as mining goes to deeper levels while geological and geotechnical conditions worsen. The stress state analysis of rock mass enclosing the South-East ore body used 2D finite element-based numerical modeling. As a result, the data on distribution of effective stresses in rocks mass with stopes and pillars of various dimensions have been obtained. These data help finding optimal sizes of stopes and pillars to keep stable. The research findings can reduce valuable ore loss in pillars and improve mining safety.

1. Skuf’in P. K., Bayanova T. B. Early Proterozoic central-type volcano in the Pechenga Structure and its relation to the ore-bearing gabbro-wehrlite complex of the Kola Peninsula. Petrology. 2006. No. 14. pp 609–627.
2. Skuf’in P. K., Theart H. F. J. Geochemical and tectono-magmatic e volution of the volcano-sedimentary rocks of Pechenga and other greenstone fragments within the Kola Greenstone Belt, Russia. Precambrian Research. 2005. No. 141, Iss. 1-2. pp. 1–48.
3. Smol’kin V. F., Skuf’in P. K., Mitrofanov F. P., Mokrousov V. A. Stratigraphy and volcanism in the Early Proterozoic Pechenga structure (Kola Peninsula). Stratigraphy and Geological Correlation. 1996. Vol. 4, Iss. 1. pp. 78–94.
4. Volkov V. N., Makeev V. I. History and growth prospects for mineral reserves of the Kola Mining and metallurgical Company. Tsvetnaya Metallurgiya. 2013. Vol. 10(850). pp. 27–32.
5. Tokarev O. V., Kuzenkov M. V., Udalov A. E. Underground mining technology fro open-pit to underground operation at the Zhdanov copper–nickel ore deposit. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2015. No. 6. pp. 60–63. DOI: 10.17580/gzh.2015.06.12
6. Smirnov A. A., Vorob’ev V. L., Anukhin M. A. The Zhdanov deposit development by the Severnyi-Glubokii underground mine. Tsvetnye Metally. 2004. No. 12. pp. 22–24.
7. Savich I. N., Volkov V. N., Atanov V. V., Udalov A. E., Pavlov A. A. Optimization of design and technological solutions for underground mining of copper-nickel ore deposits Zhdanovsky. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2011. No. 11. pp. 33–35.
8. Martin C. D., Maybe W. G. The strength of hard-rock pillars. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Science. 2000. Vol. 37, Iss. 8. pp. 1239–1246.
9. Makarov A. B. Validation of permissible parameters for rooms and pillars. Fundamentalnye i prikladnye voprosy gornykh nauk. 2015. Vol. 2, No. 2. pp. 261–267.
10. Uskov V. A. Features of ground control in underground mining of horizontal and inclined ore lenses. Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences. 2015. Vol. 2. pp. 170-174.
11. Baryshnikov V. D., Gakhova L. N. Geomechanical assessment of room-and-pillar mining parameters at the top of the Botuobinskaya pipe. Interexpo GEO-Sibir. 2017. Vol. 2, No. 2. pp. 134–138.
12. Mallı, T., Yetkin, M.E., Özfırat, M.K., Kahraman, B. Numerical analysis of underground space and pillar design in metalliferous mine. Journal of African Earth Sciences. October 2017. Vol. 134. pp. 365–372.
13. Duris L., Snupárek R. Numerical Analysis of the Stability of Lignite Pillars. Procedia Engineering. 2017. Vol. 191. pp. 310–316.
14. Sharma K. G. Numerical Analysis of Underground Structures. Indian Geotechnical Journal. 2009. Vol. 39(1). pp. 1–63.
15. Hauquin T., Gunzburger Y., Olivier D. Predicting pillar burst by an explicit modelling of kinetic energy. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences. 2018. Vol. 107. pp. 159–171.
16. Rafiei Renani H., Martin C. D. Modeling the progressive failure of hard rock pillars. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology. 2018. Vol. 74. pp. 71-81.
17. Kozyrev A. A., Semenova I. E., Zemtsovskiy A. V. Rockbursthazard estimation at the Zhdanov deposit. Fersman’s Sci. Session GI KNTS RAN. 2017. No. 14. pp. 300–303.