Supports

1. Statement 1 Higher pack resistance is required under a

sandstone roof than under a shale roof for equal risk to
bending.
Statement 2 Beds of shale have lower bending capacity
than sandstone.
a) Both statements 1 and 2 are correct and Statement 2 is
the correct explanation of statement 1.
b) Both statements 1 and 2 are correct but statement 2 is
not the correct
explanation of statement 1.
c) Statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is incorrect.
d) Statement 1 is incorrect and statement 2 is correct.
c. Beds of shale have higher bending capacity than sst.

2. Statement 1 Goaf control is easier for shale than

sandstone.
Statement 2 Shale roof frequently occurs in thick beds.
a) Both statements 1 and 2 are correct and Statement 2 is
the correct explanation of statement 1.
b) Both statements 1 and 2 are correct but statement 2 is
not the correct explanation of statement 1.
c) Statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is incorrect.
d) Statement 1 is incorrect and statement 2 is correct.
b correct explanation
compared to a sst roof.

shale roof is easily cavable as

3. State True or False.

Disintegration of shale roof may be due to the
softening and

dispersion of the colloidal

particles which bind the constituent particles of

shale together.

true

4. The compressive strength of Indian coals varies

from
a.
b.
c.
d.

56 to 394Kg/cm2
28 to 56 Kg/cm2
14 to 28 kg/cm2
5.6 to 14 Kg/cm2

5. CMRI has classified roof rocks into 5 categories

based on RMR values.
A very good roof (RMR 80 100)
a. Needs yielding steel arches as support
b. Needs rock bolting for support
c. Needs only props for support
d. Does not need any support.

6. Fill in the blanks

In case of thick strong roofs, thickness of roof is
more than ____________ metre(s).
a. 2
b. 1
c. 0.5
d. 0.25

7. The following type of roof presents difficulty

in caving
a. Thick strong roof
b. Stratified strong roof
c. Fragile roof
d. All of the above

8. Which of the following roofs is considered

treacherous?
a. Sandstone
b. Shale
c. Coal
d. Granite

9. Which of the following is not considered as a factor to estimate

RMR for roof support by CMRI
a. Layer thickness
b. Strength of rocks
c. Ground water flow
d. Width of excavation

10. Which of the following is not an advantage of concrete

as a supporting material over timber and steel?
a) It is not affected by atmospheric conditions and has a
long life.
b) It has a very high tensile strength.
c) It gives smooth surfaces and hence resistance to air
current is minimum.
d) It has a long life.

11.Fly ash obtained from power plants is an important addition to concrete.

It serves the function of
a. Decreasing the curing time of concrete.
b. Increasing the setting time of concrete.
c. Increasing the fluidity of concrete in pipeline transportation.
d. Increasing the quantity of the mixture.

12.In the wet mix process of shotcreting

a. The major constituent of shotcrete is water.
b. Water is sprayed over the wall after a dry mixture of
sand and cement has been projected over it.
c. All the ingredients are mixed before they enter the
delivery hose.
d. A mixture of cement and damp sand is conveyed to the
nozzle where water is added.
c

13.Calculate the thickness of shotcrete required to support a

gallery of radius 3m according to Rabcewicz formula which is
given by
Where, t = thickness of concrete in meters
r = radius of the gallery in meters
= allowable shear strength of the shotcrete
material (t/m2)
P = stress on the shotcrete(t/m2)
Given that P = 15 t/m2 and
Assume an FOS of 3.
Ans

0.13m

14.Which of the following statements is not correct?

a. Compressive strength of concrete decreases with the porosity.
b. The strength of concrete first increases to a maximum and
then starts to decrease with an increase in the water cement
ratio.
c. Higher temperature increases the setting time while lower
temperature fastens the process of curing.
d. The amount of water needed depends on he granulometry of
the aggregates and the compressive strength desired.
c

15. The dry mix system tends to be more widely used in mining than wet
mixed shotcrete because
a. Wet mixed shotcrete will increase the humidity of the
underground environment.
b. Wet mixed shotcrete takes less time in preparation and
application.
c. Dry mixed shotcrete lacks strength to withstand high stress
concentrations at great depths.
d. The dry mix system uses a smaller and a more compact
equipment which can move around easily an underground mine
environment.
d

16.Silica fume is widely used in the shotcrete mixture. The reasons

beingI. It increases the strength of shotcrete by 2 3 times.
II. It increases flexural strength and improved bond with the rock
mass.
III. Layers upto 200mm thick can be placed in one pass because of
shotcretes stickiness.
a)
b)
c)
d)
c

