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Hydro-mechanical insights for radioactive waste disposal from gas injection experiments in shale Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-02-03 Qazim Llabjani, Alessio Ferrari, Paul Marschall, Lyesse Laloui
Disposal of radioactive waste in deep geological repositories relies on the integrity of geological barriers, where gas migration can compromise long-term safety. This study examines the hydro-mechanical response of a shale under varying gas pressure build-up rates, using gas injection tests conducted in a high-pressure oedometer cell to simulate in-situ stress conditions. The research highlights that
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A data-driven method for the deformation analysis of layered rocks Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-02-01 Fanding Feng, Diansen Yang, Qinghui Jiang
This paper proposes a data-driven method for the deformation analysis of layered rocks, which consists of generating a stress–strain database and using a data-driven computational solution. The method does not require defining the material's constitutive relationship to conduct analysis of layered rock deformation under loading of the same material. First, the data-driven identification (DDI) algorithm
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Reverse flotation of iron ore by a new ternary collector-frother reagent: Applications through flotation experiments Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2025-01-30 Michelle Lacerda Sales Marques, Lucas Andrade Silva, Letícia Maia Prates, Alexandre Moni Pereira, Julio Cesar Guedes Correia, Inna V. Filippova, Lev O. Filippov
The reverse flotation of iron ore with etheramine collectors and starch as depressant is widely implemented industrially but has severe shortcomings in dealing with complex lithologies and reclamation of slimes and tailings. Previously, we explored the adsorption of a new ternary collector reagent based on a mixture of etheramine, amidoamine and a frother. FTIR band intensities point to favorable adsorption
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The mineralogical distribution of Ni in mantle rocks controls the fertility of magmatic Ni-sulfide systems Miner. Deposita (IF 4.4) Pub Date : 2025-01-29 Daryl E. Blanks, David A. Holwell, Isra S. Ezad, Andrea Giuliani, Marco L. Fiorentini, Stephen F. Foley
Mantle-derived mafic-ultramafic melts are the primary host for magmatic Ni-Cu-Co-PGE deposits. One common assumption about this mineral system is that Ni-fertility is a product of high-degree melting of anhydrous mantle peridotites, including a substantial contribution from olivine. However, in metasomatised mantle rocks, which partially melt at lower temperatures than anhydrous peridotites, Ni is
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A novel approach of mitigating fault-slip induced dynamic disasters based on liquid super-lubricity Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-29 Jintong Zhang, Wei Song, Jun Wu, Yue Shen, Zhihong Zhao, Jinjin Li
Fault-slip induced dynamic disasters, such as seismicity and rockburst, pose significant risks to various subsurface engineering projects, and the currently used mitigation methods often involves strategies of modulating in-situ stresses in the surrounding rocks near fault planes timely. Here, we propose an alternative strategy for mitigating fault-slip induced dynamic disasters in terms of reducing
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A new downgrading system for weak rock mass Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-29 Hao Zhai, Ismet Canbulat, Chengguo Zhang, John Watson, Min Gao
Estimating the strength of weak rock mass is challenging in rock mechanics and rock engineering. This study introduces the development of a downgrading system for weak rock mass strength (GSIw), a novel methodology designed to bridge the gap between soil and hard rocks. A conceptual model is proposed, which simplifies weak rock mass downgrading by considering the influence of the rock matrix, joint
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Ferronickel recovery from 2-stage thermally treated ultramafic nickel sulfide concentrate Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2025-01-28 Wei Lv, Brian Makuza, Samuel Marcuson, Manqiu Xu, Frederick D. Ford, Mansoor Barati
Nickel (Ni) is a critical metal facing a sharp increase in demand as it is a key ingredient in clean energy technologies such as lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for electric vehicles (EVs). The gradual depletion in the active high-grade Ni sulfide deposits has garnered more attention toward Ni extraction from low-grade ultramafic Ni sulfides. Although the low-grade ultramafic sulfide deposits have the
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Enhancing fracture conductivity in carbonate formations through mineral alteration Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-27 Xiang Chen, Haitai Hu, Pingli Liu, Juan Du, Maoxing Wang, Hongming Tang, Zhaoxu Deng, Guan Wang, Fei Liu
In geothermal, oil, and gas reservoirs, the conductivity of hydraulic or acid-etched fracture determines efficient and economical resource exploitation. Proppant embedding or acid-rock reaction weakening rock leads to a sharp decline in fracture conductivity. Mineral alteration is a technique of in-situ transformation of existing minerals into harder minerals to improve rock strength, and diammonium
