MacAndrew, KM, Mans, C, Chadwick, L, Owen, N & Sneath, L 2015, 'Improving strata management through the development of remote reading instrumentation systems', in PM Dight (ed.), FMGM 2015: Proceedings of the Ninth Symposium on Field Measurements in Geomechanics, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 601-612, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_rep/1508_42_MacAndrew
(https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/1508_42_MacAndrew/)
Abstract: Strata management is critical to both mine safety and operational sustainability. Recent developments in mining ground control instrumentation and software are providing a significant contribution to preventing falls of ground. The Remote Reading Telltale (RRTT) system is a low cost electronic extensometer system based on the well proven visual telltale concept for measuring roof movement in mine tunnels. The paper briefly introduces this general telltale principle before describing the RRTT system, how it works and the current certification status. The latest generation RRTT system has recently been installed in Anglo American mines in Australia and internationally to monitor roof displacements and confirm the stability of mine tunnels. This modular, intrinsically safe system can measure to an accuracy of 0.1 mm (roof and/or sides) and up to 400 transducers can be connected over a distance of 4 km on a single system. The measurements can be read underground using a portable reader or they can be automatically sent to a surface computer where they are stored, processed and displayed. User alerts are generated when pre-set movement thresholds are exceeded. The paper concludes by describing some current application sites and further planned developments.