Vibration Monitoring Program at McConnell's Mill Park

REPORT TO:
Jeff Ankrom
Quality Aggregates
200 Neville Road
Neville Island, PA 15225
(412) 771-1174

SUBJECT:
Vibration Monitoring Program for McConnell's Mill State Park

BY:
Vi bra-Tech Engineers, Inc

Mohamad· Sharif, PE
Structural Dynamic Analyst

Brian Warner
Computer Scientist

Tom Novotny, PG
Geophysicist

DATE:
April 30, 2001

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2700 Holloway Rd. Suite 113
Louisville, KY 40299
(502) 240-9900 Fax: (502) 240-9903
 Vibration Monitoring Program at McConnell's Mill Park

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTfVES~Y

I-INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction.

1.2 History of the Gorge. 2

1.3 Mining Operations in the Area 4

2-ANALYSIS 6

2.1 Sliding Rock 6

2.2 Overhanging Cliff 9

3-CONCLUSION 12

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 Vibration Monitoring Program at McConnell's Mill Park

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Quality Aggregates requested Vibra-Tech Engineers, Inc. to conduct an evaluation of the

potential effects of blasting vibrations on the stability of the Homewood slump blocks in
the area closest to their proposed Myers Mine. These boulders are located in an area
popular with hikers and tourists. Since niany of these large boulders are on slopes or
overhanging, it was thought that the blasting might induce some movement of the rock.

Vibra-Tech visited the park and identified two possible modes of movement ofthe rocks.
An engineering analysis was used to predict the potential for rock slippage in response to
ground vibrations induced by blasting. The response of a typical overhanging cliff to
ground vibration was also calculated using the finite element analysis method. Based on
these analyses, a set of recommendations was made, including the establishment of
vibration criteria and monitoring locations.

It is our professional opinion that by following the recommendations in this report there
will be no effect on the integrity of the McConnell's Mill State Park resulting from
blasting at the proposed Myers mine.

1-INTRODUCTION

1-1 Introduction:

Quality Aggregates Inc. operates the Princeton Quarry in Slippery Rock Township,
Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. The quarry has been in operation since 1988, mining
and processing a seam of Vanport limestone, and selling its products to a variety of
customers who require high quality crushed limestone for construction projects.

The quarry is located west of the McConnell's Mill State Park, and Slippery Rock Creek,
which flows from the north through the Park within a deep scenic gorge. Quality
Aggregates is presently applying for a new permit from the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP), to be known as the Myers Mine. This permit would
allow quarrying operations to within 300 feet of Rim Road, which in this area marks the
western property line of the Park.

Rim Road is located along the top of the steep lower portion of the Slippery Rock Creek
gorge, and upon a geologic rock unit known as the Homewood Sandstone. The
Homewood is a 40 to 50-foot thick layer of resistant and sometimes massive sandstone
that forms cliffs in many areas of the gorge.

The northern portion of Rim Road also marks the top of what is known as the Rim Road
Climbing Area. The Homewood is particularly massive in this area, and large blocks
have separated from the outcrop and slumped downslope to create a spectacular "rock

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 Vibration Monitoring Program at McConnell's Mill Park

city" of narrow walkways between boulders. Further downslope, many other large
sandstone boulders lie separated from the outcrop and jut upward from the wooded slope
at various angles. This area typifies the impressive geologic features seen in several
areas ofthe Park.

McConnell's Mill State Park is obviously a valuable natural treasure and its present
aesthetic beauty and physical features must not be harmed in any way by commercial
activities on nearby properties. As part of their commitment to this goal, Quality
Aggregates has commissioned Vibra-Tech Engineers to study the possible effects of
blasting vibrations on the stability of the 'rock city' slump blocks in the area closest to
their proposed Myers Mine.

This report documents this study and the vibration limits recommended by Vibra-Tech to
assure the stability and safety of the rock structures in this area of the park. It also
discusses, in general, the appropriate measuring and other control procedures to assure
conformance with our recommended limits.

1-2 History o[the Gorge:

McConnell's Mill State Park began as private property, which contained a gristmiH
catering to the local community. This mill burned and was later rebuilt in 1868 by then
owner, Daniel Kennedy. Thomas McConnell bought the property in 1875 and continued
the operation of the mill until 1928. The property was later conveyed to the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and was formally dedicated as a state park in October
1957. Slippery Rock Gorge was designated a National Natural Landmark by the U.S.
Department ofthe Interior in 1974 and became a State Park Natural Area in 1998.

The park's geologic history started 300 million years ago during the Pennsylvanian
Period during which a completely different landscape was present, and what is now
Pennsylvania was south of the equator. Rivers heavily laden with clay, sand, and gravel
flowed from the highlands in what are now eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and
Delaware across Pennsylvania. At the mouths of the rivers, this sediment formed large
deltas along the shoreline of an ancient sea, which covered what are now Ohio and
western Pennsylvania.