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Evaluating cryogenic grinding variables to maximize valuable metal liberation from spent lithium-ion batteries Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2025-01-27 F. Mulet-Mery, Jorge Uribe, J. Valenzuela-Elgueta, Cristian Serrano
This study explores the liberation of valuable metals from spent Lithium Ion Batteries (LIBs) following cryogenic grinding with varying grinding times, frequencies, and particle sizes. We characterize the physicochemical changes in lithium metal oxide particles focusing on the mineral phases, semi-quantification, and liberation of Co, Ni, and Mn. A total of 18 cathodic material samples underwent cryogenic
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A review of phyllosilicate minerals in flotation: Mechanisms of deleterious effect and mitigation method Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2025-01-27 Guohua Gu, Jianyu Chen, Mengchi Guo, Yanhong Wang
High content of phyllosilicate minerals has a deleterious effect on the mineral flotation process. In clay science, with increasing the solid concentration, phyllosilicate mineral particles associate into different network structures, according to the relative potentials and positions of basal faces and edge faces, which plays a dominant role in the flow behaviour of pulp. In this paper, the effect
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Visualization of the dynamic propagation of two simultaneously-stimulated hydraulic fractures: Competition and interaction Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-25 Luchao Wang, Kang Duan, Qiangyong Zhang, Xiufeng Zhang, Chuancheng Liu, Di Wang
Deepening the understanding of the dynamic propagation and interaction of multiple hydraulic fractures is the key to the optimization of hydraulic fracturing design. By conducting two-hole hydraulic fracturing experiments on transparent polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) samples, we visualize the dynamic propagation of fractures stimulated from two holes in three dimensions with the aid of high-speed cameras
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Meso-mechanical mechanism of ordered mica alignment on the progressive failure process of granite under different lateral stress directions Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-24 Chen Fan, Xia-Ting Feng, Jun Zhao, Cheng-Xiang Yang, Meng-Fei Jiang
Accurately understanding the mechanical properties of surrounding rock is crucial for minimizing the risk of surrounding rock instability. In a deep TBM tunnel, mica minerals in the surrounding rock exhibit an intermittently oriented alignment, which is considered one potential cause of time-delayed failures. Under the same true triaxial stress, creep tests were conducted on granite with different
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Thermo-hydro-mechanical calibration modelling of the full-scale emplacement experiment and sensitivity analyses Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-24 Ruiping Guo, Scott Briggs
To understand the mechanism of the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes in a repository, many laboratory or in-situ experiments have been carried out. One of these experiments is the Full-scale Emplacement Experiment (FE-Experiment) at the Mont Terri Underground Rock Laboratory. The FE-Experiment simulated the construction, waste emplacement, backfilling and early post-closure evolution
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Effect of stress waves on fault slip using photoelastic analysis and numerical simulation Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-24 N.B. Zhang, Z.X. Zhang, R.L. Shan, Q.X. Qi, S.K. Zhao, Y.S. Guo, Y.Z. Li
In coal mines, fault slips are often affected by stress waves originated from rock fracture during mining, but the effect of stress waves on a fault slip is still unclear. To understand such an effect, photoelasticity experiments and numerical simulation were carried out in this study, based on the thrust fault F16 in the Yima coal field, China. Three factors including stress wave sources, stress wave
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Energy evolution and deformation features of re-loading creep failure in yellow sandstone after cyclic water intrusion Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-24 Yongde Liu, Huijian Zhang, Zhe Qin, Xuxin Chen, wenlong Liu
To assess the long-term stability of rock bodies after excavation or slope excavation under external forces, uniaxial compression, and graded loading and unloading creep tests were performed on variable-saturation yellow sandstone after cyclic water intrusion. The energy evolution and deformation mechanisms of rocks during loading, creep, unloading, and holding were analyzed. Furthermore, the reloading
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Enhanced vibration dewatering to facilitate efficient disposal process for waste fine flotation tailings Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2025-01-24 Miao Pan, Tong Xu, Jiawang Lu, Chenlong Duan, Wei Shi, Long Huang, Yidong Shen, Jiale Yuan, Jinpeng Qiao, Haishen Jiang
