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Drift and Fill – The High Value, High Recovery Mining System
L Dawson1, M Yumlu2 and M English3
ABSTRACT
At times of high metal prices, mining projects that have previously been
put into the ‘too hard basket’ are now being more closely examined.
Typically these projects include the potential recovery of small mineable
tonnes with high contained metal values and often with poor ground
conditions.
For many underground mining projects, the drift and fill method is
viewed as a high-cost method and a ‘method of last resort’. As a result
the method is not well known in Australia and it is the authors’ view that
the method is under utilised.
The drift and fill method can be applied to a variety of underground
mining situations and is a preferred method for some orebody geometries
and where ore recovery is viewed as a key to project success. This paper
examines some of the critical mine planning and backfill issues involved
with the drift and fill mining method.
WHAT IS DRIFT AND FILL?
Drift and fill (DAF) is literally the mining of an underground
drift, or development drive in ore, and backfilling the completed
drift prior to mining an adjacent drift in wide orebodies or in
narrow, flat-lying orebodies. The method allows the total
extraction of the ore material with minimal exposure of
unsupported ground and minimal risk of subsidence.
When compared to mechanised cut-and-fill (MCAF) mining,
DAF is a multiple-drift arrangement used for pillarless mining in
wide orebodies or in narrow, flat-lying orebodies whereas MCAF
is used for single-drift, single-pass mining in steeply dipping,
narrow orebodies.
1. MAusIMM, Principal Mining Engineer, AMC Consultants Pty Ltd,
Level 19, 114 William Street, Melbourne Vic 3000.
Email: ldawson@amcconsultants.com.au
2. MAusIMM, Principal Mining Engineer, AMC Consultants Pty Ltd,
Level 19, 114 William Street, Melbourne Vic 3000.
Email: myumlu@amcconsultants.com.au
3. MAusIMM, Senior Mining Engineer, AMC Consultants Pty Ltd,
Level 19, 114 William Street, Melbourne Vic 3000.
Email: menglish@amcconsultants.com.au
FIG 1 - Application of drift and fill to narrow vein mining.
Narrow Vein Mining Conference Ballarat, Vic, 14 - 15 October 2008
Current applications of DAF mining in the narrow vein
environment, shown in Figure 1, are in areas of local orebody
widening and areas of local orebody flattening.
The three key component capabilities required for DAF
mining are:
• full face development to a given profile,
• ground support including the application of fibrecrete, and
• cemented backfill.
The main characteristics of the DAF method when compared
to bulk underground mining methods are:
• the relatively high cost per tonne of ore mined;
• the relatively low overall rate of mine production;
• the relatively low productivity of the method per person, per
machine and per working area; and
• the high number of interdependent activities required to
complete each mining cycle.
It is important to note that DAF is an entry method which
requires particular attention to safety for personnel working
beneath wide spans of rock or backfill. The method does not
readily tolerate instances of poor quality backfill or poor quality
ground support.
It is likely that the abovementioned capabilities are found to be
practiced, or are able to be readily implemented, at most
underground mining operations. The DAF mining method could
therefore be considered for all or part of the mining solution in
many underground mining situations.
WHY CHOOSE DRIFT AND FILL?
The DAF mining method may be considered where bulk mining
methods are not considered to be viable and where one or more
of the following situations exist:
• Orebodies with very high value ore material and where the
objective is for high ore extraction with high selectivity and
control.
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L DAWSON, M YUMLU and M ENGLISH
• Orebodies with poor or variable ground conditions with
limited stand-up times. The DAF method allows for small
openings with rapid placement of permanent support.
• Situations where there is a low tolerance for large voids with
the associated risk of subsidence.
• Occurrences of single or multiple orebodies with
unfavourable or variable geometries including low angle of
