Koupriantchik, D 2024, 'Trial of an alternative face de-stress pattern at Kanowna Belle mine', in P Andrieux & D Cumming-Potvin (eds), Deep Mining 2024: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Deep and High Stress Mining, pp. 171-184, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2465_05
(https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/2465_05_Koupriantchik/)
Abstract: De-stress blasting has been used in underground mining for several decades, aiming to reduce the risk of violent ejection of rock from the development face. Typically it includes boring a number of deep boreholes reaching the rock ahead of the next face of the development heading, charging and then firing the toe sections of these boreholes. The objective is to create sufficient blast damage in the rock forward of the face so that the accumulated strain energy there is dissipated. With this technique the bulk of the rock in the new face is fractured to a various degree of severity. Generally the de-stress holes are bored in addition to the standard face profile, and are most often fired before the main development firing. This method has some practical advantages as well as some significant shortcomings. An alternative de-stress technique dubbed ‘Iron Kurtain’ has been developed and trialled at the Kanowna Belle mine, aiming to simplify the practical aspects of the process and address the main deficiencies of the traditional scheme. This paper describes the de-stress concept of the Iron Kurtain method, and discusses the observations made during the trial and its main results.

Keywords: de-stress, blasting, seismicity, rockburst