Mining Product: ALPS - Analysis of Longwall Pillar Stability

• Chain pillars
• Loading
• Mine design
• Pillar design

ALPS (Analysis of Longwall Pillar Stability) is software for designing pillars for longwall mines.

The ALPS method, which is embodied in the program, consists of three basic steps:

1. Estimating the loading that will be applied to the pillars during all the phases of longwall mining
2. Estimating the load-bearing capacity of the longwall pillar system, and
3. Calculating "stability factors" (SF) by comparing the load to the load-bearing capacity

Since its development, the ALPS method has been verified by back-analysis of more than 100 actual mining case histories. This version of the software includes the Mark-Bieniawski pillar strength formula, which more accurately represent the strength of rectangular pillars, and more flexibility in longwall layout by allowing angled crosscuts and varied crosscut spacing.

Release notes for version 5.4.02 (August 2013):

• Minor bug fixes
• Fixed operating system compatibility issues
• User interface improvements

Release notes for version 5.4.01 (October 2012):

• Recompiled with new libraries
• 16/32 bit controls have been replaced with 32/64 bit controls
• User interface improvements
• Program installer has been updated with more options and better checks for older installations
• Various bug fixes
• Tested for better functioning under Windows 7.