dip (below angle of repose) or pinching, swelling and rolling
lenses.
• Secondary mining situations involving the recovery of pillars
left by prior mining.
DRIFT AND FILL METHOD DESCRIPTION
The DAF method involves the excavation of ore by jumbo
development techniques and requires backfilling of the
completed drift prior to excavating an adjacent drift.
The use of cemented backfill with the DAF method allows the
full recovery of a mining block without the need to leave
permanent ore pillars. An exception might be in the mining of
remnant ore where narrow permanent ore pillars may be required
to be left against uncemented backfill.
There are a number of variants of the method including:
• overhand mining: using a bottom-up sequence,
• underhand mining: using a top-down sequence,
• mining multiple parallel (strike) drifts in moderate width or
flat-lying orebodies, and
• mining a transverse layout of drifts in wide orebodies.
DAF is a progression of the MCAF method that is used for the
single-pass mining of steeply dipping, narrow orebodies. In the
past, MCAF has been extensively applied for the mining of a
variety of orebody geometries and ground conditions, mostly prior
to the common acceptance of (longhole) open stoping and where
open stoping has been rejected. However, MCAF has not always
been able to provide a satisfactory solution to difficult mining
conditions and is generally not suited to secondary mining.
In large orebodies, MCAF is a partial mining method that
requires buttress pillars to provide stability and crown pillars to
vertically separate the work areas. MCAF can be mined
overhand or underhand in narrow orebodies and generally uses
flatback stripping for overhand mining. DAF may be mined
either overhand or underhand and may be mined without pillars
and generally uses full face development. DAF involves the use
FIG 2 - Overhand mining in a narrow orebody (section view).
188 Ballarat, Vic, 14 - 15 October 2008
of cemented backfill, except for situations where the backfill is
not planned to be mined beside or beneath, where some mullock
may be co-disposed. The underhand method may be preferred
where the orebody is weak and the use of engineered cemented
backfill provides a more stable back.
In steeply dipping, narrow orebodies, typically less than 8 m
wide, the MCAF method is commonly applied overhand, in a
bottom-up sequence, as shown in Figure 2.
The typical overhand mining sequence is:
1. A central ramp access is typically established from a
footwall ramp system and a ‘T’ intersection created in the
orebody.
2. The lateral drift is developed in two directions following
the strike of the orebody. The completion of the lateral
drifts to the full extent of mining on a level is termed a
‘lift’.
3. The first lift in a series of lifts is taken as full face
development with subsequent lifts able to be taken as
flatback stripping. A full face is typically taken up to 5 m × 5
m with sidewall stripping and the subsequent flatback lifts
up to 4 m high (allowing for approximately 1 m of void).
4. The face or stripping is blasted and the broken ore material
is loaded to a stockpile located at the access. Some ore loss
and dilution occurs when bogging the broken ore material
off the backfilled floor.
5. Primary ground support including rock bolts and fibrecrete
is installed sequentially with each cut taken. Thereby only a
minimal extent of unsupported ground is exposed at any
time in the mining cycle.
6. Secondary ground support, typically cable bolts, may be
installed with the first lift so that subsequent lifts may be
presupported in poor ground. Note that the cables will be
exposed and will need to be cut off for each subsequent lift.
Secondary support is typically installed in campaigns and
may need to be repeated on subsequent lifts.
7. On completion of the drifts in both directions, the full lift is
backfilled using either mullock as rock fill or hydraulic fill
or paste backfill. Tight backfilling is generally not required
and long lengths of drive may be backfilled in a single
campaign.
8. The roof of the access is then stripped and supported ready
for the next lift to commence.
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 DRIFT AND FILL – THE HIGH VALUE, HIGH RECOVERY MINING SYSTEM

