West Virginia University professor Syd Peng, a renowned mining engineering expert and National Academy of Engineering (NAE) member, has published his fourth book.
The book,Ground Control FailuresA Pictorial View of Case Studies,is a 330-page hardcover that includes more than 1,000 full-color photos of ground control failures in underground mines, along with explanations of the cases.
Peng is the Charles Lawall Chair in WVU s Department of Mining Engineering in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
Earlier this year, he became the first faculty member from WVU to be elected to the NAE , a prestigious organization of the nations most elite engineers. Peng is only the fourth person from West Virginia to receive the honor, which is considered the highest that an engineer can achieve in the United States.
Ground control failure refers to any failure of the underground rock strata affected by mining. It also refers to any failure of the supports, hardware or other technology designed to control the rock strata during mining operations.
Peng spent more than 33 years working on ground control problems in underground mining. During that time, he took many photographs.
In the book, readers can see for themselves what an underground coal mine looks like and some of the different types of problems that can occur, including pillar failures, roof falls, roof-bolting failures, failures due to multiple-seam mining and others.
The book will contribute to the body of knowledge about these issues, filling a gap in mining literature, Peng said.
From reactions to the case studies I have published, it has become clear to me that some mining researchers and practitioners have not actually seen all of the different types of ground control failures that can occur and therefore do not have a clear understanding of them,he said.It is my hope that my photographs of many different types of failure situations, along with written explanations accompanying the photos, will contribute to a better understanding of the wide range of failures that can occur.
Ground control is a passion for Peng, who founded the International Conference on Ground Control in Mining in 1981. The conference is held each year in Morgantown and attended by coal industry professionals and researchers from around the world. Through his efforts, ground control is now standard terminology in mining operations.
A native of Taiwan, Peng received his doctorate in mining engineering from Stanford University in 1970 and joined the WVU faculty in 1974. In 1978, he was appointed chair of the Department of Mining Engineering, a position he held until 2006, when he stepped down to focus on research and writing.
The WVU professor has previously authored and co-authored three textbooks,Longwall Mining,Coal Mine Ground ControlandSurface Subsidence Engineering.In addition, he has written 320 journal and proceedings articles and 230 research reports in the areas of longwall mining, ground control and surface subsidence.
Peng has received numerous national and international awards, including the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration Rock Mechanics Award; Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America Donald S. Kingery Memorial Award; American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers Erskine Ramsey Medal; Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining Medal for Excellence (United Kingdom); and R&D Magazines R&D 100 Award.
The book is an ideal reference for mining students, researchers and professionals, Peng said.
For more information or to order a copy of the book, visithttp://www2.cemr.wvu.edu/~speng/.