Received 10 August 2009; accepted 20 November 2009

*Corresponding author. Tel: 86 13952113002

E-mail address: chezhaoxue@163.com
doi: 10.1016/S1674-5264(09)60195-2
Application of open-pit and underground mining
technology for residual coal of end slopes
CHE Zhaoxue
1,*
, YANG Hong
1,2
1
School of Mines, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
2
Xiaolongtan Mineral Bureau, Kaiyuan 661000, China
Abstract: Given the conditions of residual coal from the boundary of a flat dipping open-pit mine, which uses strip areas mining
and inner dumping with slope-covering, we propose an open-pit and underground integrated mining technology for residual coal of
end slopes. In the proposal a conveyance road and ventilation conveyance near the slope are built, corresponding to the pit mining
area and the surface coal mine dump, as well as an interval haulage tunnel and air-inlet tunnel. The outcome shows that such mining
method may reduce the effect to slope stability from underground mining, it does not affect the dumping advance and has a high
recovery rate of residual coal resources. The working face is timbered by single hydraulic props, transported by a scraper conveyor
and supported by coal walls. This method of mining is one of layered top coal caving, with high resource recovery, low production
cost where positive economic benefit can be realized.
Keywords: integrated open-pit and underground mining; end-slope; resource recovery; economic benefit; surface coal mine
1 Introduction
Integrated surface and underground mining tech-
nology is a method which utilizes existing mining
technology and production systems, recycling the
outer boundary coal remnants (these coal resources
are normally discarded in traditional mining systems)
by underground mining. Its systematic shaft design
and mining plan should be kept in close contact with
the surface mining system and progress of the pro-
ject
[1-4]
. The system must also realize a harmonious
consolidation and consistent correspondence. Under-
ground mining of end-slope coal means making use
of end-slope engineering technology of surface min-
ing and recovering the coal resources in each zone
that cannot be recovered by simpler surface mining
methods. In this way, the coal recovery ratio can be
increased, the financial benefits of surface mining
may be improved, which may increase the overall
economic benefit of the mining enterprise
[5-7]
. In
combination with the mining conditions of the An
Jialing open-pit mine, we discuss these issues cover-
ing such items as section mining, slope-covering
in-dump, simultaneous advances in surface and un-
derground mining of flat dipping coal seams and
haulage of underground mined coal to the surface by
its surface transportation system
[8-12]
.
2 Technical applications of open-pit and
underground mining integration
If engineering technology and project arrangement
can be controlled in end-slope mining of a surface
mine and the end-slope exposure time can be ana-
lyzed and determined correctly, the development of
the haulage technology in surface mines can be im-
proved by adjusting mining parameters. As a result,
the resource recovery ratio can be increased to its
optimum and the economic benefits of the coal enter-
prise enhanced. In reclaiming the end-slope coal
remnants while carrying out integrated surface and
underground mining, shafts and roadways should be
laid out in the end-slope. However, the preservation
of transportation passages and the progress of internal
dumping will get in each others way. The shafts and
roadways may be kept for a long time while the
end-slope should be filled as soon as possible with
internal dumping.
The top level position of the end-slope will be ex-
posed to the air for a long time, but the bottom posi-
tion only briefly. If the shaft and roadways are laid in
the top position, passages for coal transportation will
be maintained for a long time; in contrast, if the shaft
and roadways were laid in the bottom position, these
Mining Science and Technology 20 (2010) 02660270
MINI NG
SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
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CHE Zhaoxue et al Application of open-pit and underground mining technology for 267
passage will remain for only a short time
[13-15]
.
The relationship between strip mining and end-
slope mining at a surface mine is largely a matter of
space, i.e., the space provided by the mining project
to the end-slope mining operation will ultimately de-
termine the intensity of end-slope mining. The rela-
tionship between dumping and end-slope mining in a
surface mine, mainly a function of time and space the
mining project can provide to end-slope mining, will
eventually determine this intensity. The time from the
start of roadway tunneling until the filling of surface
pits by dumping, is the life span of roadway tunnels
plus that of the mining circle they serve. In the end, it
will affect the volume of coal recovery in the end-
slopes of each mining district. In other words, while
determining the recovery circle of coal resources in a
mining district, the possibility should be taken in
consideration that both mining and dumping opera-
tions should serve the development and preparation
of adits, gateway excavations and the exploitation of
an entire mining district.
The maximum shifting period (the time allotted to
the current development of adits until the time for
developing the next set of adits) for the development
of transportation and ventilation adits, largely rests
with a number of factors, i.e., the angle of the mining
and dumping working slope, the advancing speed per
year, the safe distance between the mine working
slope and the in-dump, the vertical distance from the
tunnel gob to the bottom of the pit and the safe dis-
tance between two developing adits
[16-17]
.
3 End-slope mining method
There are two adits in use, one for ventilation in
undergroud mining, 40 m from the entrance of the
mine and the other for transportation, tunneled for
end-slope mining, located 60 m from the mine en-
trance, i.e., two parallel roadways, laid out along the
surface end-slope. These two roadways will be tun-
neled until the in-dump slope-covering zone in the
surface mine is reached. As a result, all the working
faces of the mine are positioned within the range of
the in-dump slope-covering district. In other words,
the operations by the engineer responsible for end-
slope mining at the surface mine should be consistent
within the entire mine. With the operation of the
dumping engineer but from the viewpoint of arrang-
ing mining and tunneling advances, the operations of
the end-slope mining engineer will always lag behind
those of the mining and dumping engineer within the
range of end-slope exposure. The end-slope mining
engineer does not have to take into consideration the
possibility of fatal accidents in end-slope sliding as a
result of a sinking gob. What is more, the temporary
end-slope security coal pillars can be recovered after
exploitation of the mining area is finished (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1 Coal extraction layout under end slope in surface coal mine
Given our calculations and analyses of the rela-
tionships between the coal seam roof dropping step,
the mining room and the coal pillar, the outcome in-
dicates that it is related to the geological condition of
wall rocks on the roof of the mining area. The deter-
mination of some structurally suitable parameters
from the coal pillar and the mining room during end-
slope mining is of great theoretical importance in
practical production.
Tunnels are restricted by the surrounding coal and
pillars in end-slope mining, so the direct roof and the
main roof can be considered as fixed surrounding
boards, while the drop step of the roof in the mining
room can be derived from the stress analysis of a
board model:
Mining Science and Technology Vol.20 No.2 268
2
4
2 2
2 4 4
2
2
2
( )
4 ( )
m
l
m
l
m
l
m
l
m
b l b
m
b l
m
L
b
b b l b
< <

