Rock Mechanics and Mine Ground Control

·         Pillar stability analysis for a Lower Powellton seam mine where overmining in the No. 2 Gas occurs within 28 feet to 35 feet, Southern West Virginia.

·         Stability analysis for a portal and mains in a virgin reserve undermined and overmined within 100 feet to 200 feet respectively, Harlan County, Kentucky.

·         Mine plan and layout for Jawbone and Tiller seam mines where seams occur within 28 feet to 35 feet of each other, southwestern Virginia.

·         Mine Plan and Pillar Design for Concurrent Mining in the Hazard No. 4 and Whitesburg seams having a vertical separation of 30 feet to 52 feet, Letcher County, Kentucky.

·         Mine planning and stability analysis for multiple seam mining involving extraction in four seams, southwestern Virginia.

·         Design and stability analysis for splitting barrier pillars separating abandoned longwall panels, Harlan County, Kentucky.

·         Design and stability assessment for driving a four entry submain through an existing barrier pillar bounded by areas of full pillar recovery. Designs provided for three separate mines, Splashdam seam, Southwestern Virginia.

·         Investigation of coal pillar "bump" which resulted in two fatalities, development of pillar recovery plan to provide stable conditions and remediate "bump" potential and high stress concentrations, Harlan County, Kentucky.

·         Investigation of mining and geological conditions associated with a fatality during pillar recovery operations. Southern West Virginia.

·         Investigation of feasibility of longwall mining in steeply dipping seam, analysis of time study for existing room-and-pillar operations, Alabama

·         Design for undermining a golf course and residential community, Eastern Kentucky

·         Feasibility and stability analysis of accessing a virgin block of Herrin No. 6 coal by sloping to the Herrin No. 5 seam and driving a submain beneath abandoned Herrin No. 6 mine workings, southern Illinois.

·         Design, layout, and stability (roof, pillar, floor) analysis for proposed Harlan seam mine horizontally and vertically adjacent to abandoned mine works in Harlan and overlying seams, Harlan County, Kentucky.

·         Design and MSHA approval of an all yield pillar section to alleviate "cutter roof" in a mine experiencing high horizontal stresses, Summersville, West Virginia.

·         Mine feasibility study, roof support requirements, pillar dimensions, minability for a virgin block of the Hazard No. 5A seam, Knott County, Kentucky.

·         Development of mining layout and roof control for an active Hazard No. 4 mine, including conventional and continuous haulage sections and driving in lower overburden beneath a creek, Knott County, Kentucky.

·         Subsidence modeling of the effect of longwall mining on a 30-inch and 8-inch water lines and 3-inch gas line. Specified location of temporary lines. Washington County, Pennsylvania.

·         Developed stability handbook for rapid analysis of stability and subsidence potential for a variety of development and retreat pillar centers used in a multiple seam operation, Pike County, Kentucky.

·         Determination of the potential for surface subsidence attributable to the undermining of a municipal reservoir. Subsidence potential based upon core drilling, detailed geologic investigation, and engineering characterization of the long term in-situ overburden strength and behavior, southwestern Virginia.

·         Development of mine plan to safely undermine an 8 inch gas pipeline with objectives of subsidence prevention and minimal disruption to the mining operation, Floyd County, Kentucky.

·         Specification of the maximum number of entries to maintain stable pressure arch and prevent "pillar squeeze" conditions in main headings of a deep, thin seam operation, Pike County, Kentucky.

·         Specification of pillar dimensions to optimize secondary recovery in a mine where weak floor and water resulted in rib deterioration and floor heave, Pike County, Kentucky.

·         Pillar design to safely permit partial retreat mining while preventing the inundation of the active mine workings by pooled water from an overlying abandoned mine, southern West Virginia.

·         Stability analysis of main entries using roof-floor convergence measurements in a mine where mines immediately adjacent to the mains had practiced full extraction and partial extraction respectively, Knott County, Kentucky.

·         Model size distribution of backfill material for laboratory tests to determine cohesion and friction angle stability analysis and design of steep slope contour mine, southeastern Kentucky.

·         Examination of mining and geologic factors resulting in the shifting of pillars, and the recommendation of changes in mining layout to reduce possibility of subsequent movement, southeastern Kentucky.

·         Design of highwall reinforcement for a truck dump and crushing facility associated with the construction of a new preparation plant, southern West Virginia.

