High resolution 3D optical coordinate measurement system for multiscale fractured rock mass characterization

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The requested 3D optical measurement system will support our research effort toward the development of a novel approach for modeling the hydro-mechanical behaviour of fractured rock masses by specifically accounting for fracture roughness and microscale properties of the rock. The requested equipment will be dedicated to high-resolution rock surface roughness measurement at the laboratory and field scale, and rock mass structure mapping in the field.      The requested equipment will be used seamlessly in the laboratory and in the field and it will allow surface roughness to be measured at a resolution down to 10 microns. This new approach will enable our groups to acquire the same information regarding rock structure and fracture roughness in situ (mining drift scale) that today are possible only under laboratory conditions.      Using the requested high-resolution 3D optical measurement system will allow us to "bring the laboratory in the mine" and to provide the necessary constraints to test numerical and analytical models for describing fractured rock mass behavior, where complex surface roughness geometry, heterogeneous grain distribution, presence of voids and flaws remain very difficult to simulate.      It is expected that the technical and economic benefit of improved understanding and predicting fractured rock mass hydro-mechanical behavior will have long term impact on the mining industry (i.e., rapid drifting) and environmental management policies (i.e., Ontario Ministry of the Environment Acts).      The research program supported by the requested system offers a unique opportunity for highly qualified personnel training in experimental and numerical rock mechanics, and it will strengthen the Canadian mineral industry.