Rock Mass Stability Around Underground Excavations in a Mine

Stability of underground excavations is of great importance to an operating mine because it ensures the safety of the working people and operating equipment, and successful ore production. Due to the complex geological conditions and mine constructions, and variability and uncertainty in estimating rock mass mechanical properties, the assessment of rock mass stability for an underground mine is extremely challenging and difficult. Tackling of this difficult problem is not covered in detail in any of the textbooks currently available in the rock mechanics literature. This monograph aims to cover this gap in the rock mechanics and rock engineering field.

This monograph provides detailed procedures for the stability assessment and support design for an underground mine case study. It covers the background of the mine site including the monitored deformation data, the state-of-art methodologies for the stability analysis of rock masses around underground excavations, performed laboratory tests, estimation of the rock mass properties, a brief theory and background of the 3-D Distinct Element Code (3DEC), and numerical modeling of underground rock mass stability including investigation of the effectiveness of rock supports. The monograph is an excellent reference for the senior undergraduates, graduate students, researchers and practitioners who work in the Underground Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering area in the Mining Engineering, Civil Geotechnical Engineering and DEM (Distinct Element Method) Numerical modeling.

Yan Xing is a postdoctoral researcher at China University of Mining and Technology. She received her Ph.D. degree in Mining, Geological and Geophysical Engineering at the University of Arizona in August 2017. She was a visiting Ph.D. student at the University of Arizona from 2013 to 2014, sponsored by the Chinese Scholarship Council. Her research interests are rock mass stability around underground excavations and DEM Numerical Modelling.

Dr. Pinnaduwa H.S.W. Kulatilake has the following affiliations: 1. Academic Director and Distinguished Professor of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, China; 2. Emeritus Professor, Dept. of Mining and Geological Engineering, University of Arizona, USA. He has over 40 years of experience in rock mechanics & rock engineering associated with mining and civil engineering. He has written over 250 papers and has delivered over 30 keynotes and over 50 other invited lectures throughout the world. He has been a research paper reviewer for over 30 technical journals and an editorial board member for several international journals. Currently he is serving as an Associate Editor for the Arabian Journal of Geosciences. He has taught short courses on several topics in 18 countries covering all 6 continents. He has served over 20 years either as the primary or the sole examiner for the geological engineering professional exam conducted by the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration. Due to the contributions he made in teaching, research, consulting and service activities, he has received many awards internationally. He has organized and run two International Conferences. In 2013 and 2016, he received Peter Cundall awards.

Louis Sandbak has been the Senior Geotechnical Engineer for Nevada Gold Mines at the Turquoise Ridge Mine, Nevada. for the past 14 years. Previously he worked as the Senior Mining Engineer: Slope Stability for ASARCO, Inc., at the Ray Mine Operations Open Pit Mine in Hayden, Arizona. He also worked for over 20 years in various capacities from Senior Mining Engineer to Senior Geologist for BHP Copper at the underground block caving San Manuel-Kalamazoo Complex, Arizona. He received his Master of Engineering Degree from the University of Arizona, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from Northern Arizona University He has been a member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) for 40 years He has authored and co-authored over 30 papers dealing with a wide range of geotechnical topics including practical mine design, QA/QC, rock mass stability and classification, and mechanical excavation and mining techniques.