UNDERGROUND MINING OF METALLIFEROUS DEPOSITS

Lecture No: 43 –ARTIFICIALLY SUPPORTED MINING METHODS

CUT & FILL STOPING – III [Post Pillar Method]

BIBHUTI BHUSAN MANDAL and KAUSHIK DEY

DEPARTMENT OF MINING ENGINEERING
IIT KHARAGPUR

1
OBJECTIVES
 LEARNING BACKGROUND :
Students taking this course lecture should preferably have a
preliminary understanding of the following
• Lateral development of metal mines (Drives, X-cuts etc.)
• Faster methods of Raising
• Stope development, Stope preparation
• Mill tailings

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INTRODUCTION
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES OF THIS LECTURE:
 To understand one Artificially Supported Method of ore extraction
 To understand the applicability of Post Pillar Method
 To have a detailed account of stope development and stope preparation
 Mechanization
 Pillar Support and backfilling

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POST PILLAR METHOD - APPLICABILITY
Post Pillar Cut-and-Fill stoping is adopted in such cases where:

•Ore body is wider (all other conditions being similar to Cut and
Fill) – up to 60m in India

•Condition of hanging wall, stope back or induced stresses are

such that ordinary methods of rock bolting and fill would not give
sufficient support to the stope back.

Simply speaking, Post Pillar method is Cut & Fill with Pillars within
the stope.

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POST PILLAR METHOD

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POST PILLAR METHOD - Preparation
 Sill level development
 Sill level development starts
from centre raise on both sides
 Driven about (7m- 10m) above

Block-end Raise

Block-end Raise
Centre Raise
the lower drive and full width
S-Panel N - Panel
of the ore body is exposed for
a maximum vertical height of
4.8m.
 Pneumatic loaders with tilting
buckets are very useful at this Sill Drive Sill Drive

stage.
 Roof above Sill is supported
with rock bolts (1.5m × 1.5m)
Longitudinal section projected on vertical plane

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POST PILLAR METHOD - Preparation

Block-end Raise

Block-end Raise
Centre Raise
S-Panel N - Panel

Sill Drive Sill Drive

Longitudinal section projected on vertical plane

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POST PILLAR METHOD - Preparation

Cavo Loader

Block-end Raise

Block-end Raise
Centre Raise
S-Panel N - Panel

Sill Drive Sill Drive

LHD
Longitudinal section projected on vertical plane

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POST PILLAR METHOD (Cut and Fill with Pillars)

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POST PILLAR – Steel Tubular Ore pass
1.5m dia ore pass rings made out of
10mm thick steel plates are welded
inside the stope to serve as man
way and ore pass through the
backfill.

Dr. B. B. Mandal and Dr. Kaushik Dey

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Detailed method of working:

Two panels (~60m each) are prepared for

different but synchronous operations:
• one for production and
• other being available for filling and
consolidation.

The sill drive is heightened up to 4.8 m

and pillars of 4m × 4m are left in a
regular pattern.

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Detailed method of working:

Pillars are left in regular pattern: say,

13m along strike and 9m along dip.

The pattern and size of pillar are to be

decided by geotechnical analysis.

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Cycle of operation:

Drilling:

The ore slice can be drilled in two different ways

•with horizontal stope holes,
•or with upward holes for which certain headroom is
required between the back and the fill surface
(usually 2-2.4m).

For drilling light rock drills (Jack hammers) are often

used though mechanized Jumbo drills are also used.
An advantage of upward drilling method is that large
sections of the roof can be drilled without
interruptions and large round can be blasted.
32mm ø 1.8m long holes

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Cycle of operation:

Drilling (contd.):
An advantage of upward drilling method is that
large sections of the roof can be drilled without
interruptions and large number of holes can be
blasted at a time.

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Cycle of operation:

Drilling (contd.):

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Cycle of operation:
Blasting:
Blasting round consists of horizontal or inclined/vertical
holes and charging the cartridge or slurries.
For even distribution of explosives inside the hole, ANFO
charging with compressed air operated ANFO Loader is
highly recommended.
ANTI-STATIC Protection
Stope must be well ventilated (Auxiliary fans)

ANFO (or AN/FO, for ammonium nitrate/fuel oil) is a

widely used as industrial explosive.
It consists of 94% porous prilled ammonium
nitrate (NH4NO3) (AN), which acts as the oxidizing
agent and absorbent for the fuel, and 6% number
2 fuel oil (FO) [Diesel]

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Cycle of operation:
Blasting:

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Loading :
In highly mechanized stopes with hydra boom jumbos for Load Haul Dump (LHD)
drilling, the loading and transport are often done with
LHDs.