In moderate width orebodies, greater than about 5 to 8 m wide, that are only as wide as a single drift, and leaves no permanent
the MCAF and DAF methods are applied differently. The MCAF ore pillars, except where the ground is unmineable.
method must leave permanent ore pillars to maintain stability A typical overhand DAF mining sequence in a moderate width
across the large open spans. The DAF method creates open spans orebody is shown in Figure 3.

FIG 3 - Overhand mining sequence in moderate width orebody (section view).

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L DAWSON, M YUMLU and M ENGLISH
The typical overhand DAF mining sequence in a moderate
width orebody is:
1. A central access is typically established from a footwall
ramp system and a cross-cut is developed to the furthest
contact, eg hanging wall.
2. The initial drift is developed along strike in two directions,
generally following a contact.
3. The drift is developed as a full face typically up to
5 m × 5 m.
4. The face is blasted and the broken ore material is loaded to
a stockpile located at the access. Some ore loss and dilution
occurs when bogging the broken ore material off the
backfilled floor.
5. Primary ground support including rock bolts and fibrecrete
is installed sequentially with each cut taken. Thereby only a
minimal extent of unsupported ground is exposed at any
time in the mining cycle.
6. Secondary ground support, typically cable bolts, is
generally required to be installed for the planned mining
span and may be installed with the first lift so that
subsequent lifts may be presupported in poor ground. Note
that the cables will be exposed and will need to be cut off
for each subsequent lift. Secondary support is typically
installed in campaigns and may need to be repeated on
subsequent lifts.
7. On completion of the initial drift in either direction, the
drift is prepared for placement of cemented backfill with
the objective of obtaining tight backfilling where
practicable with moderate strength backfill. For paste
backfill systems, barricades are constructed so that
backfilling may occur in up to 30 m segments retreating
from the end of the drift and back to the cross-cut.
8. Following completion of backfilling of the drifts in both
directions, and following the time for the cemented backfill
to gain sufficient strength, the parallel drifts may be
developed.
9. The drift and fill sequence is repeated as for above except
the parallel drifts will have one wall of exposed cemented
backfill. Depending on the width of the orebody, the
parallel drift may adjoin or may overlap the initial drift.
10. On completion of the mining of all the drifts in a lift, the
cross-cut is barricaded and backfilled. The roof of the
access is then stripped and supported ready for the next lift
to be mined.
Alternatively, the underhand mining system may be selected
where the ground conditions in the orebody are very poor and
FIG 4 - Transverse drift and fill mining in a wide orebody (plan view).
190 Ballarat, Vic, 14 - 15 October 2008
there is insufficient stand-up time for a drift to be developed and
adequately supported. Note that the orebody contact ground
conditions need to be suitable for anchoring the beam created by
the cemented backfill.
The typical underhand DAF mining sequence in a moderate
width orebody is the same as for overhand DAF except that:
• in step 4 the floor is in ore;
• in step 5 the back will initially be in ore and, in subsequent
underhand lifts, the backfill is designed to be self-supporting
and there is effectively no exposure of unsupported ground.
• in step 6 the secondary ground support, typically cable bolts,
may be required so that the crown pillar may be
presupported;
• in step 7 the drift is prepared for placement of cemented
backfill with the objective of forming a minimum thickness
beam of high strength backfill across the mining width; and
• in step 10 the floor of the access is then stripped ready for the
next lift to be mined.
In very wide spans, typically greater than about four drifts or
about 20 m wide, a change from a strike orientation of the ore
drifts to a transverse orientation of the ore drifts may be
considered in the DAF method, as shown in Figure 4.
The typical overhand transverse DAF mining sequence in a
wide orebody is the same as for overhand longitudinal DAF
except that:
• In step 2 the initial drift may be developed along the
centreline of the orebody.
• In step 7 on completion of the central drift in either direction
to the extent of the planned mining block, the central drift is
prepared for turnout drifts to be developed to either side. The
planned mining block is to be mined in a retreat sequence
back to the central cross-cut. The endmost pair of turnout
drifts are developed concurrently and evenly until completed.
• Backfilling is planned to occur in up to 30 m segments
retreating from the end of the turnout drift and back to the
central drift. A barricade may then be constructed across the
central drift or at the entry to each turnout drift.
• Following completion of backfilling of the pair of turnout
drifts back to the intersection, and following the time for the
cemented backfill to gain sufficient strength, the next pair of
turnout drifts may be developed.
• The drift and fill sequence is repeated as for above except the
parallel turnout drifts will have one wall of exposed
cemented backfill. Variations may occur where a temporary
pillar is created to allow multiple mining areas within a lift.
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 DRIFT AND FILL – THE HIGH VALUE, HIGH RECOVERY MINING SYSTEM

