Location
Arlington, Virginia
Date
14 Aug 2008, 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Abstract
The problem of open pit slope stability is a matter of concern when the mining operations go deeper followed by weak strata conditions. In Goa iron ore mines the problem of slope instability has been faced by several mines, after the on-set of monsoon. A review of case studies available on the subject demonstrates that the ground displacement, stress redistribution, effect of ground water, low strength characteristics of the slope forming materials played significant role for the cause of slope failures. Slope monitoring studies indicated that the mechanism of slope failures could be complex and dependent on failure pathways, where certain units fail first and it is followed by subsequent failures due to redistribution of stresses from the preceding zone. The results of several observations, laboratory testing of slope forming materials and monitoring of the slopes have lead to an awareness of various mechanisms of failure and the conditions under which they occur. In real world situations, the failure mechanisms are much more complex involving many other variables due to complexity within the geological materials. The paper addressed the design of practical pit slope angles in such type of weak strata conditions. The testing techniques for material properties enable weak zones to be identified and their relative strengths are accurately determined. Case study of a large Iron mine discussed in detail to demonstrate how deep mining can be carried out under difficult ground conditions.
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Meeting Name
6th Conference of the International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Publisher
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Document Version
Final Version
Rights
© 2008 Missouri University of Science and Technology, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
File Type
text
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Ram, A. Santha and Goyal, S. P., "Pit Slope Failure Problems in Goan Iron Ore Mines, Goa, India" (2008). International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering. 38.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/icchge/6icchge/session02/38
Pit Slope Failure Problems in Goan Iron Ore Mines, Goa, India
Arlington, Virginia
The problem of open pit slope stability is a matter of concern when the mining operations go deeper followed by weak strata conditions. In Goa iron ore mines the problem of slope instability has been faced by several mines, after the on-set of monsoon. A review of case studies available on the subject demonstrates that the ground displacement, stress redistribution, effect of ground water, low strength characteristics of the slope forming materials played significant role for the cause of slope failures. Slope monitoring studies indicated that the mechanism of slope failures could be complex and dependent on failure pathways, where certain units fail first and it is followed by subsequent failures due to redistribution of stresses from the preceding zone. The results of several observations, laboratory testing of slope forming materials and monitoring of the slopes have lead to an awareness of various mechanisms of failure and the conditions under which they occur. In real world situations, the failure mechanisms are much more complex involving many other variables due to complexity within the geological materials. The paper addressed the design of practical pit slope angles in such type of weak strata conditions. The testing techniques for material properties enable weak zones to be identified and their relative strengths are accurately determined. Case study of a large Iron mine discussed in detail to demonstrate how deep mining can be carried out under difficult ground conditions.
