Secondary water saturation of the rock mass and quality of rocks in active mine areas bordering the flooded workings of closed mines

Mirosława Bukowska, Central Mining Institute – National Research Institute, Katowice, PolandFollow

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Abstract

The goal of this paper was to inspect the influence of capillary water saturation on the specific strain energy of sedimentary rocks. The relationships between the determined specific strain energies in an air-dried state and in a state of capillary water saturation for detrital rock were exponential, with a strong correlation among the variables. For silt, the relationships were described by a second-degree polynomial function, and the correlation was medium or weak. The relationships for kinetic and dissipated energy were described with a linear function. Pearson correlation coefficients indicated a strong correlation among the variables for detrital rock and a medium or weak correlation for silt. No clear differences were found in the percentage contributions of individual empirical specific energies in the values calculated for the total and dissipated energy. In the case of kinetic energy, capillary-saturation led to a decrease in this parameter. The test results may find application in assessing the possibility of rock mass degradation in active mine areas bordering the flooded workings of closed mines, as well as in active mines with major aquifer water inflows, which have a significant influence on the level of geomechanical and water hazards.

Recommended Citation

Bukowska, Mirosława (2026) "Secondary water saturation of the rock mass and quality of rocks in active mine areas bordering the flooded workings of closed mines," Journal of Sustainable Mining: Vol. 25 : Iss. 3 , Article 1.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.46873/2300-3960.1505