Abstract

Mine backfilling has multiple purposes in underground mining operations, such as, improving ground support, increasing production rate and environmental issues. Optimization of such material is of importance to the industry. In order to give appropriate stiffness to the mine tailing to be used as mine backfill, different type of binders have been introduced and investigated in the past. Development of cost-effective mine waste management, including mine backfilling, is a priority for today's mining industry. Mine backfilling has progressively been integrated into underground mining operations. The high stresses and temperature associated with mining at depth in the Canadian Shield, also requires innovative approaches to mine backfilling to withstand the loading both during and after mining operations. Not only new or modified mine fill systems are required, but also new techniques are needed to increase the speed of the . mining cycle for optimizing the mining operation. The backfill must also remain stable chemically to ensure the required long term behaviour. The major objective is the determination of the role played by sodium silicate with different binders as a new additive in strength acquisition of mixtures. Extensive laboratory testing program has been conducted to investigate the parameters affecting both the long and the short term physical, mechanical properties of such mixtures with special reference to the curing temperatures. It was found that a higher percentage of sodium silicate in binder mixture reduces final setting time as well as a warmer curing condition. A sodium silicate mixture improves strength of samples in both short and long period and also decreases the porosity of the samples. Strength of samples is not always improved by increasing curing temperature and there is an optimum curing temperature.