Waste fine flotation tailings (WFFTs) constitute a type of ore slurry consisting of fine tailing particles and beneficiation wastewater produced in the mineral flotation process. It can lead to resource wastage and ecological pollution due to irrational disposal process. This study aimed at recovering the useful building materials and water resources via reprocessing WFFTs by classification, magnetic
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Multi-source hydrothermal mineralisation in the ultramafic-hosted Mirae-2 vent field, Central Indian Ridge Miner. Deposita (IF 4.4) Pub Date : 2025-01-23 Sun Ki Choi, Jonguk Kim, Sang Joon Pak, Wonnyon Kim, Hwimin Jang, Ryoung Gyun Kim
Modern seafloor massive sulfide deposits distributed along mid-ocean ridges are typically classified as mid-ocean ridge basalt- and ultramafic-hosted types, based on mineralogical and geochemical characteristics that result from the different water–rock interactions between the two substrates. However, the Mirae-2 vent field (MVF-2) along Central Indian Ridge, which was newly discovered on the slope
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Unravelling the mechanisms underlying marine redox shifts during sedimentary manganese metallogenesis: insights from the Carboniferous Muhu deposit, China Miner. Deposita (IF 4.4) Pub Date : 2025-01-23 Zhi-Guo Dong, Bang-Lu Zhang, Lian-Chang Zhang, Fei-Yu Dong, Jie Li, Zi-Dong Peng, Bo Wan, Chang-Le Wang
Sedimentary manganese (Mn) mineralization requires a switch between anoxic and oxic water column conditions, which is commonly explained by the “bathtub ring” model and more recently interpreted by the emerging “episodic ventilation” model. To date, however, it remains unclear regarding how to distinguish between these two mechanisms, profoundly influencing Mn ore prospecting. Here, we conducted a
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Thermally induced fracture modeling during a long-term water injection Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-23 Yuhao Liu, Keita Yoshioka, Tao You, Hanzhang Li, Fengshou Zhang
Significant volumes of water are injected into the subsurface for purposes such as maintaining reservoir pressure, enhancing production efficiency, or water disposal. In these operations, injection pressures are typically kept low to prevent the formation from fracturing. However, fractures may still be induced even at low injection pressures if the injected water cools the formation, causing thermal
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Tourmaline as a textural, geochemical and isotopic marker of fault valve processes recorded at the Paleoproterozoic Lafigué orogenic gold deposit, Ivory Coast Miner. Deposita (IF 4.4) Pub Date : 2025-01-22 Alix Hauteville, Anne-Sylvie André-Mayer, Aurélien Eglinger, Julien Perret, Tanguy Nobilet, Yoram Teitler, Brahima Touré, Laurent Ciancaleoni, Lucas Marulier, Yacouba Coulibaly
The Lafigué gold deposit (Western African Craton, Ivory Coast) is located in the northern part of the Toumodi-Fétékro greenstone belt, and its formation is related to the development of a NNE-SSW-striking sinistral shear zone during the regional D2 deformation phase. Transpression is evidenced by a contractional jog expressed by E-W-trending, S-dipping thrusts. Boudinaged fault veins and horizontal
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Experimental study of deformation induced by high-pressure methane adsorption and desorption: Insights into anisotropy and hysteresis characteristics Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-21 Songwei Wu, Liang Wang, Chao Liu, Sheng Su, Zhuang Lu, Xinxin He, Quanlin Yang, Liwen Guo
Adsorption deformation of the coal matrix significantly influences gas migration and enhances recovery in coal reservoirs. In deep coal seams, abnormally high fluid pressures complicate the accurate quantification of absolute adsorption using traditional models, affecting the assessment of adsorption deformation. To address this, this study conducted synchronous adsorption/desorption and strain testing
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Review of beneficiation techniques and new thinking for comprehensive utilization of high-phosphorus iron ores Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2025-01-21 Guangheng Ji, Xu Gao, IL Sohn, Shigeru Ueda, Wanlin Wang
As the world faces the rapid depletion of high-grade iron ore reserves, the abundant high-phosphorus iron ore deposits present significant potential for future exploitation. These ores, rich in the valuable elements of iron and phosphorus, necessitate the development of practical processes for upgrading iron and recovering phosphorus. Consequently, to promote the foundation and application research
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Research and applications of the cross-fusion mechanism of high gas thick coal seam influenced by dip angle Int. J. Min. Sci. Technol. (IF 11.7) Pub Date : 2025-01-18 Pengxiang Zhao, Zechen Chang, Shugang Li, Risheng Zhuo, Yongyong Jia, Chi-Min Shu, Qiudong Shao, Wen Lei