• On completion of the mining and backfilling of all the
turnout drifts and the central drift in a lift, the cross-cut is
barricaded and backfill placed. The roof of the access is then
stripped and supported ready for the next lift to be mined.
The underhand method may also be applied to the transverse
mining system.
A comparison of some key aspects of the various MCAF and
DAF mining systems is presented in Table 1.
DRIFT AND FILL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
The efficiency of the DAF method is determined at two levels:
• at the face (or micro) level for the interdependency of the
development, ground support and backfilling activities in
each heading being worked; and
• at the mine (or macro) level for the interdependency of the
individual work areas.
Production is limited from each work area and a high number
of work areas are required in order to generate a reasonable level
of ore production.
Maximum efficiency for an individual work area is only
achieved through close management of the interdependent
mining activities with the objective of minimising the face
standing (or non-work) time. The components of the microcycle
for DAF mining include development, ground support and
backfill activities. The mining activities comprise variable and
fixed duration components as indicated in Table 2. As much as is
practicable, the times required for travelling to the face and for
the extensions of mine services are to be concurrent with other
face activities.
As may be seen from Table 2, only a relatively small portion
of the cycle is variable according to face size with the majority of
time being associated with the fixed duration components of the
activities. Any reduction in the time required for the fixed
duration components of the cycle, for example by reducing the
backfill set time, is likely to deliver a significant benefit to the
total face cycle time.
Figure 5 shows a time-based analysis of the underhand DAF
mining system with minimum face standing (or non-work) time
where approximately half of the DAF mining cycle is used for
development related activities and half is taken up by backfilling,
secondary support and related activities. This analysis is valid for
a range of typical face sizes and results in an average of about
40 m per month advance being achieved in a typical DAF
heading. Therefore, for an individual heading, face size is a key
determinant of productivity in terms of tonnes mined per period
of time.
The face size is also a key determinant in equipment selection
which further impacts on the variable duration activities, for
example drilling, ground support installation and mucking.
The total mining cost for the DAF method includes variable
and fixed cost components for development, ground support and
backfill. The variable cost component is related to the energy and
materials used in each activity. The fixed cost component is
related to the equipment and personnel in the mine. The efficient
deployment of principally the mining jumbos is key to driving
the total unit mining cost to as low as practicable.
Analysis of the DAF microcycle demonstrates that a
development (bore and bolt) jumbo is utilised for only about
one-third of the development time or only one-sixth of the total
DAF cycle time. Therefore, depending on maintenance regimes

TABLE 1
Comparison of mining systems.

Recovered ore value
Mining width
Face type
Face size (w × h)
Orebody dip
Orebody ground conditions
Contact conditions
No of working faces
Dilution and ore loss
Typical backfill strength
UCS
Binder requirement
No of backfill barricades
Primary support
Secondary support
Overhand single drift Underhand single drift Overhand multiple drifts Underhand multiple drifts
(MCAF) (MCAF) (DAF) (DAF)
Moderate $200 per cubic High >$250 per cubic metre High >$250 per cubic metre High >$300 per cubic metre
metre
Narrow <8 m Narrow <5 m Moderate 5 to 20 m (or Moderate 5 to 20 m (or
greater for transverse) greater for transverse)
Full face or flatback Full face Full face Full face
3.5 m × 4.0 m up to 8.0 m 3.5 m × 4.0 m up to 5.0 m 4.0 m × 4.5 m up to 5.0 m 4.0 m × 4.0 m up to 5.0 m
× 5.0 m × 5.0 m × 5.0 m × 5.0 m
Flat to steeply inclined Moderate to steeply inclined Flat to steeply inclined Flat to steeply inclined
Poor to good Very poor to fair Fair to good Very poor to fair
Poor to good Fair to good (to anchor beam) Poor to good Fair to good (to anchor beam)
1 or 2 1 or 2 1 or 2 (or more for 1 or 2
transverse)
Likely dilution and ore loss Possible dilution from weak Possible dilution for Possible dilution for
in floor for uncemented rock wall. overlapping drifts. Possible overlapping drifts and from
backfill. ore loss for areas of very poor weak rock wall.
ground.
Uncemented or low High Moderate High
<0.5 MPa 1 to 4 MPa 0.5 to 1 MPa 1 to 4 MPa
Low High Moderate High
<75 kg/m3 OPC >150 kg/m3 OPC 75 to 150 kg/m3 OPC >150 kg/m3 OPC
1 per lift 1 per 30 m of drift 1 per 30 m of drift (and at 1 per 30 m of drift
each turnout for transverse)
Variable density bolts plus Standard bolts plus standard Variable density bolts plus Standard bolts plus standard
variable fibrecrete in rock. fibrecrete in backfill. variable fibrecrete in rock. fibrecrete in backfill.
Cable bolts may be required Cable bolts may be required Cable bolts generally Cable bolts may be required
in very poor ground. to anchor backfill beams required for wide mining to anchor backfill beams
laterally. spans and for very poor laterally and vertically.
ground.

