Skip to main content
Conference Proceedings

Eighth Underground Operators' Conference 2002

Conference Proceedings

Eighth Underground Operators' Conference 2002

PDF Add to cart

Cemented Rock Fill for Extraction of High-Grade Crown Pillars at Crusader Gold Mine

This paper describes the design, construction and performance of sill pillars using cemented development mullock at the Crusader Gold Mine. The orebody is some 35 m - 60 m in length, 5 m - 8 m wide, dipping at 60 - 85 and plunging at about 40 to the north. It is accessed via a footwall decline. The ore occurs at the contact between basalt and ultramafic. This contact is characterised by shearing and alteration; and is prone to unraveling failure. The cut and fill mining method at Crusader extracts 25 m high ore blocks in four flat back lifts and one 8 m thick crown pillar. To enable full recovery of these high-grade crown pillars with minimal dilution, a 5 m thick sill pillar is constructed using cemented rock fill (CRF), after mining of the bottom two lifts in each block. Uncemented development mullock is used as rock fill (RF) for subsequent lifts. Development mullock and cement/water slurry is mixed underground to produce CRF. The fill is transported to the stope in LHDs and dumped on the floor. The sill pillar is advanced progressively, with compaction provided by the loader driving over the previously placed fill. Old jumbo rods are installed as shear pins along the flat dipping hangingwall to reduce the risk of rotational failure of the pillar. A fan of cable bolts is installed into the hangingwall to prevent unraveling failure in the sheared ground. Buffer blasting is used to minimise damage to the CRF sill pillar when the crown pillar below is extracted. At the time of writing, extraction of the crown pillar underneath the CRF has taken place at the 930 stope. The crown pillar was extracted successfully with dilution from the backfill and hangingwall minimised and 98 per cent of the gold recovered. This compares with pillars that were mined beneath uncemented backfill where only 70 per cent of the gold was recovered and where there was significant dilution from the backfill and from hangingwall failures. Where no CRF was placed, there were also numerous production delays caused by large rocks from the hangingwall blocking the stope brow.
Return to parent product
  • Cemented Rock Fill for Extraction of High-Grade Crown Pillars at Crusader Gold Mine
    PDF
    This product is exclusive to Digital library subscription
  • Cemented Rock Fill for Extraction of High-Grade Crown Pillars at Crusader Gold Mine
    PDF
    Normal price $22.00
    Member price from $0.00
    Add to cart

    Fees above are GST inclusive

PD Hours
Approved activity
  • Published: 2002
  • PDF Size: 0.52 Mb.
  • Unique ID: P200205025

Our site uses cookies

We use these to improve your browser experience. By continuing to use the website you agree to the use of cookies.