In this study, to better decide the effect of coal seam dip angle upon the dynamic change of the cross-fusion in gas transport and storage areas during the progress of working face in the high gas thick coal seam, a two-dimensional physical simulation experiment regarded as the theoretical research was conducted to properly explore the variation law of overburden fracture. The results demonstrated
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BIM for mining - Automated generation of information models using a parametric modelling concept Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-18 Jyrki Salmi, Zehao Ye, Jelena Ninic, Rauno Heikkilä
The adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in construction has greatly improved project delivery, collaboration, and automation. However, its application in mining remains underdeveloped due to the unique challenges of mining projects, such as their vast scale, complexity, and heterogeneity. The present study aims to explore the characteristics and potential for adoption of BIM technology
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A mathematical model for the shape prediction of bedded salt cavern used for energy storage Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-18 Tao He, Tongtao Wang, Chunhe Yang, Youqiang Liao, Dongzhou Xie, Zhekang Ding, J.J.K. Daemen
The vertical layering and anisotropic characteristics of bedded rock salt are different from those of salt mounds, and the brine reinjection operation during the cavern creation process makes it difficult to predict the distribution of brine concentration in the cavern. The accumulation of slag in the complex cavern affects the brine flow characteristics and cavern volume, which makes the water-soluble
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Textural, mineralogical, and geochemical evidence for apatite metasomatism and REE mobility within the Corvo orebody at the Neves Corvo Cu-Zn-Pb(-Sn) deposit (Iberian Pyrite Belt) Miner. Deposita (IF 4.4) Pub Date : 2025-01-17 Marta S. Codeço, Sarah A. Gleeson, Vitor Barrote, Daniel Harlov, Christof Kusebauch, Monika Koch-Müller, Jorge M. R. S. Relvas, Anja M. Schleicher, Christian Schmidt, Jessica A. Stammeier, Marcin D. Syczewski, Franziska D. H. Wilke
The Neves Corvo Cu-Zn-Pb(-Sn) deposit (Portugal) is one of the largest volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits (VMS) worldwide, hosted by Upper Devonian to Early Carboniferous rocks. Originally, it contained an early structurally controlled tin orebody (stockwork and massive cassiterite), which has now been mined out. In this study, we report the first occurrence of phosphate minerals (apatite, florencite
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Ore and gangue mineral textures, fluid inclusions, mesoscopically structured quartz and pyrite, and their bearing on the genesis of hydrothermal breccias in the low-sulfidation Surnak gold deposit, SE Bulgaria Miner. Deposita (IF 4.4) Pub Date : 2025-01-14 Irina Marinova, Aleksandar Gadzhalov, Gulcan Bozkaya, Mihail Tarassov
This paper provides comprehensive analyses of mineral microtextures, nanoparticulate electrum, defective crystal structures of key primary hydrothermal minerals - quartz and pyrite, the bulk sulfur isotopic composition of pyrite and marcasite, and fluid inclusions in hydrothermal quartz and calcite, all aimed at characterizing ore mineralization. The study primarily focuses on samples collected from
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The sulfur isotope evolution of the Duobuza Cu-Au porphyry deposit in the Duolong district, Central Tibet, China Miner. Deposita (IF 4.4) Pub Date : 2025-01-14 Jia Sun, Jingwen Mao, Georges Beaudoin, Ryan Mathur, Xianzhe Duan, Yubin Li
Understanding the sulfur isotope cycle is essential in developing genetic models of porphyry copper deposits. In this paper, we characterize the sulfur isotope evolution of the Duobuza deposit, a typical porphyry Cu-Au deposit, using the sulfur isotope composition of sulfides in successive hydrothermal stages. We show (1) an increase of δ34S values from the inner potassic core (−4.8 to −0.4‰, n = 37)
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Identification and thermal characteristics of linear discontinuities on a high-steep slope using UAV with thermal infrared imager Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-13 Wen Zhang, Han Yin, Jianping Chen, Changwei Lu, Tengyue Li, Bo Han, Zihan Zhao, Jia Wang, Junqi Chen
The discontinuity system exerts significant control over slope deformation and failure. Nevertheless, the automatic identification of these discontinuities remains a challenging task, particularly concerning linear discontinuities. Current methodologies are insufficient in detecting linear discontinuities, let alone conducting an analysis of their internal parameters. Consequently, this leads to imprecise
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Experimental validation and mechanistic elucidation of crack division and two-phase flow-mediated sealing in coalbed methane extraction boreholes Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-13 Dezhi Ran, Jianwei Cheng, Yejiao Liu, Qiang Fu, Zhiyuan Ma, Jing Mei
Coalbed methane (CBM) has emerged as a key clean fuel. The efficient recovery of CBM heavily relies on the materials used to seal cracks in gas drainage boreholes. This study divides the range of cracks into different single width cracks. A method of using two-phase particle mucus sealing material (PMSM) based on the “Liquid-Sealing-Gas (LSG)" principle is proposed to address the limitations of traditional
