SYNOPSIS OF THE RESEARCH WORK TO BE SUBMITTED IN

PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE

DEGREE OF MASTER OF MINE PLANNING

[MINING ENGINEERING]

ANALYASIS OF HYDROGEOCHEMICAL AND

MINERALOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

RELATED TO HEAVY METAL ATTENUATION

IN A STREAM POLLUTED BY ACID MINE

DRAINAGE – A CASE STUDY

By

DEEPAK SHARMA

(Reg. No: 2020-0108-020)

DEPARTMENT OF MINING ENGINEERING

COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING MAHARANA PRATAP

UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

UDAIPUR- 313001
 SYNOPSIS

Synopsis of the research work to be carried out in partial fulfilment of the requirement
for the degree of Master of Technology in mine planning, under course work program
from Department of Mining Engineering, College of Technology and engineering,
Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology, Udaipur.

1. Name of scholar : Mr SWAPNIL SANADHYA

2. Class : M. Tech. (Mining)

3. Registration No. : 2020-0108-002

4. Date of registration : 06 October, 2020

5. Title of thesis : Enhancing Extraction Limits in Open Pit

Marble Mines – A Case Study

6. Department and college : Department of mining Engineering,

College of Technology and Engineering,
Udaipur

7. Expected duration of work : 6 months

8. Objectives of the Study

1. To Study the local geology and mineral formation in the area.

2. To collect and analyse the core sample for geo-mechanical investigation.
3. To enhance extraction limit in open-pit marble mines by evaluating factor of
safety of slope.
4. To increase the recovery of mineral by increasing the ultimate pit angle
without compromising safety and stability.
5. To compare results with the restriction lay down by law and assessment of
scope to increase the limits.
9. Importance of the study

The aim of the study is to provide technical evidence against present legislation
regarding open-pit mine working. We aim to increase the ultimate pit angle in
small and medium open-pit mines in order to boost production and overcome a
patriarchal problem. Analysis of the core samples by calculating the geo-
mechanical properties, will help to calculate factor of safety of the slope thereby
we can trim the bench even further increasing the overall pit width. The study
will help to push the mineral production in small and medium size open-pit mines
as the lease boundary is extreme limit of working. More mineral can be recovered
which was earlier considered as irrecoverable due to restrictions in working.

Open pit mines call for the excavation of the earth surface to reach the underlying
minerals of economic utility. The excavation process requires cut slopes to be
formed on an earlier plain earth surface. Stability of the cut slopes is crucial for
the safe and economical mining operations. The slope stability is governed by the
local geological and geo-technical characteristics of the slope forming mass and
the prevailing ground water conditions. The design of the open pit mine slopes is a
deciding factor for efficient exploitation of underground minerals as well as for
the safety of the mine and the mineworkers which control the economics of the
operations.

Economics could be improved by steepening the slope thereby extracting more by

increasing the ultimate pit angle. This scenario poses a big question as to how to
achieve an optimum design – a compromise between a slope that is flat enough to
be safe and steep enough to be economically acceptable. The consequences of a
slope failure could be quite serious in terms of safety and economics and are
governed by the location and extent of failure. Hence, the design of the steepest
slope with desired stability asks for a detailed and reliable geotechnical
investigation. The factors, which mainly influence the stability of a typical
opencast slope, are the shear strength parameters of slope forming material, the
presence and characteristics of structural discontinuities in the slope mass and the
ground water conditions

Rock mass characterization is another tool to classify the slope particularly in

mines. SMR is the most common classification scheme, which is frequently used
 for the stability analyses of cut slopes in various mines. Slope Mass Rating is
main tool to understand the rock mass behaviour of slopes in surface mines, which
always poses serious problems due to increase in depth and slope angle. Due to
the presence of various geological complexities, the problem of stability is more
aggravated.

10. Review of literature

This section briefly deals with the review of the research work carried out in
India and abroad in relation to the objectives of the proposed study. An extensive
review of the research literature has been made on the lines of objectives
contemplated to facilitate devising an appropriate methodology towards
accomplishing the entire research topic.

Beiniawski (1973) an engineering classification of jointed rock masses, termed

the geo-mechanic classification, which is characterised by the aspects of previously
used classification system are incorporated. They suggest that it is based on properties
of rock material and rock masses. It is functional and can be applied as a solution of
practical engineering problems. Standard terms are employed. A rating system is
provided to weigh the relative importance of various classification parameters. The
geological parameters which the engineer needs for his design are specific and the
reason therefore is explained. The functional feature of the geo-mechanic
classification is demonstrated by applying it to the selection of support in tunnel
design.

