Pillar Design: DR - Ohn Thaik Department of Mining Engineering

Pillar Design
Dr.Ohn Thaik
Department of Mining Engineering
Basic principles of pillar design
• Pillar loading is of three types:
1. Preliminary loading: Loading immediately
following excavation of opening
2. Subsequent loading/abutment pressures
3. Post mining loading
• The classic method consisted of three steps:-
1. Estimating the pillar load using Tributary area
theory
2. Estimating the pillar strength using a pillar
strength formula
3. Calculating the pillar safety factor
• Safety Factor = Pillar Strength / Pillar Load
Pillar Strength – is a function of both a size
effect and a shape effect.
1. Size Effect
2. Shape Effect
Size Effect – The average strength decreases as

specimen size increases.
Shape Effect
Pillar strength increases as:
• 1. Pillar Width increases
• 2. Pillar Height decreases
• 3. Width/Height ratio increases
Pillar Strength Formulas:

• 1. Obert-Duvall
• 2. Holland-Gaddy
• 3. Salamon-Munro
• 4. Bieniawski
• 5. Mark-Bieniawski
• Critical Size – The specimen size at which an
increase in size does not cause a decrease in
strength.
1. Bieniawski found the critical size to be 5 feet
for South African coals.
2. Pariseau and Hustrulid used 3 feet for US
coals.
• For a coal specimen less than the critical 36
inches, Gaddy found:
Critical Strength
• The strength of a critical size specimen or the
strength of the insitu coal. For a critical size
specimen, the critical strength is:
Shape Effect
Pillar strength increases as:
1. Pillar Width increases
2. Pillar Height decreases
3. Width/Height ratio increases
Pillar Strength Formulas:

1. Obert-Duvall
2. Holland-Gaddy
3. Salamon-Munro
4. Bieniawski
5. Mark-Bieniawski
Obert-Duvall Formula
Holland-Gaddy Formula
Salamon-Munro Formula
Bieniawski Formula (square pillars)
Mark-Bieniawski Formula
(rectangular pillars)
Pillar Load
1. Tributary Area
2. Abutment
Tributary Area – is the total area of roof that

each pillar is supporting. It is the area of
the pillar plus half the area of the entries on
every side.
Recovery Ratio / Extraction Ratio (e)
The volume of mineral mined from a deposit

divided by the total volume of mineral in the
deposit prior to mining
For a Square Pillar (wp = lp) and equal width
entries and crosscuts (we = wc):
The Tributary Area Stress
• the pillar stress due to supporting the
tributary area of overburden. It is equal to the
overburden stress (or insitu stress) times the
ratio of tributary area to pillar area.
Allowable Recover Factor
The recovery factor that puts the pillar stress up
to the allowable limit (with or without safety
factor).
Allowable Recover Factor with Safety Factor
Example 1
• A horizontal coal seam is mined using room-
and-pillar methods. All entries and crosscuts
are 6 m in width. The pillars are 10 m wide by
15 m long. The overburden is 300 m thick with
a specific gravity of 2.7. The average vertical
stress on the pillars (KPa) is most nearly?
Example 2
Uniaxial strength tests of 1 m cubical coal
samples provide a compressive strength of 11
MPa for the proposed coal mine in a 1.8 m thick
seam with 10 m wide pillars. If the calculated
pillar load is 5,000 KPa, what is the safety factor
for the pillars using the Bieniawski Formula?
Example 3
• A 5 ft thick coal seam occurs 400 ft below the surface.
The rock overlying the coal is nearly horizontal and of
such density that it may be assumed that the vertical
stress gradient is approximately 1.2 psi per foot of
depth. Laboratory tests on the coal indicate that its
compressive strength is 3000 psi. Assume that the
laboratory strength data must be de-rated by a factor
of 2 for use in underground pillar design. Assuming a
safety factor of 1.0, what is the maximum extraction
ratio that can be achieved during development?
Example 4
A coal mine’s entry and breakthrough centers
are set at 60 ft with 20 ft wide openings. The 6 ft
coal seam lies 1000 ft below the surface and the
specific gravity of the overburden is 2.4. If the
compressive strength of a 4 in cubic coal
specimen is 5000 psi, determine the safety
factor for compressive failure of the pillars?
Example 5
A lead-zinc mine is to be developed by a room-
and pillar layout. The mine is located at a depth
of 500 ft, the overlying rock has an average
specific gravity of 2.58, and the pillar rock was
tested and found to have a uniaxial compressive
strength of 15,000 psi. What will be the safety
factor with an extraction ratio of 75%? With 30
ft wide entries, what will be the dimension of
square pillars?
Pillar Abutment Load
Abutment Load
• The weight that had been carried by the panel
coal is shifted to the surrounding support coal
Abutment Angle Concept
Abutment Load
• Magnitude
• Distribution
Critical Width
Abutment Load Magnitude - (SuperCritical)
Abutment Load Magnitude - (SubCritical)

Abutment Load Distribution
Abutment Zone Width
Abutment Zone - Stress Distribution

Abutment Zone Load
Problem
The longwall panel is 650 ft wide and 800 ft
deep. The gateroad consists of 2 pillars on 90 ft
centers and 120 ft crosscuts. Assume the
overburden weights 162 lb/ft3 and the
abutment angle is 21deg, what is the abutment
load on the gateroad pillars in lbs/ft of gateroad?

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Pillar Design

Size Effect – The average strength decreases as

Pillar Strength Formulas:

Pillar Strength Formulas:

Tributary Area – is the total area of roof that

The volume of mineral mined from a deposit

Abutment Load Magnitude - (SubCritical)

Abutment Zone - Stress Distribution

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