Development of an advanced rock support technology for rockburst-prone mines

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As mining progresses to deep grounds, mining-induced rock failure, seismicity and rockburst problems increase significantly. As an important line of defense, ground control measures and burst-resistant rock support are used to prevent or minimize damage to excavations and enhance workplace safety. Existing rock support technologies use a two-pass system, i.e., standard support in the form of rebar with mesh or shotcrete is installed in the first pass when the drift is excavated. At a later time, the crew will install the burst-resistant yielding support in the second pass. This two-pass system slows down drift development significantly. In addition, the cost of rock support is high because extra boreholes need to be drilled as labor cost constitutes the highest cost item in ground support. The engineering challenge is to develop an advanced rock support technology for application in burst-prone grounds. The objectives of the project are to: (1) adopt and further prove the concept of an invention of a new reinforcing-yielding rockbolt through advanced numerical simulation; (2) fabricate prototypes of the new rockbolt for lab and field testing; (3) explore the possibility of moving the technology into a product. The approach to be adopted is a combined application of numerical simulation, prototyping, and laboratory and field testing. The outcome of the research will contribute to the mineral resource sector in Canada by allowing for resource recovery in a more productive but less risky manner. Using the developed new rock support technology, once rockbolts are installed immediately after a drift is excavated, they not only reinforce the rock mass but also possess dynamic support capability which is needed to protect workers from violent rock failure. Because the support system is installed in one pass, the speed of drift development is higher than that by using existing support technologies. This will in turn translate into significant productivity improvement.