Only I
Both I and II
All of the above
Both II and III

17.In very poor rock masses with loose rocks , the most preferred support
would be
a) Systematic roof bolts.
b) Mesh reinforced shotcrete.
c) Steel fibre reinforced shotcrete.
d) Hydraulic props

ii

18.Chainlink mesh ( fig.i) , though strong and flexible is not suitable for
shotcrete application and welded wire mesh (fig ii) is a better option
because a. The chainlink mesh can not have good contact with the rock surface.
b. The mesh can collapse under its own weight instead of providing
support because of greater amount of steel wires used.
c. Welded wire mesh uses better quality steel.
d. It is difficult for the shotcrete to penetrate the chainlink mesh.
d

19.Mention any one kind of wood used as a support in Indian coal

mines.
Ans-Say one of the following
Sal wood, teak wood, sankhon wood

20.State TRUE or FALSE

Load bearing capacity of prop increases with an increase in the
L/D ratio.

false

21.Which of the following is not a factor affecting the load bearing capacity
of the props
a. Length to diameter ratio
b. Eccentricity of the prop
c. In situ stress conditions present in the rock strata
d. Moisture content
c

22. Name a device used to withdraw props.

Say one of the following
Sylvester prop withdrawer, Monkey winch, Power driven winches

23. According to CMR the lid over a prop shall have a width not
___________ (less/more) than the diameter of the prop, thickness
not less than ______ cm and length not less than _____________
cm.
Ans less, 8, 75

24. According to CMR the length of the cogging members should not be
less than
a. 0.8m
b. 1.0m
c. 1.2m
d. 1.4m
Ans c

25. Which of the following is not an advantage of timber supports?

a. The crushing of timber becomes apparent long before it
breaks,
b. It is resistant to fungi, bores and insects.
c. It can be easily cut, manipulated and transported.
d. They are relatively cheap
Ans b

26. Artificial supports perform which of the following functions ?

a. They hold loose rocks, key blocks and other supports in place.
b. Reinforce the rock mass and control bulking.
c. Retain broken or unstable rock between the holding and
reinforcing element to form a stratified arch
d. Al of the above.
Ans d

27. Which of the following locations is most preferred to erect a

square chock?
a. At face
b. At junction
c. At drive head of conveyors
d. In permanent roadways
b

28. An underset prop is a

a. Tapered prop
b. Pit prop
c. Prop whose axis remains in between the vertical and the normal
to the seam
d. Prop whose axis is normal to the dip of the seam
c

29. Statement 1 Yielding props are now-a-days exclusively used on

longwall faces and rigid props are non-existent.
Statement 2 Withdrawal of yielding props is quite easy unless these
props have gone solid.
a)

Both statements 1 and 2 are correct and Statement 2 is the

correct explanation of statement 1.

b) Both statements 1 and 2 are correct but statement 2 is not

the correct
explanation of statement 1.
c) Statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is incorrect.
d) Statement 1 is incorrect and statement 2 is correct
Ans a

30.

The above figure shows the working principle of a friction prop. If Q is

the normal force provided by the clamps and is the coefficient of
friction between the clamp and the upper member. Calculate the
bearing capacity P of the friction prop.
Ans 2Q

31. The first true walking support was invented by

A)Winkhaus
B) Allen
C) Gullick Dobson
D) Marrel Hydro
a

32. Chock shield supports can be applied in seam gradients up to

______ angle.
A)40
B)50
C)60
D)70
d

33. ______ is used when roof is of lighter weight , support with

shorter base length and lower cost is preferred ?
A)Two leg shield support
B)Four leg shield support
C)Frame type of support
D)Chock type of support
a

34. ) Frame type of powered supports can work in seams of ______m thick.
A) 1m 4m
B) 0.5m - 1m
C) 0.91m 1.82m
D) 1.5m 3m
c

35. ) Chock type supports give roof loading densities of about ______ on setting
and about ______ at yield.
A) 18.3tonnes/m2 , 52.5tonnes/m
B) 25tonnes/m2 , 65tonnes/m 2
C) 40tonnes/m2 , 60 tonnes/m2
D) 10.8tonnes/m2 , 30.5tonnes/m2
a

36. The average load bearing capacity of wooden props is given by the expression (L=
load bearing capacity, h= height of prop, d= dia of prop
A) L=h/d
B) L=2h/d
C) L=H/2d
D) None of the above
a

37. Eccentricity of the prop is defined as the maximum deviation of the natural axis of the
props from its longitudinal axis expressed as percentage of the length of the prop. (TRUE
OR FALSE)

true

38. Higher the length to diameter ratio of the wooden prop , higher the load bearing
capacity. (TRUE OR FALSE)

false

39. ) The conventional shield support differs from the chock shield is that its yield
requirement is for a given roof load density. (TRUE OR FALSE)
true