(1)
where L is drop step of the roof in the mining room,
m; l
m
the board step parameter (determined by the
characteristics of the stratum itself, such as s
c
is its
compressive strength; the poisson ratio; h the
thickness; q the load and so on; and b the length of
the mining room, m.
Determination of the coal pillar width can be ana-
lyzed by invoking the Obert Dewar formula and the
auxiliary area theory:
1
0.778 0.222
p c
m
b
h


= +


(2)
where
p
is the coal pillar strength, MPa;
c
the coal
block uniaxial compressive strength, MPa; h
m
the
coal pillar height, m; and b
1
the size of the minimum
transverse dimension of the coal pillar, m.
According to the Limit Theory, the carrying capac-
ity of the coal pillar should satisfy the following
connection formula:
p
F (3)
where is the stress loading on the coal pillar, MPa;
F a safety factor.
If we assume that the width of the coal pillar is b
x
,
the average load on the coal pillar can be derived
from the assistant area theory with the formula:
x x
b krh b B p / ) ( + = (4)
where
p
is the average load on the coal pillar, t/m
2
;
k the stress concentration factor; B the mining width,
m; r the average density of the overburden rock,
t/m
3
.
Given these conditions, we conclude that:
2 2
(0.778 ) 0.888
0.444
( 0.778 )

