Development of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete cribs to replace wood cribs in underground coal mines

The need to provide better mine roof support and control in longwall tailgate entries prompted the Bureau of Mines to search for a replacement product for wood cribs. Their search isolated steel-fiber-reinforced concrete (SFC) as the most effective replacement. Through successful laboratory and underground mine tests, handmade SFC cribs proved to be a viable and more effective roof support system. However, to ensure wider usage, U.S. Steel Mining Co. initiated a joint development and evaluation program with Burrell Construction Company in order to mass produce SFC blocks of reasonable dimension, weight, and cost. Small specimens and full-size cribs were evaluated during this program to determine their compressive strength and post failure characteristics. After considerable testing and adjusting of various concrete mixtures, a final formulation for the SFC crib blocks was selected. That formulation permitted the construction of SFC cribs possessing a nominal crib strength of 3200 psi (22.1 x 10/sup 6/ Pa) and a nominal modulus of elasticity of 1.0 x 10/sup 6/ psi (6894.76 x 10/sup 6/ Pa). These SFC cribs can support from 3.5 to 14.5 times as much load as a wood crib, depending on the size of the wood crib being replaced. Both laboratory and limitedmore » mine tests, conducted by U.S. Steel Mining Co. have shown the SFC crib to be an economical and effective means of roof control.« less