Underground mining method is the exploitation of valuable minerals which all the extraction is carried out beneath the surface of the earth. There are methods and techniques to be employed when the depth of the valuable minerals or deposits are considered. The stripping ration of the overburden to ore, or both will become excessive to the surface of exploitation. These are the three common supported underground mining methods:
- CUT AND FILL STOPING
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Cut and fill mining can be adapted to many different ore body shapes and ground conditions. The ore is removed in a series of horizontal drifting size of slices. When the slices are removed, it then be filled generally with waste material from the processing plant, and the next slice of the deposit will be mined.
In overhand cut-and-fill mining, the most common variation where the mining starts at the lower level and works upward. On the other hand, the underhand cut-and-fill mining, work progresses from the top downward. In this latter case cement must be added to the fill to form a strong roof under which to work.
- STULL STOPING
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This method is a common form of stoping used in some hard rock mining that uses systematic timbering or stulls placed between the foot wall and the hanging wall of the mineral vein. This method is used to mine vertical ore bodies or steeply-dipping ore bodies and it is a supported method that uses timbers or rock bolts as support. Stull stoping requires that the hanging wall and the foot wall be of enough competent rock as the stulls will become only the artificial support.
- SQUARE SET STOPING
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Square set stoping is a method of stoping in which the walls and back of the excavated part are supported by a system of interlocking framed timbers as you can see in the pictures (square set). A square set of timber consists of a vertical post and two horizontal members set at generally right angles or perpendicular to each other. This mining method is slow and only small amount of ore is excavated to provide room for putting of each successive set of timber. The stopes are mined out in floors or horizontal panels, and the sets of each successive floor are framed into the top of the preceding floor using the timbers as support.
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