No. 492 August 2001

Proceedings of the Second International Workshop

on Coal Pillar Mechanics and Design 

Information Circular (IC) 9448

Pillar design is the first line of defense against rock

falls—the greatest single safety hazard faced by underground coal miners in the United States and abroad. To

help advance the state of the art in this fundamental

mining science, the National Institute for Occupational

Safety and Health organized the Second International

Workshop on Coal Pillar Mechanics and Design. The

Workshop was held in Vail, CO, on June 6, 1999,

in association with the 37th U.S. Rock Mechanics

Symposium. The Proceedings (IC 9448) include

15 papers from leading ground control specialists in the

United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom,

and the Republic of South Africa. The papers address

the entire range of issues associated with coal pillars

and have a decidedly practical flavor. Topics include

numerical modeling, empirical design formulas

based on case histories, field measurements, and postfailure mechanics.

The titles of the papers in the Proceedings are:

• A Unique Approach to Determining the TimeDependent In Situ Strength of Coal Pillars

• Developments in Coal Pillar Design at Smoky River

Coal Ltd., Alberta, Canada

• Coal Pillar Design for Longwall Gate Entries
• Analysis of Longwall Tailgate Serviceability

(ALTS): A Chain Pillar Design Methodology for

Australian Conditions

• Experience of Field Measurement and Computer

Simulation Methods for Pillar Design

• University of New South Wales Coal Pillar Strength

Determinations for Australian and South African Mining

Conditions

• Practical Boundary-Element Modeling for Mine

Planning

• Experience With the Boundary-Element Method of

Numerical Modeling To Resolve Complex Ground

Control Problems

• The Fracture Mechanics Approach to Understanding Supports in Underground Coal Mines

• A Hybrid Statistical-Analytical Method for

Assessing Violent Failure in U.S. Coal Mines

• Empirical Methods for Coal Pillar Design

• Coal Pillar Strength and Practical Coal Pillar

Design Considerations

• New Strength Formula for Coal Pillars in South

Africa

• Analysis of Longwall Tailgate Serviceability

(ALTS): A Chain Pillar Design Methodology for

Australian Conditions

• Analysis of Longwall Tailgate Serviceability

(ALTS): A Chain Pillar Design Methodology for

Australian Conditions

• The Role of Overburden Integrity in Pillar Failure

• Using a Postfailure Stability Criterion in Pillar

Design

To order a free copy of these proceedings (IC 9448),

contact Donna Opfer at (412) 386-6564, e-mail:

dopfer@cdc.gov. Or you may complete the order form

below, detach, and mail to: Donna Opfer, NIOSH

Pittsburgh Research Laboratory, Cochrans Mill Rd., P.O.

Box 18070, Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0070, or fax to (412)

386-6891.

To receive additional information about occupational

safety and health problems, call 1-800-35-NIOSH

(1-800-356-4674), or visit the NIOSH Web site at

www.cdc.gov/niosh

Mention of any company name or product does not

constitute endorsement by the National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health.

G Please send me a free copy of IC 9448, "Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Coal Pillar Mechanics and Design."

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