Abstract
Sinkholes forming as a result of loss of stability of shallow voids of natural or anthropogenic origin (mining activity) pose a serious hazard to buildings and infrastructure and especially to the inhabitants of the area. The paper presents an example of the verification of the author’s mathematical model of forecasting the formation of sinkholes. The verification was performed with the use of a computer program for a case that was strictly compliant to the model assumptions. The sinkhole has formed above a working located at the depth of 54 m, outside the area of bifurcations or crossings with another gallery. The working was not influenced by mining exploitation, which means that the analysed case fully met the assumptions of the adopted mathematical model. The calculations of the sinkhole dimensions were also carried out, providing results that correspond to the actual conditions. The calculations and the performed analysis have confirmed the usability of the proposed model.
Highlights
Sinkholes constitute a significant hazard to the public safety in built-up areas (Brinkmann et al 2008)
The highest number of such sinkholes is observed in the American Florida state (Xiao et al 2016)
The iterative method of determining the dimensions of the secondary void and the algorithm that allows to determine whether the sinkhole will occur have both been presented in the paper by Strzałkowski (Strzałkowski 2017)
Summary
Sinkholes constitute a significant hazard to the public safety in built-up areas (Brinkmann et al 2008). Their formation may cause collapses of structures and high material losses due to the destruction of buildings, roads and railways (Xua et al 2017). The results of the study (Xiao et al 2016) indicate the relationship between the amount of atmospheric precipitation (and the water level in wells, reflecting the water level in the rock mass) and the number of newly formed sinkholes. Maps of the areas with a specified sinkhole formation probability are developed. Such maps are highly useful in preparing land use plans.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
