The underhand cut-and-fill mining method is widely employed in underground mines,especially when the quality of surrounding rock mass or ore body is inferior or subjected to high stresses.Such a method typically requi...The underhand cut-and-fill mining method is widely employed in underground mines,especially when the quality of surrounding rock mass or ore body is inferior or subjected to high stresses.Such a method typically requires the construction of sill mats with cemented backfill to provide operators with safe artificial roofs.Accurate estimation of the minimum required strength of the sill mat is crucial to minimize binder consumption and ensure its stability upon base exposure.Over the years,only a few publications were devoted to determining the minimum required cohesion(cmin)of sill mats.None of them considered rock wall closure to be associated with the creep of surrounding rock mass.Moreover,the effect of rock wall closure associated with rock creep on the cminof the sill mat remains unknown.Thus,a series of numerical simulations was performed to fill this gap.The influence of rock creep on the cminof base-exposed sill mat was investigated for the first time.The numerical results indicate that Mitchell’s models could be suitable for sill mats subjected to negligible wall closure.However,this scenario is rare,especially when mine depth is large.In general,the cminof sill mats increases as mine depth increases.Neglecting rock creep would significantly underestimate the cminof sill mats.When mine depth is large and the rock mass exhibits severe creep,cemented backfill with ductile behavior(i.e.,with low stiffness but enough strength)should be considered to reduce binder consumption and prevent crushing failure.In all cases,promptly filling the mined-out stope below the sill mat can improve its stability and reduce its cminvalue.展开更多
A stable surface to move manpower and equipment is a key for the construction operations. To create a stable road surface, the road construction techniques are time-consuming and expensive for a traditional constructi...A stable surface to move manpower and equipment is a key for the construction operations. To create a stable road surface, the road construction techniques are time-consuming and expensive for a traditional construction which requires compaction of soil, aggregate base, sub-base and asphaltic layers. A Geosynthetic Access Mat (GAM) system can serve as an alternative to other traditional construction techniques to accommodate temporary construction. Due to its rigidity, the mat system can provide substantial vertical resistance to the applied load under a large deflection subject to soil conditions. This paper provides details of GAM specifications, soil conditions, applications, installation procedure, comparison with other soil stabilization methods and Aramco experience for deployments of these mats.展开更多
Pinus squamata X. W. Li, a recently-described species of the Pinaceae, is an extremely endangered pine with only 32 individuals in the wild. This species was thought to be intermediate between P. bungeana Zuec. ex End...Pinus squamata X. W. Li, a recently-described species of the Pinaceae, is an extremely endangered pine with only 32 individuals in the wild. This species was thought to be intermediate between P. bungeana Zuec. ex Endl. of subgen. Strobus and P. yunnanensis Franch. of subgen. Pinus by the original author. We made an effort to address the question of the phylogenetic relationship of this peculiar and important species in the context of the major groups of the genus Pinus by using sequences of the rbcL, matK,genes, rpl20-rps18 spacer, trnV intron of the chloroplast genome and the nuclear ribosomal ITS region. The results of the separated analysis and the combined analysis of the four cpDNA sequences and ITS sequence indicated that P. squamata was a stable member of subsect. Gerardianae and P. gerardiana Wall. was the closest species of P. squamata phylogenetically. As a result, the causes of the distribution pattern of subsect. Gerardianae were also discussed.展开更多
基金financially supported by the Project of National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2022YFE0129200)the Beijing Nova Program(No.20220484057)+3 种基金the China Scholarship Council(No.202010300001)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52304101)financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada(No.RGPIN-201806902)industrial partners of the Research Institute on Mines and the Environment(No.RIME UQAT-Polytechnique)。
文摘The underhand cut-and-fill mining method is widely employed in underground mines,especially when the quality of surrounding rock mass or ore body is inferior or subjected to high stresses.Such a method typically requires the construction of sill mats with cemented backfill to provide operators with safe artificial roofs.Accurate estimation of the minimum required strength of the sill mat is crucial to minimize binder consumption and ensure its stability upon base exposure.Over the years,only a few publications were devoted to determining the minimum required cohesion(cmin)of sill mats.None of them considered rock wall closure to be associated with the creep of surrounding rock mass.Moreover,the effect of rock wall closure associated with rock creep on the cminof the sill mat remains unknown.Thus,a series of numerical simulations was performed to fill this gap.The influence of rock creep on the cminof base-exposed sill mat was investigated for the first time.The numerical results indicate that Mitchell’s models could be suitable for sill mats subjected to negligible wall closure.However,this scenario is rare,especially when mine depth is large.In general,the cminof sill mats increases as mine depth increases.Neglecting rock creep would significantly underestimate the cminof sill mats.When mine depth is large and the rock mass exhibits severe creep,cemented backfill with ductile behavior(i.e.,with low stiffness but enough strength)should be considered to reduce binder consumption and prevent crushing failure.In all cases,promptly filling the mined-out stope below the sill mat can improve its stability and reduce its cminvalue.
文摘A stable surface to move manpower and equipment is a key for the construction operations. To create a stable road surface, the road construction techniques are time-consuming and expensive for a traditional construction which requires compaction of soil, aggregate base, sub-base and asphaltic layers. A Geosynthetic Access Mat (GAM) system can serve as an alternative to other traditional construction techniques to accommodate temporary construction. Due to its rigidity, the mat system can provide substantial vertical resistance to the applied load under a large deflection subject to soil conditions. This paper provides details of GAM specifications, soil conditions, applications, installation procedure, comparison with other soil stabilization methods and Aramco experience for deployments of these mats.
文摘Pinus squamata X. W. Li, a recently-described species of the Pinaceae, is an extremely endangered pine with only 32 individuals in the wild. This species was thought to be intermediate between P. bungeana Zuec. ex Endl. of subgen. Strobus and P. yunnanensis Franch. of subgen. Pinus by the original author. We made an effort to address the question of the phylogenetic relationship of this peculiar and important species in the context of the major groups of the genus Pinus by using sequences of the rbcL, matK,genes, rpl20-rps18 spacer, trnV intron of the chloroplast genome and the nuclear ribosomal ITS region. The results of the separated analysis and the combined analysis of the four cpDNA sequences and ITS sequence indicated that P. squamata was a stable member of subsect. Gerardianae and P. gerardiana Wall. was the closest species of P. squamata phylogenetically. As a result, the causes of the distribution pattern of subsect. Gerardianae were also discussed.