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Analytical solutions of two-liner tunnels constructed in time-dependent plastic rocks considering loading-unloading stress paths Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-13 Hua-ning Wang, Qian Liu, Fei Song, Rui-cong Fu, Ming-jing Jiang
The mechanical behaviours of soft rocks are time-dependent and significantly influenced by the loading and unloading histories. The main objective of this study is to investigate the tunnelling behaviours of supported tunnels constructed in time-dependent plastic geotechnical materials, taking into account the tunnelling advancement, the viscoelastic-plastic behaviour of host rocks, sequentially installation
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Corrigendum to “Influence of calcination conditions on deep eutectic solvents (DES) leaching efficiency of light rare earth elements in bastnasite ore” [Miner. Eng. 220 (2025) 109087] Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2025-01-13 S. Samet Kaplan, Cisem Celik Kurtulan, Sebahattin Gurmen, Gokhan Orhan, M. Seref Sonmez
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Water-rock interaction-induced degradation of Jinping marble in in-situ environments: A multi-scale analysis of mechanical behavior Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-11 Chendi Lou, Ru Zhang, Zetian Zhang, Li Ren, Jing Xie, Kun Xiao, Mingchuan Li, Jifang Zhou, Anlin Zhang
In deep engineering practices, surrounding rocks are often subjected to long-term interactions between high pore pressure and high geostress environments, necessitating a thorough understanding of water-rock coupling effect under in-situ conditions. This study investigates these interactions by replicating the deep, high-pressure environment of China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL) through a
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Preparation of cryolite from overhaul slag by low-temperature sulfuric acid roasting and water leaching Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2025-01-10 Liangmin Dong, Fen Jiao, Wei Liu, Hongbin Ling
Resource disposal of overhaul slag is an urgent problem in aluminum industry. This paper innovatively proposed the synthesis of cryolite by low temperature H2SO4 roasting and water leaching process. Low temperature H2SO4 roasting can effectively volatilize fluoride such as Na3AlF6, CaF2 and NaF into the flue gas in the form of HF for recovery, and aluminum compounds (Al2O3, Na3AlF6) are converted into
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A nonlinear inversion method for predicting the in-situ stress field in deep coal seam based on improved long short-term memory neural network Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-09 Jiaxing Zhou, Bisheng Wu, Yuanxun Nie, Haitao Zhang
Existence of discontinuous geological structures, such as folds and fault, poses a great challenge in predicting the in-situ stress fields (ISSF). This paper proposes a discontinuous intelligent inversion method to predict the ISSFs in the deep coal seam area (DCSA) of the Shanghai Temple, which exhibits distinct discontinuous geological features. The proposed method consists of three key components
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Trace element distributions among Cu-(Fe)-sulfides from the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag deposit, South Australia Miner. Deposita (IF 4.4) Pub Date : 2025-01-08 Samuel A. King, Nigel J. Cook, Cristiana L. Ciobanu, Kathy Ehrig, Sarah Gilbert, Benjamin Wade, Yuri T. Campo Rodriguez
Chalcocite, bornite, and chalcopyrite are the main copper minerals in the world-class Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag deposit, South Australia. Olympic Dam is characterized by systematic, inwards and upwards zonation of Cu-Fe-sulfide assemblages, encompassing chalcopyrite-pyrite, bornite-chalcopyrite, bornite-chalcocite and chalcocite-only zones. Trace element analysis of Cu-(Fe)-sulfides (~ 3500 spot analyses)
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Roof stability for rock cavities and tunnels: Revisiting limit state plastic analysis Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-08 Dowon Park
Previous observations of the roof stability analyses for deep-depth tunnels in continuum rock mass suggest that the critical roof failure mechanism involves a π/2-rotation of the failure envelope utilized in the analysis. In this study, the results obtained from the kinematic approach of the limit analysis and limit equilibrium method demonstrated that the failure profile of a roof collapse in a physical
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A workflow to create geometallurgical clusters without looking directly at geometallurgical variables Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2025-01-08 F.G.F. Niquini, I.A. Andrade, J.F.C.L. Costa, V.M. Silva, R.S. Marcelino
Cluster analysis is frequently used to help in individualizing stationary domains. Its application in creating geometallurgical clusters can follow two approaches. The first utilizes geometallurgical test variables in cluster analysis to define domains based on the geometallurgical database. This approach, common in mining, often lacks sufficient data for accurate 3D modelling. The second approach
