How does mine resistance vary in relation to the velocity?

Mine resistance, particularly in the context of fluid dynamics within a mining operation, is influenced by the velocity of the fluid or material being transported. The relationship can be understood through principles from hydrodynamics, where resistance often increases with the velocity of flow.

When the velocity of the fluid increases, the kinetic energy and momentum of the particles also increase. As a result, the resistance encountered by the fluid in the mine increases in proportion to the square of the velocity. This is due to the fact that although the frictional drag could increase linearly with velocity, the overall energy lost to resistance can be more accurately described as being proportional to the square of the flow velocity. This means that if the velocity doubles, the mine resistance could rise by a factor of four.

This relationship is significant for operations in mining because it affects how efficiently materials can be moved through the system. Understanding this allows foremen and engineers to design more effective systems that account for these variations in resistance based on expected fluid velocities.