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ISSUE 05/2021

Mining Area Agreement (BBFV) RUHR – Study Regarding the Effectiveness of a New Form of Cooperation

The mining industry of the past has left long-lasting tracks in the territorial structure of the Ruhr area. Dealing responsibly with the area’s mining heritage in terms of sustainable regional developments is a major challenge. In 2014, the 17 pertinent municipalities and districts, together with the state government of North-Rhine Westphalia, RAG Aktiengesellschaft and the Ruhr Regional Association (RVR), concluded the “Mining Area Agreement | Agreement on the Forward-looking Revitalisation of Significant Mining Areas” (BBFV). The agreement formally sets forth the understanding of a common regional responsibility to ensure a sustainable subsequent use for mining areas of regional economic and urban development significance. The negotiations between the partners laid the foundation for a common understanding of the prioritisation of areas for development. The agreement provides a framework for short information and …

Author: Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Brüggemann, Forschungszentrum Nachbergbau (FZN), Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola (THGA), Bochum/Germany

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Open-Pit Mine Backfilling with External Soil Material

North-Rhine Westphalia is among the federal states that are richest in raw materials. In numerous operations, quartz gravel, quartz sand, clay and bedrock are won, provided, they are subject to the guidelines of the Federal Mining Act (BBergG) and supervised by the District Council Arnsberg, Department for Mining and Energy in North-Rhine Westphalia (mining authority of North-Rhine Westphalia), located in Dortmund/Germany.

In accordance with the regulations stipulated in the operating plan permit regarding the rehabilitation of surface used for mining purposes, the mass deficiency caused by extracting resources is oftentimes to be balanced by backfilling after the discontinuation of mining within a working section. For this purpose, the site’s excavation materials, such as loam/silt and non-marketable sand, gravel, and clay, are used to …

Author: BR Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Waerder, Dezernat 62, Abteilung Bergbau und Energie in NRW, Bezirksregierung Arnsberg, Dortmund/Germany

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Digitalisation, Automation, Interoperability – Standardisation at International Level

Digitalisation, automation, interoperability – three buzzwords that are frequently used, but that often run into a dead end at the point of interoperability. The industrial sector wants to see this changed by the elimination of the barriers to interoperability. The vision of complete standardisation in digitalisation and automation is wishful thinking that will most likely never come true. Nevertheless, creating a basis for interoperability is achievable. Standardisation must incorporate the current state of the art and …

Author: Dipl.-Ing. Jörn Lehmann, Leiter Normung, VDMA Mining, Frankfurt/M.

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Wear Problems? – Laboratory Testing and Numerical Simulation Support the Selection of the Best Material

In view of the high costs that arise each year due to material wear, which can amount to several percent of GDP, there is now an urgent need for wear protection systems designed to help reduce this financial loss. This requires a detailed knowledge of the areas in which the components or machine parts are being used, as these elements are frequently subjected to superimposed stress from various erosion mechanisms. Wear behaviour depends on the properties of the material in question, including its strength and hardness levels, as well as on the characteristics of the opposing body and ambient medium and on the design and structural constraints. Wear is therefore not a material property but rather a system characteristic. Never-theless, the behaviour of the individual materials …

Authors: Prof. Dr. Andreas Kern, Dr. Christian Heet, Dr. Franz Domenic Boos, Błażej Kempinski M.Sc., Dr. Dennis Maximilian Röllinger, thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG, Duisburg

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Underground Limestone Mining by Rheinkalk GmbH in Wülfrath – a new Underground Mine for Raw Material Supply in North-Rhine Westphalia – from Operations Plan Application to Extraction

Lhoist Germany Rheinkalk GmbH, Wülfrath/Germany, is planning an underground experimental operation (Rohdenhaus experimental mine) to increase the mineral reserves of the deposit at the Wülfrath site in order to determine the economic feasibility for extraction of parts of the deposit that are not accessible for surface mining. For this purpose, an experimental mine is to be built and operated in the Rohdenhaus Nord opencast mine, taking into account mining aspects such as the location and arrangement of the access portals, conveyor connection to the existing primary crusher, sufficient coverage and recoverable limestone reserves. After preliminary talks in 2015 and 2016, the operator submitted an optional overall operation plan …

Author: RBr AdB Dipl.-Ing. Markus Billermann, Dezernat 62, Abteilung Bergbau und Energie in NRW, Bezirksregierung Arnsberg, Dortmund

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Foundation of the Water Management Office of the Westphalian Miners’ Union Fund 100 Years Ago

The year 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Water Management Office of the Westphalian Miners’ Union Fund. This institution still exists today, albeit in a modified form and under a different name. This fact underlines its importance for mining and post-mining. The history and the constantly changing tasks over the course of 100 years for this independent institution for the mining industry and government authorities verify its practical experience and the knowledge it has acquired.

Authors: Dipl.-Geol. Melanie Schwermann, Forschungszentrum Nachbergbau (FZN), Technische Hochschule GeorgAgricola (THGA), Bochum, Dipl.-Math. Holger Kories und Dipl.-Geol. Peter Rüterkamp, Abteilung Hydrogeologie, DMT GmbH & Co. KG, Essen, Prof. Dr. Wilhelm G. Coldewey, Institut f. Geologie und Paläontologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU), Münster

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