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Polymetallic vein formation through fluid flashing at the Sunnyside intermediate-sulfidation epithermal deposit, Colorado, USA Miner. Deposita (IF 4.4) Pub Date : 2025-01-07 Mario A. Guzman, Thomas Monecke, T. James Reynolds
Sunnyside is a well-preserved Miocene polymetallic vein deposit located in the Western San Juan Mountains of Colorado, USA. The steeply dipping veins extend vertically for ~ 600 m and can be traced laterally over a combined length of ~ 2100 m. Fracture-controlled fluid flow dominated during the pre-ore stage. Subsequent ore deposition along major extensional structures took place at far-from-equilibrium
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Elastic wave propagation and attenuation across cemented rock fractures under tension Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-07 Hui Yang, Qi Zhao, Dongya Han, Qinghua Lei, Huanyu Wu, Xiaolin Huang, Zhiyi Chen, Yu Huang
Tensile loading plays a critical role in geological processes like landslides and earthquakes, as well as engineering applications such as hydraulic fracturing and tunnel excavation. We investigate elastic wave behavior across cemented rock fractures under tensile stress conditions. Ultrasonic measurements and uniaxial direct tension tests were performed concurrently on quartz diorite and diabase specimens
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Leveraging negative pore pressure to constrain post-injection-induced slip of rock fractures Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-07 Zhou Fang, Wei Wu
Negative pore pressure caused by unconventional energy production may offer insights into predicting and mitigating post-injection-induced seismicity. Here we presented triaxial shear experiments on sawcut, filled, and natural fractures under positive, zero, and negative pore pressures. The results show that negative pore pressure leads to an increase in the peak strength of the sawcut and filled fractures
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Meso-damage characterization of chemically corroded rocks under unloading confinement conditions Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-06 Hao Li, Leo Pel, Zhenjiang You, David Smeulders
Characterizing meso-damage and understanding its correlation with macroscopic mechanical responses of rocks under coupled chemical-mechanical (C-M) conditions are crucial for the stability analysis and safety design of underground constructions in chemically corrosive environments. This research proposes a model to quantify coupled C-M meso-damage of rocks, utilizing geochemical surface reaction theory
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SAG mill ball diameter semi-theory based on pebble fracture strength and DEM validation Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2025-01-06 Yunxiao Li, Qingfei Xiao, Guobin Wang, Boyuan Sun, Chao Zheng, Saizhen Jin, Qingkai Wang
The semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill, widely used in large mineral processing plants, is known for its high throughput and production efficiency. However, an accumulation of pebbles can lead to a reduction in throughput and an increase in power consumption during the grinding process. This study investigates the strength of pebbles in conjunction with Davis’ theory of ball movement, considering
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Gold in pyrite revisited: insights into remobilization during deformation using electron backscatter diffraction and LA-ICP-MS Miner. Deposita (IF 4.4) Pub Date : 2025-01-04 Pascal Ouiya, Didier Béziat, Stefano Salvi, German Velásquez, Séta Naba, Arnaud Proietti
In a gold deposit near Nassara, southern Burkina Faso, gold occurs closely associated with pyrite within a network of veins hosted by metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. Using SEM and LA-ICP-MS analyses, we identified three generations of pyrite with distinct roles in gold mineralization. Pyrite 1 (Py1) formed early during mineralization, replacing alteration minerals like ankerite in metabasalt
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Damage zone around underground opening caused by combined blast loading and initial stress unloading Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-04 Rui Zhao, Ming Tao, Murat Karakus
The formation of an Excavation Damaged Zone (EDZ) is a common issue in mining and other geotechnical engineering fields, which impacts the stability of surrounding rock mass. The excavation of deep, stressed rock mass induces stress redistribution and propagates stress waves that form an EDZ around the excavation. Modelling the complex processes of stress relief and adjustment in anisotropic stress
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Carbon negative backfill mining in coal mines for carbon neutralization: Chemical carbon fixation performances with mineralized gangue Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-04 Jixiong Zhang, Baiyi Li, Yachen Xie, Cunbao Li, Nan Zhou, Yuming Guo, Zejun Li, Heping Xie