0.444
c m c m
x
c
c m
c
krhF h B krhh F
b
krhF h

+
(5)
Considering the effect of the production capacity
of the working face and the coal seam angle, we
adapted a belt-conveyor for the tunnel. A push con-
veyor is used to transport coal from the working face
into the roadway. Because the working face is too
short (about 12 to 15 m), a push conveyor is available.
The coal exploited from the coal wall is transported
by the push conveyor to the working face roadway,
which can also be taken as the roadway, with a length
of about 110 m (Fig. 2).
18.0 90.0 90.0 18.0
Awaiting mining area Awaiting mining area
Haulage roadway
Haulage roadway
Total ventilation roadway
GoaI area
GoaI area
GoaI area
$ $
Unit: P
Fig. 2 Layout of underground coal mining
While mining, the coal seam is divided into top
and bottom exploitation layers, where each layer is
about 5 m thick. In addition, each of the two exploita-
tion layers is subdivided into an upper and lower
layer. Initially, the upper layer is mined and the lower
layer, 2 m thick, later, exploited by blasting. The
working face is supported by single hydraulic props
with a density of 1 by 1 m in three rows. The upper
layer is 3 m thick and is exploited either by blasting
or by natural dropping. Hence, a simple caving tech-
nology, supported by coal walls, is formed. During
coal exploitation, the working face is advanced by 1
m steps. After the lower coal has been blasted, tem-
porary support in the form of mine timber is needed
for the single hydraulic props for timely support for
the exposed roof. During this time the coal is trans-
ported by the push conveyor. At the same time as
drilling and filling works are being carried out in the
CHE Zhaoxue et al Application of open-pit and underground mining technology for 269
upper coal seam above the gob, one row of single
hydraulic props is removed, while the coal is blasted
from the coal walls and transmitted to the push con-
veyor. After this task, one row of temporary mine
timbers around the coal walls is removed, the push
conveyor is moved towards the coal wall, one row of
single hydraulic props needs to be placed on time and
the circle is repeated (Fig. 3).
90.0 18.0
~30.0
Total ventilation roadway Haulage
roadway
Haulage
roadway
Milling coal hole
Unit: P
Fig. 3 Profile of working faces in underground mining
As mentioned earlier, of the two mining layers the
top mining layer is exploited first and the bottom last.
The mining staff do not need to work exposed to the
roof, so safe working conditions are ensured. The
space between the two mining layers should be as
least 30 m horizontally, in order to reduce disturbance
between the layers. The coal exploited this way is
transported by the working face push conveyor, then
by the roadway push conveyor to the coal bin and
finally to the push conveyor of the lower layer. From
this conveyor, coal is transported to the belt-conveyor
and eventually to the surface of the coal mining pit.
The following characteristics should be noted: the
shaft mining area is close to the end-slope benches,
the remaining coal can be exploited as much as pos-
sible. The position of the shaft mining area can be
laid out to correspond with the in-dump; in this way
the effect of shaft mining on the end-slope can be
reduced to a minimum. The shaft mining face and the
system layout is quite simple
[7-11]
.
4 End-slope mining:a case study
The designed production capacity of the An Jialing
surface mine is one million ton per year. A shovel
truck production technique has been adopted, the
mining areas are divided and wall-coverings are ap-
plied in the in-dump area. The speed of the working
face advancing is 300 m per year.
There are three coal seam layers available for ex-
ploitation: the Nos.4, 9 and 11. All three consist of
high-ash and low-sulfur coal, the roof is composed of
medium and wide sandstone, occasionally sandy
mudstone or siltstone. The average thickness of the
No.9 seam is 13 m and of the No.11 coal seams about
4 m. The roofs are either mud, at times in the form of
Kaolinite, or carbon mudstone, sometimes sandy
mudstone. The gas content is quite low in the coal
seams. The distance between the No.4 and No.9 coal
seams is 35 to 40 m and the distance between the
No.9 and the No.11 coal seams is 6 to 10 m. The coal
seam angle is less than eight degrees and the coal
seam thickness does not change much.
Construction process: the belt-conveyor adit is
tunneled along the bottom of the coal seam, a rectan-
gular cross section is maintained with a width of 3.6
m and a height of 2.4 m. The belt-conveyor and
tracks are laid out in the roadway (the track routes
can be used for coal roadway excavation and auxil-
iary haulage after the normal production period),
which can also be used as an air-inlet roadway. The
ventilation adit is excavated along the middle of the
coal seam with a rectangular cross section of 2.4 by
2.4 m. Each mining area is alternately established in a
similar way.
After the haulage and ventilation roadways are
formed, exploitation roadways are excavated every
21.2 m, dug in the two layers, supported by I-beams
and wire netting on the roof; the distance between
roofs is 1 m. After the mining roadway is excavated,
one working face is laid out towards the left and right
directions from the position of the ventilation tunnel
and a fall-back mining manner is carried out. The
shaft mining parameters on the end-slope are as fol-
lows: mining width: 12 to 15 m; coal pillar width:
7.45 to 8.4 m. The shifting circle of the development
adit is 11.3 months with a shifting distance from 350
to 380 m. From our calculations, we determined that
the working face coal recovery ratio could reach 75%
with this mining method; the mining district resource
recovery rate is about 55%. The end-slope mining
production may reach one hundred million tons per
year (380300101.655%=100.3 (i.e., shaft min-
ing area widththe working wall advancement
speedcoal seam thicknesscoal densityrecovery
ratio)).
Mining Science and Technology Vol.20 No.2 270
Delamination: a caving mine system, supported by
coal walls, is realized; the temporary end-slope safety
coal pillar can be reclaimed after the mining area has
been exploited. The recovery ratio of the No.4 coal
seam caving face may rise to 85% or more and the
recovery ratio of the entire mining area to 78%, ef-
fectively avoiding waste of the resource. In contrast
with a high-seam working system, coal production
could actually increase by 5.38 million tons only in
the three working faces of the top mining area. The
value of these coal resources is 800 million RMB,
calculated on the basis of 150 RMB per ton.
After the end-slope coal has been excavated in the
manner of a shaft mine, it may be purchased by the
surface mine at an average price of 30.2 RMB per ton.
The mining costs of the integrated surface mine is
73.3 RMB, hence the benefit per ton of coal is 43.1
RMB.
5 Conclusions
Coal resource recovery ratios can be improved if
integrated surface and underground mining is adopted.
The result is a reduction in production cost while the
economic benefit of the surface mine may be im-
proved.
1) The position of the shaft mining area is laid out
to correspond with the in-dump, reducing the effect
of both shaft mining and surface mining. The
in-dump bench advance is not affected as much as the
end-slope of the surface mine. The recovery ratio of
remaining coal is excellent.
2) Delamination the caving mine system is sup-
ported by coal walls and suitable under conditions of
thick coal seams and positive coal seam roof support
(the average thickness is about 10 m); such a mining
method provides good economic benefits.
3) The underground mining area is laid out to cor-
respond with the in-dump of the surface mine. While
carrying out integrated surface and underground
mining in the Anjialing open-pit mine, the working
face recovery ratio of coal may reach 85%, the min-
ing district recovery ratio may achieve 78% effi-
ciency and the economic benefit per ton of coal is
43.1 RMB.
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