Practical Solutions for Underground Mine Backfilling Systems

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, most modern underground mines use backfill as an integral part of their mining methods. For precious and base metal mines, this backfill may be prepared from waste rock (crushed, screened or unscreened) and/or tailings (total or classified). Backfill is used in the mining industry for several purposes such as for ground stabilization/control, extracting ore from adjacent or under another stope, extending the life of the mine and lowering the cost of mine closure. There are three main types of filling techniques used in the mining industry; cemented hydraulic fill (CHF), cemented rock fill (CRF) and cemented paste backfill (CPB). Depending on the need for ground stabilization and solid waste management, there are also composite backfills that are a combination of tailings and crushed waste rock: the cemented aggregate fill (CAF) which is a mixture of CHF and aggregates, and the paste aggregate fill (PAF) which is a mixture of CPB and aggregates. However, the backfill can perform only if the mixture is designed correctly, transported properly and poured in the open stope according to the initial design strategy and cured as planned to achieve its required strength. This Special Issue aims to bring together practical solutions for underground mine backfilling systems, including, backfill mix design, physical and hydro-mechanical properties and behaviors, rheology and transport, underground placement and self-weight consolidation, long-term properties, stability analysis, experimental studies (lab and in situ), physical modeling, analytical solutions, constitutive modeling and numerical modeling of cemented mine backfills. We welcome original and state-of-the-art papers covering all these aspects.

Prof. Dr. Tikou Belem
Dr. Abdelkabir Maqsoud
Guest Editors

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