This book is intended as a reference book for advanced graduate students and re-search engineers in rock mechanics related to mining engineering. The cemented tailings backfill (CTB) technique is widely used in deep underground mining, since this tech-nique is effective to support surrounding rock, control rockburst, reduce ground sub-sistence, and reduce surface disposal of tailings. Plenty of investigations have been attempted to experimentally or numerically evaluate the strength of CTB with different components (e.g., mixture of cement, tailings, fly ash, blast furnace slag, etc.) to ensure the geological stability when extracting adjacent stopes. After extracting ore from stopes, CTB is filled in the gob, stress redistribution occurs in the backfill stope and surrounding rocks. Due to the elasticity mismatch of these two kinds of material, differential de-formation occurs and they both resist the overburden pressure and deformation. As a result, the interactions between the surrounding rock and tailing backfill material have significant role in maintaining the long-term stability of mine stopes. Apart from the investigations on the static mechanical behaviors of rock- backfill composited backfill (RBCS) material, the RBCS in the stope are also exposed to disturbed stress (e.g., blast vibration, excavation, earthquake, etc.), and the disturbed stress is usually equivalent to cyclic or fatigue loads. As a result, investigations on rock-backfill interactions subjected to the disturbed stress are critical and significant to maintain the long- term stability of mine stopes.

The series of International Symposiums on Mining with Backfill explores both the theoretical and practical aspects of the application of mine fill, with many case studies from both underground and open-pit mines. Minefill attendees and the Proceedings book audience include mining practitioners, engineering students, operating and regulatory professionals, consultants, academics, researchers, and interested individuals and groups. The papers presented at Minefill symposiums regularly offer the novelties and most modern technical solutions in technology, equipment, and research. In that way, the papers submitted for the Minefill Symposia represent the highest quality and level in the conference domain. For the 2020-2021 edition organizers hope that the papers presented in this publication will also be received with interest by readers around the world, providing inspiration and valuable examples for industry and R&D research.

Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences was first conceived, published, and disseminated by the Center for Information and Numerical Data Analysis and Synthesis (CINDAS)* at Purdue University in 1957, starting its coverage of theses with the academic year 1955. Beginning with Volume 13, the printing and dis semination phases of the activity were transferred to University Microfilms/Xerox of Ann Arbor, Michigan, with the though that such an arrangement would be more beneficial to the academic and general scientific and technical community. After five years of this joint undertaking we had concluded that it was in the interest of all concerned if the printing and distribution of the volumes were handled by an international publishing house to assure improved service and broader dissemi nation. Hence, starting with Volume 18, Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences has been disseminated on a worldwide basis by Plenum Publishing Corporation of New York, and in the same year the coverage was broadened to include Canadian universities. All back issues can also be ordered from Plenum. We have reported in Volume 37 (thesis year 1992) a total of 12,549 thesis titles from 25 Canadian and 153 United States universities. We are sure that this broader base for these titles reported will greatly enhance the value of this impor tant annual reference work. While Volume 37 reports theses submitted in 1992, on occasion, certain uni versities do report theses submitted in previous years but not reported at the time.

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