Abstract
Rock falls are a major cause for concern at the Magdalena Colliery, where mining of bituminous coal has been going on for the past twelve years. Potential keyblocks are the result of numerous joint intersections that result in many unstable blocks that fall off the roof, when the weight exceeds the support capacity. Several attempts have been made in the past to accurately predict rock fall occurrence. This paper describes the use of the computer program JBlock to simulate keyblocks in the roof at Section 1, Panel 417 at the Magdalena Colliery and to predict the probability of occurrence of rock falls. Scanline mapping was undertaken in the roof followed by cluster analysis in DIPS to determine the major joint sets for input into the JBlock program in order to identify potentially unstable keyblocks. Laboratory tests were also conducted on selected samples in order to determine the geotechnical properties of the material and also to carry out a rock mass classification. The program tested the generated keyblocks for the current support system and a proposed support system, which was based on the rock mass classification. Results obtained show that the current support system is inadequate at Section 1, Panel 417.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Barton, N., Lien, R., Lunde, J.: Engineering classification of rock masses for the design of tunnel support. Rock Mech. 6(4), 189–236 (1974)
Bieniawski, Z.T.: Engineering Rock Mass Classifications: A Complete Manual for Engineers and Geologists in Mining, Civil, and Petroleum Engineering. Wiley, Canada (1989)
Brady, B.H.G., Brown, E.T.: Rock Mechanics for Underground Mining, 3rd edn. Springer, Netherlands (2006)
Brown, E.T. (ed.): ISRM: Rock Characterization, Testing and Monitoring, ISRM Suggested Methods. Pergamon Press, Oxford (1981)
Clemente, D., Muller, C.J., Odentdal, N.J., van Heerden, D.: An Independent Qualified Person’s Report on Forbes Coal Dundee Operations in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. Minxcon, South Africa (2013)
Council for Geoscience: 1:250,000 Geological Series Sheet, 2830 Dundee. Government Printer, Pretoria (1997)
Cronje, P.: Parting, Gus and Alfred. Report No. 0704-005Mag. Big C Rock Engineering, Bronkhorstspruit, South Africa (2007)
Deere, D.U.: Technical description of rock cores. Rock Mech. Eng. Geol. (1964)
Esterhuizen, G.S.: JBlock User’s Manual and Technical Reference (1996)
Esterhuizen, G.S., Streuders, S.B.: Rockfall hazard evaluation using probabilistic keyblock analysis. J. S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall. 98, 59–64 (1998)
Greenshields, H.D.: Eastern transvaal coalfield. Min. Deposits Southern Afr. 2, 1995–2010 (1986)
Gumede, H., Stacey, T.R.: Measurement of typical joint characteristics in South African gold mines and the use of these characteristics in the prediction of rockfalls. J. S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall. 107(5), 335–344 (2007) (submitted for publication)
Johnson, M.R., Van Vuuren, C.J., Hegenberger, W.F., Key, R.: Stratigraphy of the Karoo supergroup in Southern Africa: an overview. J. Afr. Earth Sci. 23(1), 3–15 (1997)
Muller, C.J., van Heerden, D., Odendaal, N.J., Clemente, D.: An Independent Qualified Persons’ Report on Forbes Coal Dundee Operations in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, Minxcon (2013)
Priest, S.D.: The collection and analysis of discontinuity orientation data for engineering design, with examples. Compr. Rock Eng. 3, 167–192 (1993)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Khoza, K.R., Hingston, E.D.C., Mtshali, S., Khumalo, C., Mabogo, N. (2019). The Use of JBlock in the Analysis of Potential Rock Falls at the Magdalena Colliery, Dundee, South Africa. In: Shakoor, A., Cato, K. (eds) IAEG/AEG Annual Meeting Proceedings, San Francisco, California, 2018 - Volume 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93124-1_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93124-1_13
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-93123-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-93124-1
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)