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L DAWSON, M YUMLU and M ENGLISH

TABLE 2
The drift and fill microcycle.

Activity Variable durations Fixed durations

Blasting (None) Mine clearance for blasting, blast fume clearance and re-entry time
Mucking Muck material from face to stockpile or truck Wash down muck pile
Surface support Hydro-scale Set-up and preparation
Spray fibrecrete Fibrecrete set time
Inspection and testing
Bolt and face drilling Drill and install rock bolts Set-up and preparation
Drill blastholes Extend services
Drill probe holes if required Survey mark up
Face charging Charge blastholes Set-up and preparation
Connect to firing system
Secondary ground support Drill and install cable bolts Set-up and preparation
(campaign basis) Plate and tension cable bolts
Backfill (campaign basis) Backfill placement Site preparation
Barricade construction (allow two days)
Minimum set time for cemented backfill (allow three to seven days)

DAF Productivity Breakdown

• the ability to achieve the same performance duty at lower
Access Stripping,
Adjacent Drives
1%
rates of cement additions and at less curing time;
Delay, 10%
• efficient production and placement of backfill with minimal
involvement of additional personnel and equipment;
Post Paste Fill
Delay, 10% • lower total backfill production, delivery and placement cost;
• continuous placement with minimal excess water drainage or
backfill segregation, thereby providing a consistent and
Paste Fill, 4%
homogenous backfill quality;
Drift
Development,
• improved local and regional ground conditions due to the
48% ability to tight backfill and with reduced dilution when
mining against the backfill; and
Barricade
Construction, • easy to mine through paste with only light drilling and
10% blasting and easy to drill into and install rock bolts where
required to do so.
Install Services, 5% It is the authors’ experience that the DAF mining system
performs at its best when used in combination with paste
Cable Bolt, 12%
backfill. To the authors’ knowledge there are in excess of 65
paste plants currently in operation throughout the world and over
FIG 5 - Drift and fill productivity chart. half of these are being used with the DAF or MCAF mining
systems. The following section describes three overseas
examples in more detail.
and travelling times, a jumbo may be cycled between at least
four and up to six headings in order to obtain maximum
efficiency. DRIFT AND FILL CASE STUDIES
Additional work faces may be planned by: opening multiple
stoping blocks concurrently, for example each 30 m vertically Case 1 – overhand drift and fill mining
within a single orebody, or; opening multiple orebodies, or;
Case 1 is a one million tonnes per annum, underground base
opening multiple faces within a single stoping block, for example
by introducing temporary pillars as shown in transverse layout in metal mine where the mining takes place from between 100 m
Figure 4, or; providing multiple entry points along an orebody. and 500 m depth below surface. The high-grade orebody is
characterised by complex geology and orebody geometries with
variable ground conditions. The hanging wall and footwall
APPLICATION OF PASTE BACKFILL sequence generally consist of weak rock types. The orebody has
Cemented backfill is an essential part of the DAF mining system a variable dip of approximately 70° in the centre and upper parts
and a number of backfill types may be considered. When of the mine and 50° at the orebody fringes. The width of
integrated into the mining cycle the backfill serves as a working mineralisation varies from a few metres in the orebody
platform, as an engineered artificial back and as a wall to work extremities and up to 50 m in the centre. The two main mining
alongside. As a local and regional ground support it provides methods used for ore extraction are open stoping and DAF
confinement to ore pillars and the host rock and prevents mining. The mine utilises paste backfill as its primary backfill
unravelling, thereby limiting convergence and subsidence into method.
the mine voids. The DAF method is applied to the fringe areas having a
In practice, the dominant backfill systems comprise paste shallow dip less than 50° and to the areas which are difficult to
backfill, hydraulic backfill or rock based backfill types mine out by longhole stoping method due to poor ground
(cemented rock fill and cemented aggregate fill). However, paste conditions. DAF mining commences with a 5 m × 5 m drift
backfill offers the following benefits when compared to the other developed longitudinally along the hanging wall contact, from
backfill types: the access through to the planned limits of the orebody. After the

