Improving rockbolt design through comparative laboratory and in situ testing: the success story of the Super MDX bolt

Authors: Darlington, B; Young, P; Weaver, S

DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2625_09

Cite As:
Darlington, B, Young, P & Weaver, S 2026, 'Improving rockbolt design through comparative laboratory and in situ testing: the success story of the Super MDX bolt', in D Cumming-Potvin & J Wesseloo (eds), Ground Support 2026: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Ground Support in Mining, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 1-14, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2625_09

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Abstract:
The underground mining ground support landscape is constantly requiring product improvements, whether to support higher loads, provide higher dynamic performance or improve process efficiencies. When developing new dynamic ground support products, design validation plays a critical role in substantiating new concepts and design calculations. Design validations range from laboratory component and assembly testing to more complex in situ testing in the end-users' ground conditions. These different types of testing provide a stepwise process to improve product performance characteristics in controlled settings before larger investments in time, personnel and machinery are required. This paper compares and presents the test results from laboratory component testing, laboratory assembly testing and in situ assembly testing on Sandvik’s newly developed Super MDX bolt, which has been developed to increase the range of application for the hybrid friction-mechanical MDX bolt range.

Keywords: ground support, laboratory testing, in situ testing, product development, dynamic ground support, friction-mechanical bolts

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