Grenon, M, Landry, A, Hadjigeorgiou, J & Lajoie, PL 2015, 'Contribution to drift design using discrete fracture network modelling at the Éléonore Mine in Canada', in Y Potvin (ed.), Design Methods 2015: Proceedings of the International Seminar on Design Methods in Underground Mining, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 339-350, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_rep/1511_20_Grenon
(https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/1511_20_Grenon/)
Abstract: Discrete fracture networks (DFN) were used to model the structural regime around mining drifts at the Éléonore underground mine in Canada. The generated DFN models were subsequently used to investigate the creation of rock wedges along the drifts that may impact the stability of the excavations.
Photogrammetry tools were used to characterise the rock mass structural regime and provide the input data for the generated DFN models. The impact of the choice of employed DFN model on the analysis was investigated with reference to the stability of excavations. A series of parametric analyses demonstrated the sensitivity of the model to variations in the properties of the structural regime. The benefits of using stochastic modelling to capture the inherent variability are reviewed. The paper concludes with a discussion on the requirements for the appropriate implementation of the DFN methodology as part of a probabilistic design approach for mining drifts.