Inverted Pyramid-Shaped Plugs for Closing Abandoned Mine Shafts--Galena, Kansas Demonstration Project

摘要

This Bureau of Mines report describes a shaft closure demonstration project in which 11 inverted pyramid-shaped plugs were used to plug abandoned open mine shafts in Galena, KS. The inverted pyramid-shaped forms, fabricated from steelplate, were designed so that the inverted base would be larger, by 4 ft on a side, than the approximate size of the shaft opening at the surface residuum-solid rock interface. After the surface openings of the shafts were trimmed with a backhoe, the steel forms, complete with reinforcing, were lowered into the openings and filled with concrete; the remaining portions of the openings above the plugs were backfilled to slightly above the surrounding surface level with waste rock and soil. Location and elevation monuments were installed for a long-term evaluation of the success of the project.