538417

Underground Mining and Mine Design K. Artkhonghan, Ph. D

Suranaree University of Technology, Mar. 2018 www.flickriver.com
Underground excavation methods

Drill and Blast method Tunnel machines

Drill and Blast method
• Drill and blast method is mostly used method for the excavation throughout the world.
• The method can be used in all types of rocks and the initial cost is lower than the
mechanical method like TBM.
• This tunneling method involves the use of explosives.
• Compared with bored tunneling by Tunnel Boring Machine, blasting generally results in
higher duration of vibration levels. The excavation rate is also less than TBM (usually 3 to
5m a day).
Drill and Blast method
The typical cycle of excavation by blasting is performed in the following steps;

a) Drilling blast holes and loading

them with explosives.
b) Detonating the blast, followed
by ventilation to remove blast
fumes.
c) Removal of the blasted rock
(mucking).
d) Scaling crown and walls to
remove loosened pieces of rock.
e) Installing initial ground support.
f) Advancing rail, ventilation, and
utilities.
Drill and Blast method
1) Drilling of blast holes
Before the blasting takes place, the drilling rig bores the drill holes – determined in advance in a blasting
plan – in the foremst front wall of the tunnel (working face). The more solid the rock, the more explosives
are required.

A jumbo is used to drill holes in the rock face

• one, two or three drilling arms and an operator
tower.
• It is run by electric cable; a hose brings water to
the drills.
• That means that the drill bits both hammer and
rotate.
• Broken bits of rock are flushed out by water.
These drill holes are 2.4-3.6 metres long.
Drill and Blast method
Drilling patterns
• The drilling pattern ensures the distribution of the explosive in the rock and desired blasting result.
• Several factors must be taken into account when designing the drilling pattern:
I. rock drillability and blastability,
II. the type of explosives,
III. blast vibration restrictions and accuracy requirements of the blasted wall etc.
• Many mines and excavation sites still plan their drilling patterns manually, but advanced computer
programs are available and widely used.

Type of hole in the tunnel face

Drill and Blast method
Drilling patterns

Wedge cut or V cut Fan cut

Parallel cut (burn cut)

Drill and Blast method
2) Loading and Blasting

• The drill holes are now filled with explosives, detonators are attached to the explosive devices and the individual
explosive devices are connected to one another.
• The holes are blasted in a proper sequence, from the center outward, one after the other.
• The devices should not explode at the same time, but rather one after the other at specified intervals.
• Only when the blast master has ensured that nobody is left in the danger zone can the explosion be triggered by
the blasting machine.
Drill and Blast method
Typical example
Contour holes
2nd contour
Stoping down
Cut
Side stoping
Drill and Blast method
3) Ventilating
• The blast causes lots of rock to be flung through the tunnel, dispersing clouds of dust that then mix with the
combustion gases of the explosion.
• So that the miners can resume work in the tunnel, the bad air must be removed from the tunnel.
• This is done by using so-called air-ducting systems, long steel or plastic pipes, which are attached to the roof of
the tunnel and blow fresh air onto the working face.
• This gives rise to localized excess pressure and the bad air is pushed towards the tunnel exit.

The ventilation is necessary to spread harmful concentrations of:

-CO
-CO2
-Nitrogen oxids
-Dust
Drill and Blast method
3) Ventilating
Drill and Blast method
4. Scaling
• Scaling is necessary in order to bring down potentially unstable blocks of rock around the contour.
• It is also important for cleaning and preparing the rock surface for shotcrete and/or rockbolts
• Due to its danger, workers safety must be very well taken into account
• Different procedures exist, from manual to completely mechanised
Drill and Blast method
5. Mucking: Loading Procedures

Loading at the face

Drill and Blast method
LHD loaders
• similar to conventional front end loaders but developed for the toughest of hard rock mining applications, with
overall production economy, safety and reliability in mind
• LHD have powerful prime movers, advanced drive train technology, heavy planetary axles, four-wheel drive,
articulated steering and ergonomic controls. Their narrower, longer and lower profile make them most suitable for
underground application where height and width is limited
Drill and Blast method
Haul trucks

Hand tramming
is still widely used in small mines, in prospecting operations,
and as an adjunct to mechanical haulage systems.
Road headers

Rock excavation machine for moderate rock strength (up to 120 MPa), consisting of:

Advantage
• Flexibility.
• Possibility of excavating tunnels
of different sizes and shapes.
• Low capital investment.
• No installation time needed.
• Relatively short time from
order to delivery at the site.
Drawbacks
• No protection or support given to the rock while
excavating. Limited to stable ground.
• Suitable to excavate rocks of UCS up to 120 MPa.
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)

ADVANTAGES
• Tunnel boring machines are used as an
• Enhanced health and safety conditions for the workers.
alternative to drilling and blasting (D&B)
• Industrialization of the tunneling process, with ensuing
methods in rock
reductions in cost and construction times.
• TBMs have the advantages of limiting the
• Possibility of crossing complex geological and
disturbance to the surrounding ground and
hydrogeological conditions safely and economically.
producing a smooth tunnel wall.
• Good quality of finished product (surrounding ground less
• This significantly reduces the cost of lining
altered, precast segment lining).
the tunnel, and makes them suitable to use
in heavily urbanized areas. RISKS
• The major disadvantage is the upfront cost. • Lack of flexibility: Once the technique has been chosen it is
TBMs are expensive to construct, and can • difficult to change it throughout the construction of the
be difficult to transport. tunnel
• (specially in the case of TBM machines)
• Therefore, a correct analysis of different parameters is
needed for the choice of the correct mechanized tunneling
technique
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Gripper TBM
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Gripper TBM
ADVANTAGES
• Visual contact with the rock mass.
• Suitable to excavate hard rocks of UCS up to 300 MPa.
• Free space for ground probing equipment (treatment
and investigation)
• Minor ground support measures are applied only if
necessary (shotcrete, rockbolts), and very close to the
excavation face.