192 Ballarat, Vic, 14 - 15 October 2008 Narrow Vein Mining Conference

 DRIFT AND FILL – THE HIGH VALUE, HIGH RECOVERY MINING SYSTEM
completion of mining, the hanging wall drift is prepared for
backfilling in typically 30 m segments retreating from the end of
the drift and back to the access.
In the first segment of drift to be backfilled, a fill line and air
breather line is installed at the highest point at the stope back and
a fibrecrete barricade is constructed to retain the backfill. The
cemented paste is pumped from surface through a network of
125 mm diameter boreholes and pipes at a rate of 50 cubic
metres per hour so that the segment of drift is backfilled in a
single campaign. The preparation and backfilling is repeated for
each segment along the drift until the drift is backfilled back to
the access. When backfilling is complete and after sufficient
curing time from four to seven days, a new drift is commenced to
be mined parallel and immediately adjacent to the first drift. This
process continues until the full lift is taken at that elevation.
Access to the next lift above is obtained by slashing the roof of
the access drive and orebody mining is recommenced. This
operation continues for the full height of the planned stoping
block, approximately 15 to 20 m in height, and up to the next
sublevel.
The paste backfill is designed for optimum cement content
where the bottom 3.5 m of the lift is backfilled using five per
cent by weight (100 kg/m3) cement addition and the top 1.5 m of
the lift is backfilled using nine per cent by weight (180 kg/m3)
cement addition to provide a backfill strength (UCS) of 500 to
1500 kPa. The paste backfill is designed to provide a good
working wall to minimise dilution and a good working floor to
improve the travelling surface when mining the next lift.
The main issues experienced in Case 1 are occasional air gaps
created on top of the backfill, and barricade stability. The air
gaps are dealt with by spraying fibrecrete into the voids that are
exposed during adjacent mining. Barricade stability is ensured
through strict adherence to backfill monitoring and placement
measures.
Case 2 – underhand drift and fill mining
Case 2 is a very high-grade, underground gold mine with a
production rate of about one-half million tonnes per annum. The
orebody dip is subvertical and has variable thickness. Both the
host rock and the orebody is characterised by weak rock types.
The primary mining method is by underhand DAF with paste
backfill. In a similar drift mining and backfilling system to that
described for Case 1, mining commences with a 4.5 m × 4.5 m
drift developed longitudinally along the line of the ore, from the
access through to the planned limits of the orebody. Mostly, the
full width of the ore is mined in a single 4.5 m wide pass. After
the completion of mining the drift is prepared for backfilling in
30 m segments retreating from the end of the drift and back to
the access.
In the first segment of drift to be backfilled, a sill mat
consisting of mesh and twin plated bolts is constructed at the
base of the drift to provide pre-reinforcement for the back of the
next lift below, a fill line and air breather line is installed at the
highest point at the stope back and a fibrecrete barricade is
constructed to retain the backfill. The cemented paste is gravity
fed from surface through a network of 150 mm diameter
boreholes and pipes at a rate of 120 cubic m per hour so that the
segment of drift is backfilled in a single campaign. The
preparation and backfilling is repeated for each segment along
the drift until the drift is backfilled back to the access.
The paste backfill uses very low density natural material and is
designed for optimum cement content depending on the
application using ten per cent by weight (80 kg/m3) cement
addition and up to 20 per cent by weight (160 kg/m3) cement
addition to provide a backfill strength (UCS) of 1000 to 2000 kPa.
The paste backfill and support system is designed to provide a
safe roof when mining the next lift below.
Narrow Vein Mining Conference Ballarat, Vic, 14 - 15 October 2008
After completion of each lift the floor of the access is benched
to gain access for the next lift in sequence. Mining of successive
lifts takes place under prereinforced paste backfill. The exposed
