Lab scale evaluation of Uranium ore radiation using hydraulic concrete fil in underground mines

In order to achieve maximum recovery and minimum absorption level of radiation in underground uranium mines specific measures must be taken. One way to achieve this goal is to employ the backfilling method using hydraulic concrete fills, in particular in the tunnel cut and fill method. The backfill is a material which is used to fill the excavated underground stopes to provide support and safety for the mining operations. In this research various mixes of hydraulic concrete fillers were prepared at the laboratory scale. The underground mine waste rock, open pit waste rock, natural river sand, and barite sand were used as backfilling main ingredients and representative samples of each mix design were prepared for the laboratory tests. Moreover, large scale samples of concrete hydraulic fills were cast at varying thicknesses in in the vicinity of uranium ore to enable examining the radiation level. The test results demonstrate that the use of hydraulic concrete fills can provide safety and stability to mining activities.