·         Analysis of the geologic and operational factors which resulted in a highwall failure which demolished a thin seam miner, eastern Kentucky.

·         Expert witness against subsidence damage claim, evaluated site conditions, alleged structural damage, and mining practices with respect to quantifying the potential for subsidence induced surface disturbance, Pike County, Kentucky.

·         Expert witness against subsidence damage and lost coal claims, evaluated minability of upper seams that had been undermined by longwall methods, Harlan County, Kentucky.

·         Expert witness with respect to the impact of deep mining on groundwater and old growth forests in a suit to permit deep mining beneath a Kentucky State forest, Perry County, Kentucky.

·         Expert testimony related to pillar and roof stability for a situation where cast blasting was proposed above an active underground mine, Webster County, Kentucky.

·         Expert testimony against residential well damage and subsidence claims, Pike County, Kentucky.

·         Expert testimony refuting multiple claims of residential blast damage, Wise County, Virginia.

·         Expert testimony refuting DSMRE claims of groundwater damage and landslides attributable to impounded water within an abandoned underground mine, Pike County, Kentucky

Geotechnical Engineering

·         Slope stability analysis for a large coarse refuse embankment in southern West Virginia.

·         Developed slope stability short course focusing on computer based analysis of soil slopes and impoundments, southeastern Indiana.

·         Stability of a refuse impoundment where the abutments overlie abandoned mine workings, eastern Kentucky.

·         Geotechnical drilling, soil testing, and analysis for a slurry proposed coal refuse impoundment seated on alluvial soils, southern Indiana.

·         Review of operational and regulatory considerations for a slurry impoundment and a slurry reclaim project, Pike County, Kentucky.

·         Geotechnical evaluation of slope stability, in-situ fill material, and drilling/soil boring requirements for a two mile section of a proposed four lane state highway, Virginia.

·         Assisted in the redesign and stabilization of failing highwalls and soil slopes immediately adjacent to two shopping centers, eastern Kentucky.

·         Investigation of highwall stability, roof stability, and the susceptibility to earthquake damage at an underground storage facility located in an abandoned limestone quarry, Jessamine County, Kentucky.

·         Geotechnical and soil stability investigation for the expansion of a warehouse facilities, Jessamine and Fayette Counties, Kentucky.

·         Development of site plans and retention pond design for expansion of warehouse facility, Fayette County, Kentucky.

·         Design of Keystone Block retaining walls, retention pond design, sanitary and storm sewer design, development of site plans for Comfort Suites, Fayette County, Kentucky

Mining Engineering

·         Evaluation of deep mine potential for a multiple seam reserve consisting of approximately 13,000 acres, Pike County, Kentucky.

·         Ventilation planning and simulation analysis for a twenty panel longwall mine, including timing on shaft construction and cost optimization for main fan - bleeder fan alternatives, Webster County, Kentucky.

·         Development of ventilation plan for an underground waste storage facility which produces a variety of toxic and explosive gases, Daviess County, Kentucky

·         Planning and design for shaft - slope bottom area including rail and belt access, ventilation circuits, shop and underground maintenance facilities. Boone County, West Virginia

·         Small Operator Assistance Program (SOAP Approved Contractor), surface point removal/contour/auger mine permit, contour surface mine permit.

·         Development of complete mine layout for multiple seam property where coal is steeply dipping ( >20^o), thick seam (6-22 feet), Venezuela.

Mineral Finance

·         Devised exploration program and conducted mine feasibility studies for a combination point removal contour/auger surface mine, Jackson County, Kentucky.

·         Property valuation of multiple seam reserve to determine fair market value, Harlan County, Kentucky.

·         Valuation of mineral and timber rights on a 1,310 acre tract, Monroe County, Kentucky.

·         Determination of production and royalty potential (mineral rights and fee for washing coal) from a reactivated mine and adjacent coal reserves in the Jellico seam, as the basis for financing the construction of a jig preparation plant on the mine property, Whitley County, Kentucky.

·         Feasibility study for the underground mining of coal reserves in the Stearns 1 ½ and 2 seams, McCreary County, Kentucky.

·         Evaluate status and potential value of lease holdings in Breathitt County, Kentucky for an out of state investment group.

·         Examination including reserve estimation and mine planning for an undeveloped, multiple lease tract of Hazard No. 4 and Leatherwood seams, Leslie County, Kentucky.

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Last modified: 07/10/07