Safe, efficient, and low-carbon coal mining is vital, especially for China, where coal remains the main energy source. Minimizing rockburst risks and ecological damage, as well as developing low, zero, and carbon negative mining, become the main task of the coal industry. However, their realization is hindered by the increasing accumulation of by-products of coal mining and utilization, such as abundant
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A micromechanical model for induced anisotropic damage-friction in rock materials under cyclic loading Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2025-01-04 Jin Zhang, Wenyong Liu, Qiaojuan Yu, Qi-Zhi Zhu, Jian-Fu Shao
This study develops a unified micromechanical induced anisotropic model to predict the instantaneous and longterm behaviors of rock materials under cyclic loading. By integrating a thermodynamic framework with the Mori–Tanaka homogenization method, the model captures the anisotropic damage evolution considering nonuniform microcrack growth. The model incorporates the interaction between microcrack-induced
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Study of alkaline hydrometallurgical process for stibnite flotation tailings reprocessing: Semi-pilot antimony leaching Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2025-01-04 Seydou Dembele, Ata Akcil, Sandeep Panda
Nowadays, tailings management and scarcity of raw materials are both topics that are much discussed in the mining sector. Recycling is therefore a sustainable method of extracting metals from secondary resources for tailings management and the supply of critical metals such as antimony. Alkaline leaching was carried out using mixture of sodium sulfide (Na2S) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Optimisation
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Resource utilization of phosphate tailings by calcination and leaching with dilute H3PO4 solution Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2025-01-02 Shengyang Ding, Lu Yin, Tao Zhang, Li Lv, Wenxiang Tang, Shengwei Tang
Phosphate tailing is a solid waste from the process of phosphate resource utilization. It is rich in phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium. Exploring a profitable comprehensive utilization route of phosphate tailings is crucial for the disposal of phosphate tailings. A utilization route of P, Ca and Mg in phosphate tailings was proposed in this work. Phosphate tailings were first calcinated and leached
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Feature extraction and classification for induced microseismic signals during hydraulic fracturing: Implication for coalbed methane reservoir stimulation Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2024-12-31 Quangui Li, Wenxi Li, Qianting Hu, Yunpei Liang, Yanan Qian, Zhizhong Jiang, Zhen Wang, Huiming Yang, Wanjie Sun
Before effectively analyzing the stimulation of coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs using microseismic (MS) monitoring, it is necessary to accurately distinguish signals caused by hydraulic fracturing (HF) from interference signals. In this study, the Mel-frequency cepstral coefficient-fuzzy decision tree (MFCC-FDT) signal classification method was used. To minimize the loss of crucial details during
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Thermodynamic framework of non-local continuum damage–plasticity model Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2024-12-31 Yijun Chen, Mostafa E. Mobasher, Dongjian Zheng, Haim Waisman
We present a novel non-local continuum damage–plasticity model for predicting numerically the progressive failure behavior of cohesive-frictional materials within the framework of irreversible thermodynamics. The damage driving force is a function of the tensile part of elastic strain energy and a portion of the plastic stored energy, in which the introduction of coefficient χp provides the opportunity
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Amidoxime collectors: Lead-free flotation performance and adsorption mechanism in the separation of wolframite, quartz and calcite Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2024-12-31 Guangsheng Zeng, Wei Weng, Shuiping Zhong, Xiaopeng Chi, Jiaozhong Cai, Wen Tan, Junnan Chen
The novel amidoxime-based collectors, 4-pyridylamidoxime (PA), 3-ethyl-4-pyridylamidoxime (EPA), and 3-methyl-5-tert-butyl-4-pyridylamidoxime (MBPA), were introduced in the lead-free flotation separation of wolframite from quartz and calcite. Compared with PA, EPA, and the traditional collector benzohydroxamic acid (BHA), MBPA exhibited a better separation and recovery capacity to wolframite ore. 4
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Challenges associated with the recovery of Co– and As-bearing minerals from aged mine tailings Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2024-12-31 Samuel Teillaud, Lucie Coudert, Yassine Ait-Khouia, Mostafa Benzaazoua, Marie Guittonny, Baptiste Laubie, Marie-Odile Simonnot
The global demand for cobalt (Co), essential for “clean” energy technologies, has raised interest in identifying secondary sources, including mine tailings. This study evaluates the potential of historic silver (Ag) mine tailings in Ontario, Canada, as a secondary Co source and for arsenic (As) mitigation, offering economic and environmental benefits. Physico–chemical and mineralogical characterization
