Pillar Design For Underground Coal Mining In Zimbabwe: A Case Of Safety And Productivity Enhancement

Pillar Design For Underground Coal Mining In Zimbabwe: A Case Of Safety And Productivity Enhancement | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Pillar Design For Underground Coal Mining In Zimbabwe: A Case Of Safety And Productivity Enhancement Stein Tembo, Richard Masethe, Tawanda Zvarivadza This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6533129/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The growing demand for coal in Zimbabwe’s industrial sector has necessitated the shift to underground mining as surface reserves become increasingly depleted. However, underground mining introduces substantial risks due to the formation of unstable voids, which, if not adequately supported by pillars, can result in catastrophic failures, such as the historic Coalbrook Colliery disaster. To mitigate these challenges, effective pillar design is critical for ensuring both ground stability and economic feasibility. This study adopts a multifaceted approach to balance operational safety with economic sustainability. Empirical design methods, including the Tributary Area Theorem and the Van der Merwe formula, were initially applied to determine appropriate pillar dimensions. These were further evaluated and refined through numerical modelling techniques using Phase2 software to enhance stability predictions. Key performance indicators, such as the safety factor and the economic extraction ratio, were analyzed to assess the design's structural integrity and profitability. The results underscore the significance of optimized pillar configurations in reducing stress concentrations and preventing structural collapses. By integrating empirical and numerical techniques, this study presents a robust framework for the design of safe and cost-effective pillar systems in Zimbabwe’s underground coal mines. These findings contribute to safer mining practices while supporting the nation's increasing energy requirements. Tributary Area Theorem Pillar design numerical modelling Underground Optimization Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 14 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 12 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 10 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 May, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 27 May, 2025 Editor invited by journal 19 May, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 03 May, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 03 May, 2025 First submitted to journal 26 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6533129","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":462440367,"identity":"621c8119-98d4-42b6-bf29-0c4fa4e6c342","order_by":0,"name":"Stein Tembo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Midlands State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Stein","middleName":"","lastName":"Tembo","suffix":""},{"id":462440368,"identity":"52297a02-0f26-4b71-985e-b7095090bb80","order_by":1,"name":"Richard Masethe","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA20lEQVRIie3RIQvCQBTA8SeDWQ5W1/YJhMnBJfGzbBzcysKiorAD4YzW+S0GFuMdA1cm1ouKoMWgWGxqFtlcM9yv/3mP9wAM4191OKQO2G0SxSFc8tZJLn9NevPycLytB+FKM3pPYOiBU+xrE1LF2FcVS4lmEmdA+xw2fn0iY9tVopgSHXGKwArex2hIdufzQ4knw1nECwRpAFb3Wp/ogIASkvouUzMERQA2apiiL9jdChpm1YlayC/7AqGkYbHocB2LYbiYM3xHo4nnOGVem3x4r9Tqo4ZhGMZ3L7D1SPqSU0whAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"University of KwaZulu-Natal","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Richard","middleName":"","lastName":"Masethe","suffix":""},{"id":462440369,"identity":"90df6001-ad00-4f1b-8679-6a3eab9fe6c4","order_by":2,"name":"Tawanda Zvarivadza","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Luleå University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tawanda","middleName":"","lastName":"Zvarivadza","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-26 06:53:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6533129/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6533129/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":83587307,"identity":"7a11caa1-1060-4fbb-91e6-5b9bf8302559","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-29 04:31:11","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":702214,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Temboetal2025PillarDesign.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6533129/v1_covered_591c20aa-5228-433d-af44-a218321569c7.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Pillar Design For Underground Coal Mining In Zimbabwe: A Case Of Safety And Productivity Enhancement","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-geoscience","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Geoscience](https://www.springer.com/journal/44288)","snPcode":"44288","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44288","title":"Discover Geoscience","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Tributary Area Theorem, Pillar design, numerical modelling, Underground, Optimization","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6533129/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6533129/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"The growing demand for coal in Zimbabwe’s industrial sector has necessitated the shift to underground mining as surface reserves become increasingly depleted. 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