Thick layers of sand accumulated in river channels and as beaches and barrier bars along
the coast. High energy waves and currents moved some of the sand into large ripples and
dunes. Extensive swamps formed on the river floodplains and behind the beaches. In that
quiet water of the swamps, with low energy levels, layers of silt and clay accumulated
with mats of thick vegetation (peat). As the river systems changed course or the sea rose
to cover the low delta areas, early sediments were buried and new sequences of swamps,
sand, and mud formed. Several times, the shallow sea spread and deposited marine clays
and mud.

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 Vibration Monitoring Program at McConnell's Mill Park

As each layer was buried, compaction and cementation changed the soft, loose sediment
to solid rock. The peat bogs became coal. The sand became the Homewood and
Connoquenessing Sandstones, and the silts and clays formed the Kittanning, Clarion, and
Mercer Formations. The thickest marine lime mud became the Vanport Limestone. About
250 million years ago, as the continents moved northward, the area was uplifted.

About two million years ago, thick masses of continental ice began to periodically
accumulate in central and northeast Canada and spread southward. At least four of these
ice sheets, many hundreds or thousands of feet thick eventually reached nort..hwestem
Pennsylvania. As the ice front moved southeastward into the area about 140,000 years
ago, it dammed northwest-flowing Slippery Rock-Muddy Creek.

Although the latest glacier left the area 23,000 years ago, at the ice-advance maximum,
separate lakes formed in the Slippery Rock (Lake Edmund) and Muddy Creek (Lake
Watts) lowlands. A third, much smaller lake, (Lake Prouty) formed in the "McConnell's
Run" valley when it was dammed south of Muddy Creek. Lakes Edmund and Watts
drained through outlets at their eastern ends, far from the glacier dams, into
Connoquenessing Creek.

As each pass opened, a short-term vast flood from these lakes surged into the gorge.
These floods deepened the gorge and eroded the soft shale beneath the hard Homewood
Sandstone, leaving the sandstone as overhanging cliffs in some areas. Because the
sandstone is cut by many intersecting cracks, unsupported large blocks fell from the rim.
Some of these large blocks moved only a few feet downslope, but others now fill the
bottom of the gorge. This has widened the gorge, but left it about 45 feet less deep than
originally carved.

The gorge is deepest and narrowest near Cleland Rock on the divide and becomes
progressively shallower and wider both to the north and to the south. Today, Slippery
Rock Creek still has a steep gradient through the gorge (28 ft per mile compared to 8 feet
per mile north of Kennedy Mill). The following graph illustrates a typical cross section
of the gorge:

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 Vibration Monitoring Program at McConnell's Mill Park

1400
1000 Feet

1300
Fallen
blocks of
Homewood
Sandstone

1000
I ------
Connoquenessing
Sandstone
900
Figure 1-2-1 Gorge Cross Section

1-3 Mining Operations in the Area:

This section of our report provides a brief summary of the past and present operations in
the Princeton quarry, as well as a general overview of past coal and limestone mining by
others in the area of McConnell's Mill State Park and the Slippery Rock Creek gorge.

Quality Aggregates was originally founded in 1988 as the Aloe Stone Company, at which
time it began its Princeton Quarry operations. Over the years, Quality Aggregates has
been granted a number of permits by the DEP allowing continuance of the Princeton
Quarry operations. The issuance ofthese permits by the DEP is based on regulations and
policies designed to protect the ground and surface waters of the Commonwealth, as well
as any other natural and man-made structures, both public and private.

Prior to the opening of the Princeton Quarry, surface coal mining was conducted on the
same lands for many years by a number of different companies. Much of this mining
required the use of commercial blasting to remove rock overlying the coal. For instance,
when Quality Aggregates obtained its permit to quarry on the Fisher property,
approximately 75% of this area had already been surface mined for the Lower Kittanning
coal, which overlies the Vanport limestone. When it began quarrying on the adjacent
Withers property, about 50% of the overlying coal had already been mined. On the
pending Myers permit, about 35% of the area has been previously mined.

The Vanport limestone is about 20 feet thick in this area, and lies 60 to 70 feet above the
Homewood. It has also been extensively mined for over 30 years along the eastern
border of the park by Sechan Limestone Industries. In the area south of Kildoo Falls,

Vibra-Tech Engineers, Inc.

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 Vibration Monitoring Program at McConnell's Mill Park

blasting and mining by Sechan for the Lower Kittanning coal and Vanport limestone
progressed to about 300 feet of the Homewood Sandstone outcrop of the gorge.

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 Vibration Monitoring Program at McConnell's Mill Park

2-ANALYSIS

In order to analyze the effects of ground vibration induced by blasting at Myer Mine on
the rock structure at McConnell's Mill Park, Vibra-Tech Engineers visited the Park. We
detected two types of failure that may occur as an effect of high ground vibration. The
first failure would be the descent of the rocks resting on the slope with the second being
the possibility of an overhanging cliff breaking. The following sections examine both
possibilities and establish a limit to prevent these incidences:

2-1 Sliding Rock:

As a boulder rests on the slope, there are three types of forces applied for it to maintain
its equilibrium. These forces are the weight of the boulder (W), normal force (N), and
friction force (FF). Friction is the amount of force that is required to slide one object over
another. Surface irregularities between the two objects interlock to produce high friction.
The force of friction between two surfaces is proportional to the normal force between
the surfaces. The coefficient of static friction l!s depends on the materials and the
roughness of the surfaces but is independent of the area of contact between the surface.

