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Mining Publication: The State-of-the-Art in Coal Pillar Design
Keywords: Coal mining Longwall mining Mine design Numerical modeling Pillar design 
 Retreat mining
This page is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being maintained or updated. Contact NIOSH Mining if you need an accessible version.
Original creation date: March 1999
Authors: C Mark
Conference Paper - March 1999
Download PDF Document (0.49 MB)
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 20025330
SME Preprint 99-86. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 1999 Mar; :1-8
By 1980, the U.S. mining community had reached a broad consensus regarding coal pillar design. The pillar load could be estimated from the tributary area theory, and the pillar strength from empirical formulas and laboratory coal strength testing. Then the growth of longwall mining required new thinking. Recently, powerful design methods have emerged from analysis of large data bases of real-world pillar successes and failures. These include the Analysis of Retreat Mining Pillar Stability (ARMPS), the Analysis of Longwall Pillar Stability (ALPS), the Mark-Bieniawski rectangular pillar strength formula, and guidelines for preventing massive pillar collapses. Sophisticated numerical models have also helped transform the pillar design landscape. In the process, our understanding of pillar mechanics has been greatly enriched. A new paradigm divides pillar failure into three categories: Slender pillars (w/h<3.0), which are subject to sudden collapse; squat pillars (w/h>10), which are dominated by entry failure (rib, roof, or floor) and coal bumps, and; intermediate, in which pillar squeezes seem to be the most common failure mode.
Image of publication The State-of-the-Art in Coal Pillar DesignConference Paper - March 1999
Download PDF Document (0.49 MB)
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 20025330
SME Preprint 99-86. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 1999 Mar; :1-8
See Also
ARMPS - Analysis of Retreat Mining Pillar Stability - 6.2.02
Critical Review of Numerical Stress Analysis Tools for Deep Coal Longwall Panels Under Strong Strata
Degasification System Selection for U.S. Longwall Mines Using an Expert Classification System
Ground Control Research: Considering Local Geology to Improve Longwall Pillar Stability
Numerical Modeling Procedures for Practical Coal Mine Design
Numerical Simulation of Roof Cavings in Several Kuzbass Mines Using Finite-difference Continuum Damage Mechanics Approach
Predicting Methane Emissions from Longer Longwall Faces by Analysis of Emission Contributors
Proceedings: New Technology for Ground Control in Retreat Mining
Technology News 464 - Analysis of Retreat Mining Pillar Stability (ARMPS): Version 4.0 for Windows
Using the Coal Mine Roof Rating (CMRR) to Assess Roof Stability in U.S. Coal Mines
Page last reviewed: September 21, 2012
Page last updated: September 21, 2012
Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program
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