ChingLiu and ShiChen (2007) presented a new rock mass classification system
which can be appropriate for rock slope stability assessment. This research treats the
slope rock mass classification as a group decision problem, and applies the fuzzy
logic theory as the criterion to calculate the weighting factors. In addition, several
rock slopes of the Southern Cross-Island Highway in Taiwan were selected as the
case study examples. After determining the slope rock mass quality estimates for each
cases, the Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) model was used to classify those that
are stable or not, and the discriminant functions which can determine failure
probability of rock slopes were carried out by the LDA procedure. Afterward, the
results were compared with slope unstable hazards occurring actually, and then the
relation and difference between them were discussed. Results show that the proposed
method can be used to assess the stability of rock slopes according to the rock mass
classification procedure and the failure probability in the early stage.

Akbari et al. (2008) determined the ultimate pit limit in surface mines using real
option approach. The focus was on the role of metal price and its importance in
ultimate pit determination and in consequence in the whole planning and design
procedure of an open pit mine. Results showed that none of the existing algorithm of
Ultimate Pit Limit determination considers the metal price uncertainty while it was
shown that the price is the most sensitive factor in mine planning procedure with
regard to pit limit determination.

Zhang (2010) reviewed and evaluated the existing empirical methods for
estimating the unconfined compressive strength of jointed rock masses including the
jointing index methods, the joint factor methods, and the methods based on rock mass.
The review shows that different empirical methods may produce very different
estimates. Since in many cases, rock quality designation (RQD) is the only
information available for describing rock discontinuities, a new empirical relation is
developed for estimating rock mass strength based on RQD. The newly developed
empirical relation is applied to estimate the unconfined compressive strength of rock
masses at six sites and the results are compared with those from the empirical
methods based on rock mass classification.

Verma et al. (2011) conducted kinematic analysis of four vulnerable locations

using a slope mass rating classification scheme which were further investigated. The
maximum three joint sets were observed at a particular location. The slopes in the
studied locations have same strike direction with slight variation in their inclination
towards west. The issues concerned with slope stability in the open cast mines have
come to forefront in the mining operations due to increasing pit depth. The cut slope
stability has the most prominent influence in the productivity and longevity of a mine,
collapse of which can lead enormous damages to man and machinery. It is always
considered as economic burden to mine production.
 Naghadehi et al. (2013) evaluates a new Mine Slope Instability Index (MSII) to
assess the in stability conditions of slopes in open-pit mining. Eighteen parameters
that can be easily obtained and rated in the field, and that are important for open-pit
slope stability, are employed for the MSII definition. Their corresponding ratings are
also proposed, so that the MSII can be computed as a simple weighted sum of ratings
for all parameters considered to minimize subjectivity the weights are computed, in
the context of the Rock Engineering Systems paradigm, using an optimized Back -
Propagation Artificial Neural Network that has been trained with an extensive
database of worldwide open-pit slope stability case histories. Slope instability hazard
levels are defined based on MSII values and the predictions of the newly proposed
MSII are validated by comparing predictions with the observed behaviour.

Singh et al. (2013) made an attempt to characterize the materials of the mine for
simulation of existing slopes. The rock samples from the coal measures were
collected to determine the petrophysical characteristics of various rock units. All the
pertinent geological parameters from the exposed face were also collected during field
visit to assess the slope mass rating (SMR). A two-dimensional finite difference tool
was employed to simulate the existing slope geometry as well as relevant parameters
of the rock units. The numerical simulation indicates various vulnerable points which
are prone to failure as well as displacements at various points along the slope. The
results of simulations are corroborated with the SMR value. The results were well
matching with the field condition. Stability of slope in an opencast mine is always
associated with safety and economics. The steeper slope is always preferred from
economic point of view but prone to failure, whereas flatter slopes are uneconomical.

Francioni et al. (2015) used an integrated remote sensing – GIS approach for the
deterministic kinematic characterization of the Lorano open pit in the Apuan Alps of
Italy. Results of geomatic and engineering geological surveys and additional
geomechanical analysis using a 3D finite difference method were adopted in order to
provide an understanding of the role of stress-induced damage on slope performance.
Over the last decade, terrestrial laser scanning and digital terrestrial photogrammetry
techniques have been increasingly used in the geometrical characterization of rock
slopes. These techniques provide innovative remote sensing tools which overcome the
frequent problem of rock slope inaccessibility. And are useful in rock slope
investigations and finds application in a wide variety of geotechnical and mine
operations.

Stead et al. (2015) analysed the structural geology to slope stability assessments,
by reviewing structures control slope failure mechanisms, measure structures and
include them in slope stability analyses, and review numerical simulations of slopes
incorporate geological structures and processes. Geological structures such as folds,
faults, and discontinuities play a critical role in the stability and behaviour of both
natural and engineered rock slopes.

Alejano et al. (2017) studied stability analysis of an over-tilted slope in an

ornamental granite quarry. Based on traditional small quarrying practices and due to
space constraints, the slope was carved following the occurrences of highly persistent
joints that were dipping around 80º counter-slope. Experience dictates that this sort of
slopes tends to be unstable, at least in case of average to low quality rock masses. In
this way, a stability analysis was due to analyse slope stability. The good quality
granite rock mass in the slope was characterized, joint data was recorded and
laboratory testing was done to estimate the main significant parameters involved in
the study and the geometry of the slope. A stability analysis of the slope was
performed by means of the calculations of safety factors against toppling. These
calculations have been done contemplating various possibilities regarding the
occurrence of joints and its spacing, which was found to be the most relevant
parameter controlling stability.

