In situ stress estimation using acoustic televiewer data

Authors: Goodfellow, SD; Simser, B; Drielsma, C; Gerrie, V Download Paper

DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_rep/1710_39_Goodfellow

Cite As:
Goodfellow, SD, Simser, B, Drielsma, C & Gerrie, V 2017, 'In situ stress estimation using acoustic televiewer data', in M Hudyma & Y Potvin (eds), UMT 2017: Proceedings of the First International Conference on Underground Mining Technology, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 487-496, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_rep/1710_39_Goodfellow



Abstract:
A good understanding of stress in deep, high-stress mine environments is of critical importance to geomechanical modelling, mine design and ground control. Stress is traditionally a challenging and expensive measurement, and the available methods produce sparse data that are subject to high levels of uncertainty. In this paper, the authors present a method for obtaining principal stress orientations and constraints on relative magnitude from acoustic televiewer (ATV) breakout data. The method uses breakout orientation data from multiple deviated boreholes (from horizontal to vertical) across a volume of interest. This method assumes the volume is homogenous and linear elastic to calculate the theoretical location of breakout along each borehole. Next, a global optimisation algorithm steps through all possible stress states until it finds the global minimum, which minimises the angular residual between the observation and theory. ATV data is continuous, and thus the stress state resulting from this method is supported by hundreds of observations. Lastly, the authors present the results from a case study at a deep mine in Sudbury, where breakout data from 10 boreholes (horizontal and sub-vertical) were used to calculate the principal stress orientations. These results were discussed and compared with world stress map results.

Keywords: rock mechanics, stress orientation, seismicity, numerical modelling, geomechanics, instrumentation, modelling

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