Geotechnical Design for Sublevel Open Stoping

Presenting topics according to the conventional process used by most mining houses, this book covers the design and operation of sublevel open stoping. Summarizing state-of-the-art practices encountered during his 25+ years of experience, the author discusses increases in sublevel spacing, improvements in slot rising, and rock mass characterization, as well as methodologies to design open spans and pillars, rock reinforcement, and fill masses. He also addresses in situ stress concentration minimization, dilution control action plans, and techniques to back-analyze and optimize stope wall performance.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. Mining Method Selection. Sublevel Stoping Geometry. Planning and Design. Rock Mass Characterisation. Span and Pillar Design. Drilling and Blasting. Rock Reinforcement and Support. Mine Fill. Dilution Control.

About the Author :
Ernesto Villaescusa possesses over 25 years of applied research experience. He has worked with mining houses such as MIM Holdings, Noranda, WMC Resources, Penoles, Minera Autlan, CODELCO, BHP Billiton, Placer Dome Asia Pacific, and Normandy to develop guidelines for effective underground mining leading to the safe, economical extraction of ore. For the past 16 years, he has served as professor of mining geomechanics at the Western Australian School of Mines, where he has secured over $21 million of industry-funded mining research income, supervised over 30 masters and 10 Ph.D student theses, and been appointed to an industry chair in mining rock mechanics.

Review :
"Because of its continuing importance in most of the world’s major metalliferous mining countries including, but not only, Australia, Canada, and the Scandinavian and South American countries, it is entirely appropriate that a book should now appear synthesizing 40 years’ accumulated international experience with modern sublevel open stoping methods. … The author…is supremely well qualified to undertake this important task…because of his directly relevant industry, applied research, teaching and consulting experience, and his extensive list of publications in the area. …Although, as the title suggests, the book has a geotechnical engineering orientation, it also contains considerable practical detail on open stoping layouts, design, and operations, and includes chapters on drilling and blasting, rock support and reinforcement, mine fill technology, and dilution control. …I believe that this book will serve multiple purposes. It will serve as a specialist textbook for mining courses at the advanced undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It will also provide an authoritative, practically oriented reference work for those involved in the industry, both in mining operations and as consulting engineers, particularly for those in the early stages of their careers and those seeking to develop new understandings and skills." —From the Foreword by Edwin T. Brown, AC, Senior Consultant, Golder Associates Pty Ltd, Brisbane, Australia and Emeritus Professor, University of Queensland, Australia