Pavlovich et al. (2019) performed experimental study on strength characteristics

of the rock mass as applied to the assessment of open-pit slope stability. Formulas
have been obtained that describe a correlation between ultimate and residual strength
of rock samples and residual shear strength along the weakening surface. A new
method has been developed to calculate residual interface strength of the rock mass
basing on data from the examination of small-scale monolith samples with opposing
spherical indentors. A method has been proposed to estimate strength characteristics
(structural weakening coefficients and internal friction angles) of the fractured near -
slope rock mass. The method relies on test data from shattering small-scale monolith
samples with spherical indentors, taking into account contact conditions along the
weakening surface, and can be applied in the field conditions.
 Saleki et al. (2019) analysed two major approaches to optimizing the ultimate
pit limit. One seeks to determine the ultimate pit using undiscounted profit
maximization and the other by determining the optimal mining sequence of all blocks
and discounting the value of the blocks. The outline with the highest cumulative NPV
was chosen as the final pit limit. For each of these approaches, different algorithms
are presented. It presents an analytical investigation about the mathematical
relationship between sets of blocks of ultimate pits generated by each of these
approaches in an ore body. This investigation is in fact the mathematical proof of the
theorem that a discounted ultimate pit is smaller than or equal to the undiscounted pit.
The results show that the discounted pit is always a subset of the undiscounted pit.
Ultimate pit limit is an important aspect of open pit mining. The optimal ultimate
outline determines the tonnage of extractable ore, the volume of waste to be removed,
the location of the subsidiary facilities, the location of ore and waste stockpiles, the
life time of the mine and the estimated net present value (NPV) of the entire mining
operation.

So far, there is lack of technical evidence in order to increase the ultimate pit
angle of an open pit marble mines. Hence, I have decided to conduct research study
related to it.

11. Proposed plan of work

The above objectives could only be reached if acted upon with a planned approach.
The first step towards a goal always starts with knowing everything about it. This was
followed by extensive field investigation and collection of core samples from the
mining field. The geological data required for study on location of mine. Samples will
be tested in the laboratory in order to know there geo-mechanical properties.

Literature review
Survey of literature about assessment of core samples and studying there geo-
mechanical properties in order increase the recovery from open-pit mines.

Field Work
  Studying regional geology.
 Identification of joint sets in the strata.
 Collection of rock core samples from different locations.
 Identifying the critical slopes and collecting data.

Laboratory work
 Testing the core samples in the laboratory.
 Evaluating the geo-mechanical properties.
 Stereographic projection of the data.
 Processing the laboratory data in FLAC SLOPE software.

Results and Discussions

 To know the geo-mechanical properties of the core sample.
 To increase the recovery from small and medium open-pit mines.
 To calculate factor of safety of the slope using FLAC SLOPE software.
 To review the present law with results obtained.

12. Facilities available for the study

The following are the facilities available at Maharana Pratap University of

Agriculture and Engineering at Mining Engineering Department, CTAE, Udaipur.
The relevant data will be obtained from mines after taking permission from the mines
authority.

Facilities available for determination of geo-mechanical property of core

sample

 Universal testing machine

 Tri-axial test apparatus
 Flac 3D (Flac Slope)
13. References

Akbari, A.D., Osanloo M. & Shiraz M.A., 2008. Determination of ultimate pit limits
in open mines using real option approach. IUST International Journal of
Engineering Science, Vol. 19, No.5-1.

Alejanoa, L.R., Filgueiraa, U.C., Reya, I.P., & Arzuab, J., 2017. Stability analysis of
an over-tilted slope in a granite quarry: the role of joint spacing. Procedia
Engineering Vol. 191 pp.: 402 – 409

Bieniawski, Z. T. 1973. Engineering classification of jointed rock masses. Trans. S.

African Inst. Civ. Eng. 15, pages: 335-344

ChingLiu, Y., & ShiChen, C. 2007. A new approach for application of rock mass
classification on rock slope stability assessment. Engineering Geology,
Volume 89, Issues 1–2, Pages 129-143

Singh, T. N., Pradhan, S. P., & Vishal, V. 2013. Stability of slopes in a fire-prone
mine in Jharia Coalfield, India. Arabian Journal of Geosciences,
Volume 6, pages: 419–427.
Francioni, M., Salvini, R., Stead, D., Giovannini, R., Riccucci, S., Vanneschi, C., &
Gullì, D. 2015. An integrated remote sensing-GIS approach for the analysis of
an open pit in the Carrara marble district, Italy: Slope stability assessment
through kinematic and numerical