Drawbacks
• No protection or support given to the rock while
excavating. Limited to stable ground.
• Small flexibility: i.e. minor fault zones can
jeopardize the whole excavation
• Dedusting is needed
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Open Face Shield and TBM
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
TBM with Mechanical Face Support
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Slurry / Hydro-Shield ADVANTAGES
• Equal distribution of pressures against
mixed-face conditions
• Good performance in sand and gravel
• They allow access to the face (a
“mudcake” is created and compressed air
is used for stability)

Drawbacks
• Need of large separation plants for
bentonite treatment
• Bad performance in clayey-silty grounds:
need of polymers addition
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Earth Pressure Balance Shield

• TBM fitted with a full face cutterhead which provides face support
by the excavated earth which is kept under pressure inside the
excavation chamber.
• Excavation debris is removed from the excavation chamber by a
screw conveyor which allows the gradual reduction of pressure.
• Machine is suited for drilling tunnels through ground with limited
or no self-supporting capacity.
• Mainly used for excavating in silts or clays with sand.

world's largest earth pressure balance tunnel boring machine

“Bertha” was designed and manufactured by Hitachi Zosen Sakai
Works of Osaka, Japan, at a cutterhead diameter of 57.5 feet
(17.5 m) across. The machine is 326 feet (99 m) long and weighs
6,700 short tons (6,100 t).[14] The machine itself cost $80 million
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Earth Pressure Balance Shield
ADVANTAGES
• Very well adapted for excavating silty and clayey
grounds
• No need of separation plant no bentonite used
• The use of additives (foams) enables EPB’s to be
used with sandy –gravely soil (current trend)

DRAWBACKS
• Irregular distribution of pressure against mixed
face conditions
• Problems when boulders are encountered: no
possibility of fitting a rock crusher
• Wearing of the screw can lead to bad pressure
distribution
• More difficult access to the face than for Slurry-
shields (no mud-cake is formed)
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Selection of Shield Boring Machine
Based on Soil Grain Size Distribution
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Double Shield TBM
Double Shield TBMs are so called because they have two modes;
in stable ground they can grip against the tunnel walls to advance forward.
In unstable ground, fractured ground, the thrust is shifted to thrust cylinders that push off against the tunnel
segments behind the machine.
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Double Shield TBM
ADVANTAGES
• Bigger flexibility
• Higher advancement rates
• Possibility of avoiding segmental lining when not
needed: Economy
SELI's 5.98m diameter double shield TBM
• Possibility of ground treatment and/or probing through
the gap between shields

Drawbacks
• Maintenance problems of articulation between the
shields
• More shield surface: Possible drawback for
squeezing grounds
• Performace improvement on single shields is not
really double
• More expensive than conventional shields
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
EPB-Slurry Convertible Shield
It is able to convert between EPB mode and slurry mode, to cope with grounds suitable for both type of machines
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
EPB-Slurry Convertible Shield
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Micro tunnelling with the pipe jacking technique
Pipe jacking is a technique for installing undeground pipelines, ducts and culverts
• Hydraulic jacks are used tu push pipes through the ground behind a shield at the same time as
excavation is taking place within the shield
• Drives of several hundred meters are achievable
• Excavation systems available: manual, mechanical and remote control
• Pipes in the range 150 mm to 3000mm can be installed
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
Applications of pipe jacking technique Advantages of Pipe Jacking
• Sewerage and drainage construction
• Gas and water mains • The surface is not affected by construction
• Oil pipelines • Pipe jacking requires less overbreak than
• Electricity and telecommunications cable installation segmental tunnels
• Culverts • Provides continuous ground support
• Functionality: Structurally sound, Minimal
joints, aintenance free, Smooth internal
finish
• Environmental benefits: less disruption, less
Culverts damage to services, less vehicle
movements, less spoil, less quarried
material
• Safer than open trench construction or
traditional segmental tunnelling
Sewerage • Lower capital cost: no secondary lining,
economic alternative to deep open cut,
socially acceptable.
Shafts Excavation Methods
Shafts are vertical or inclined tunnels, used in mining

1. Mechanised Shaft-Sinking
2. D&B Shaft-Sinking
3. Raise Boring
Shafts Excavation Methods
Shafts are vertical or inclined tunnels, used in mining

1. Mechanised Shaft-Sinking
2. D&B Shaft-Sinking
3. Raise Boring

Drill and Blast Mucking Support

Shafts Excavation Methods
Shafts are vertical or inclined tunnels, used in mining

1. Mechanised Shaft-Sinking
2. D&B Shaft-Sinking
3. Raise Boring