The average distance of travel is generally 60m but has

also been as high as 240m. This has made it possible to
space the ore passes far apart and save their cost.

0.76/1.5 cum electric LHDs transfer the broken ore into

the ore passes from where it is hauled by mine cars with
battery locomotive to the grizzly.
More than 75% of world's underground mines use LHD
for handling the muck of their excavations.

Dr. B. B. Mandal and Dr. Kaushik Dey

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Support

1. Temporary supports with props are sometimes necessary at

the face before permanent supports are installed.
2. Hangwall, Roof or back needs to be artificially supported
with Rock Bolts.
3. Cemented/grouted Rock bolts are extensively used (1.5m ×
1.5m)
4. Raisin capsules are used where first setting is required

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POST PILLAR METHOD

Cement grouted Rock bolts

Cable bolts

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Maximum height of the excavation is limited to 4.8m
above the backfill.

Filling preparation
1. Ore passes are extended (Steel or Concrete)
2. Barricades are constructed where leakage
possibilities are there
3. Machines are shifted to other panel for
production
4. Pipelines are laid for supply and discharge of
tailings/sand etc.
5. Perforated GI pipe network is extended all over
the stope floor for fast and effective drainage of
water from slurry fill materials

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Filling preparation

Special drainage technique is required since the slurry

(Tailing and water mixture)contains 30-40% water.
To provide proper drainage of the fill while it sets
percolation drains (perforated pipes) are installed along
the stope sill and decantation towers are maintained
through the fill;

Run-off-water must be disposed off in the drainage system

on the haulage level below the stope

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Synchronous operation

• When filling is in progress in South panel, production must start from North
panel (for example)

• In fact, drilling/blasting must progress for few rounds and stock of ore must
build up in North panel for uninterrupted supply of ore from the stope

• Once the filling in S-Panel is completed, we need to allow the tailing to

settle and dry

• And then the next CUT can start in South Panel. Now North Panel should be taken
up for filling.

• This Cut and Fill cycle continues till we reach the crown pillar.

• Once both North and South panels are finished, the entire stope is filled and
closed.

Dr. B. B. Mandal and Dr. Kaushik Dey

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POST PILLAR METHOD
Advantages

o Moderate productivity (OMS)

o High rate of production
o Permits good selectivity, sorting possible
o Low development cost
o Adaptable to mechanization
o Recovery is high, low dilution
o Waste recycled as fill material
o Good safety record

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POST PILLAR METHOD

Disadvantages

 Fairly high mining cost (Filling/Support wastage)

 Filling complicates cycle of operation causing occasional
discontinuous production
 Ventilation is often poor
 Difficult to transport heavy equipment in inclined service
raises
 Compressibility of fill causes some ground settlement issue
 Loss of ore in Pillars

Dr. B. B. Mandal and Dr. Kaushik Dey

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TEXT AND REFERENCE BOOKS
1) Hartman H. L., 2002, Introductory Mining Engineering, Publishers John Willey and sons
2) Peter Darling, 2011, SME Mining Engineering Hand book, SME Publication
3) Deshmukh D. J., Elements of Mining Technology Vol. II, Vidyaseva Publications, Nagpur.
4) De Amithosh, 1995, Latest Development of Heavy Earth Moving Machinery, Annapurna
Publishers
5) M. Agoshkov and S. Borisov, 1983, Mining of Ores and Non- Metallic Minerals, Mir publications
6) W. A. Hustrulid, Richard L. Bullock, Richard C. Bullock., 2001, Underground Mining Methods:
Engineering Fundamentals and International Case Studies, Publishers SME
7) Y. P. Chacharkar, 1994, A study of metalliferous mining methods, Lovely Prakashan.

Dr. B. B. Mandal and Dr. Kaushik Dey

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TEXT AND REFERENCE BOOKS
8) Bateman, AM and Jonsen, M.L., 2013,Economic Mineral Deposits, John Wiley & Sons
9) Yves Potvin, Ed Thomas and Andy Fourie (Ed.),2005, Handbook on Mine Fill, Australian
Centre for Geo-mechanics, The University of Western Australia.

Dr. B. B. Mandal and Dr. Kaushik Dey

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Dr. B. B. Mandal and Dr. Kaushik Dey
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