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Numerical investigation of spatiotemporal flowing and blocking characteristics for grouting in multi karst conduits Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2024-12-30 Dongdong Pan, Zhiyang Wang, Xiansong Wei, Zhenhao Xu, Yichi Zhang
Grouting in flowing water for multi karst conduits is commonly used in water hazard control, yet there is no quantitative guidance. We utilized numerical simulation methods to simulate and analyze the entire process of multi-conduit flowing water grouting. First, based on the grouting simulation method proposed earlier, we constructed mathematical models for grouting in flowing water and extended it
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Experimental and numerical characterization of hydro-mechanical properties of rock fractures: The effect of the sample size on roughness and hydraulic aperture Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2024-12-30 Masoud Torkan, Lauri Uotinen, Alireza Baghbanan, Mikael Rinne
This paper investigated fluid flow in low-stress conditions through rock fractures in Kuru granite measuring 25 cm × 25 cm. Physical aperture and roughness were measured using high-precision photogrammetry. Anisotropy in roughness was observed in two perpendicular directions. Physical aperture under normal stresses was measured, and fracture closure was compared with linear variable displacement transducer
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Correlation between the kinematic properties of carrier particle bubbles and their particle entrainment phenomena Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2024-12-28 Xiaofeng Li, Xuan Wu, Junbiao Wang, Hui Dong, Zhengyang Wang
During froth flotation, minerals enter the concentrate either through true flotation or mechanical entrainment. These two processes occur simultaneously and they determine the efficiency and selectivity of the process. This study proposes use of a bubble surface load value to quantitatively characterize the level of particle adhesion on bubbles. A visual experimental platform was constructed using
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Experimental study of hydraulic fracture propagation in multi-hole synchronous fracturing in horizontal wells in sandstone Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2024-12-27 Yulong Jiang, Weiguo Liang, Haojie Lian, Wei He
Hydraulic fracture propagation in multi-hole synchronous fracturing plays a critical role in forming complex fracture networks in unconventional reservoirs. However, the propagation mechanism of multi-hole synchronous fracturing is still unclear, especially the effects of the fracturing borehole spacing and natural fracture. In this study, a series of experiments using a triaxial loading system were
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Deterioration mechanisms of coal mechanical properties under uniaxial multi-level cyclic loading considering initial damage effects Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. (IF 7.0) Pub Date : 2024-12-27 Qican Ran, Yunpei Liang, Zhili Yang, Quanle Zou, Chunfeng Ye, Chenglin Tian, Zhaopeng Wu, Bichuan Zhang, Weizhi Wang
With the increase in global energy demand, coal remains a vital energy resource. However, during coal mining, coal often experiences both initial damage and cyclic loading, which leads to the deterioration of its mechanical properties. In this study, uniaxial multi-level cyclic loading experiments were performed on initial damage coal specimens (IDCSs) to examine their deformation evolution, energy
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Coupled antimony and sulfur isotopic composition of stibnite as a window to the origin of Sb mineralization in epithermal systems (examples from the Kremnica and Zlatá Baňa deposits, Slovakia) Miner. Deposita (IF 4.4) Pub Date : 2024-12-26 Peter Koděra, Ryan Mathur, Degao Zhai, Rastislav Milovský, Pavel Bačo, Juraj Majzlan
Stibnite is a relatively common mineral in epithermal deposits, with little known about Sb transport and efficient stibnite precipitation. The famous Kremnica Au-Ag low-sulfidation deposit and Zlatá Baňa intermediate-sulfidation Pb-Zn-Cu-Au-Ag-Sb deposit are hosted in two different Neogene volcanic fields in Western Carpathians, Slovakia. In both deposits, stibnite-rich veins occur outside of major
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Microencapsulation of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans in a biopolymeric matrix of gum arabic and whey protein using complex coacervation and freeze drying Miner. Eng. (IF 4.9) Pub Date : 2024-12-25 Angel Manuel Cabrales-González, Diola Marina Núñez-Ramírez, María Adriana Martínez-Prado, Luis Medina-Torres, Walfred Rosas-Flores, Octavio Manero
Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans is a microorganism of great interest in biohydrometallurgical processes, as it is potentially capable of treating complex, low-grade sulfur minerals. However, there are concerns in the metallurgical industry regarding microbial manipulation due to problems related to cellular integrity, metabolic activities, genetic stability, and long-term maintenance of microbial cultures