rock walls are systematically sprayed with fibrecrete and are
bolted. Depending on local conditions, additional fibrecrete and
rock bolts may be installed to the exposed paste backfill in the
backs.
The main issues experienced in Case 2 are related to the
additional effort required to install the prereinforcement that may
be overdesigned and has not been required at similar operations
elsewhere, and the occasional requirement to mine wider
orebody spans with parallel drifts.
Case 3 – primary and secondary drift and fill
mining
Case 3 is a high-grade, base metal mine with a production rate of
in excess of one million tonnes per annum. The orebody is
undulating and flat lying with dip of less than 20°. The host
rocks and orebody are competent but occasionally disturbed by
faulting. The thickness of the mineralisation varies from one to
14 m and lies at an average depth of 170 m below surface. The
primary mining method is DAF with some longhole bench
stoping in thick ore zones to obtain maximum ore extraction.
In the DAF mining area the entire thickness of mineralisation
is extracted between footwall and hanging wall in a single pass.
The ore is mined in primary and secondary drifts which are up
to 150 m long, 6 m high and 10 m wide. Upon completion,
fibrecrete barricades are constructed at the entrance of the drifts
for backfilling with paste backfill. The backfilling system is
able to use the dip of the orebody to advantage so that full
length of drive may be backfilled in a single campaign over
several days.
Paste backfill is produced at rate of 90 cubic metres per hour
and delivered to underground stopes by pumping through a
network of 200 mm diameter pipes. Strict backfill monitoring
and placement measures are in place to provide tight backfill and
to maintain barricade stability. Instrumentation is installed in
each barricade to monitor and control pressures acting on the
barricades.
The backfill is designed for optimum cement content
depending on the application using four per cent by weight
(65 kg/m3) to seven per cent by weight (110 kg/m3) cement for a
backfill strength (UCS) of 400 to 700 kPa. The paste backfill is
designed to minimise wall dilution and to assist the local and
regional stability. After minimum curing of 28 days the adjacent
secondary drifts are mined.
The main issue experienced in Case 3 is associated with the
management of excessive ground water inflows that potentially
impact on the backfill quality, curing time and barricade
pressures.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS FOR DRIFT AND FILL
The current high metal price environment has given rise to
investigations into recovering what was previously considered to
be uneconomic or difficult orebodies and a number of important
future developments for the DAF mining method are envisaged,
such as:
• widespread application of the DAF method to secondary and
tertiary mining of remnant pillars left by prior mining;
• improved application of development and ground support
systems in very poor ground;
• wider application of the paste backfill system as a practical
and economic alternative to hydraulic backfill or rock based
backfill systems; and
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L DAWSON, M YUMLU and M ENGLISH
• the advancement of enabling mining technologies including:
high performance, small-scale mining equipment; remote
application of fibrecrete, and; improvements to the efficient
manufacture, distribution, monitoring and quality systems for
fibrecrete and cemented backfill.
Although there is currently only a limited operating experience
base in Australia, the authors believe that there are growing
applications and a likely successful future for the DAF mining
method, particularly in applications of high-value ore requiring a
high recovery mining system.
194 Ballarat, Vic, 14 - 15 October 2008
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of a
number of colleagues at AMC Consultants Pty Ltd in providing
subject knowledge and review assistance for this paper.
REFERENCES
AMC Consultants Pty Ltd. Various unpublished AMC internal documents
and project reports.
Yumlu, M, 2001. Paper on Cayeli underground Cu-Zn Mine, in
Proceedings 17th International Mining Congress and Exhibition (ed:
E Unal) (Kozan: Ankara).
Narrow Vein Mining Conference