This book provides a background and an empirical approach to basic design of hard-rock/coal pillars in room-and-pillar mines, and stimulates more advanced studies. This is accomplished in four concise parts, and the inclusion of many solved numerical problems based on actual laboratory and field observations throughout the book illustrate how the interpretations and evaluations of tests results can be applied to engineering analysis, and how the mining engineer can tackle design for mines where pillars are employed. Specific attention is devoted to the behavior of pillars. In this way the book brings together the mechanics and engineering practice of the topic to demonstrate how pillars can be dimensioned safely and economically. To assist the reader, a number of Appendices are included that summarize relevant topics.

This book should be of great interest to practicing mining engineers who are involved in the design of underground coal/hard-rock mines using the room-and-pillar method. It will also be useful for engineers engaged in numerical modeling aimed at selecting appropriate values for the mechanical properties contained in mine models. It is our hope that teaching staff, research engineers and graduate students will also benefit from the information contained in this publication.

The book contains both 63 tables and 116 figures as well as 232 references.