Based on our observation at the park, boulders are typically located on slopes of less than
45 degrees. On this basis, the force required to cause the boulder to slide was calculated
assuming a 45-degree slope. Based on the results, a ground vibration level was
recommended. The graphs and calculations on the following pages establish vibration
criteria to prevent any sliding of rock.

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 Vibration Monitoring Program at McConnell's Mill Park

=(mg • Cos 0)

W mg

Figure 2-1-1 Boulder Resting on Slope (Actual Photo & Model)

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 Vibration Monitoring Program at the McConnell's Mill State Park

fls = 0.5 Static Friction of Rock on Rock or Rock on Earth

rjJ = 45° Angle of Incline Degrees

N = m · g ·cos( rjJJr) Normal Force

180
Fs = Jls · N Maximum Static Friction

a = sin( rjJ1r ) - Jl · cos( rjJ1r ) Mass starts to slide at this acceleration

180 s 180
a= 0.354g
0.5 ·a= 0.177g Safety Factor of 2 (Recommended peak acceleration iduced by blasting)

Figure 2-1-2 Allowable Peak Particle Velocity vs Frequency

r
0.1
10 100

Frequency (Hertz)

In this calculation, a 50% factor of safety is included. Also, according to our

observations at the park, all of the boulders we observed are resting on slopes that are less

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 Vibration Monitoring Program at the McConnell's Mill State Park

2-2 Overhanging Cliff:

Another potential form of damage to rock due to high levels of vibration is the collapse of
overhanging cliffs. In this scenario, high vibration would excite the support of the cliff
and cause excessive vibration of the overhang. The excessive shear stress would result in
separation of the overhang from its support. In order to evaluate this potential, we used
the finite element technique. In this analysis, we developed a computer model of a
typical section of the overhanging cliff. A typical blast vibration with amplitude similar
to the allowable level in the previous section (0.177g or 5.7 ftisecA2) was then applied to
the support.

The Finite Element Analysis technique simulates structural response to certain loads (e.g.
blasting) by using mathematical equations and knowledge of structural physical
properties. In this study, we modeled one foot of a typical cross section of the cliff that
included 139 nodes and 118 plate elements. The following material properties were used
in the model:

Modulus of Elasticity =77.24E6 (psj)

Weight Density = 143 (lbs/ff)
Poisson's Ration = 0.25
Compressive Strength= 1.81E6 (psj)
Shear Modulus= 30.9E6 (psj)
Shear Strength =173,800 (psj)

The stresses that developed within the rock surface were calculated. The graphs on the
following pages illustrate the time history of the vibration and the stress levels within the
rock. The stress values are given in pounds per square foot (psf). The review of the stress
distribution on the finite element model indicates that the stress levels are far below the
compressive and shear strength of the rock.

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 Vibration Monitoring Program at the McConnell's Mill State Park

Figure 2-2-1 Typical Blast Vibration Time History

6.0
-
4.0 -
-
2.0 r--
N
<(.)
~""
1-

..•,.,
-<l)
rn
tt::
0.0
- \ ~
.... a

.__
-2.0
r-

-4.0 r--

r-

-6.0 I l I I I I l I l I I I I I I I I I

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

Sec

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 Vibration Monitoring Program at the McConnell's Mill State Park

3.984E+0

----
L::::1
4-403E+1
IE]
8-<lZ1E+1
1-243E:-+-2
1.845E:+Z

--
z.047E+Z
z.449E+Z
Z-950E+Z
3-Z5ZE+Z
;:>.654E+Z
4-0~6E+Z

'
2::--x

Stress Contour Plot

Figure 2-2-2 Stress Contour Distribution Caused by a Typical Blast.

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 Vibration Monitoring Program at the McConnell's Mill State Park

3-CONCLUSION

The results of this investigation indicate that the sliding boulders control the vibration
criteria. The recommended vibration criterion is 0.18 g. This value is particle
acceleration, and is different from typical blasting practice that uses particle velocity to
protect against damage to buildings. This criterion has a safety factor of at least two. The
following formula may be used to convert the acceleration value to velocity:

V =A *386.19
2*Jr*f
Where:

V = Velocity (in/sec)

A =Acceleration (g)

f = Dominant Vibration Frequency ofBlast (Hz)

Figure 2-1-2 shows the allowable peak particle velocity at different frequencies. It is also
recommended that blasting patterns be designed to limit the induced peak particle
velocity to no more than 0.75 in/sec. This value will result in a particle acceleration of
less than 0.18 g, assuming that the dominant frequency is less than 15 hertz. It is also
recommended that the ground vibration along Rim Road be monitored during each blast.
It will be beneficial if the seismograph has the capability to directly measure particle
acceleration rather than velocity.

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2700 Holloway Rd. Suite 113
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