Dynamic Rock Failures Due to "High" Stress at Shallow Depths

doi:10.36487/ACG_repo/711_13

Authors: Stacey, TR; Ndlovu, X; Ortlepp, WD

DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/711_13

Cite As:
Stacey, TR, Ndlovu, X & Ortlepp, WD 2007, 'Dynamic Rock Failures Due to "High" Stress at Shallow Depths', in Y Potvin (ed.), Deep Mining 2007: Proceedings of the Fourth International Seminar on Deep and High Stress Mining, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 193-204, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/711_13

Download citation as: ris bibtex endnote text Zotero

Abstract:
High stresses are expected in deep mines, and it is perhaps unusual for rock failure due to high stresses to be observed in shallow mining. In this paper, stress-induced failures of competent rock are described in three shallow mining situations. Two of the rock failures occurred with considerable violence, both involving significant strain bursting seismicity. Rock failures in the third case often occurred with some violence and were preceded by audible noises. The first situation is failure of very competent granite in a dimension stone quarry, in which the depth of the “vertical cut slope” was about 3 m. The second situation is failure of the roof in a coal mine at a depth of about 50 m below surface. The third situation is also failure of the roof in a coal mine, but at a depth of about 25 m below surface. None of these failures can be explained using commonly-used rock strength criteria.

References:

Dunner, C., Bigarre, P., Clement, C., Merrien-Soukatchoff, V. and Gunzberger, Y. (2007) Natural and

thermomechanical stress field measurements at the “Rochers de Valabres” Pilot Site Laboratory in France.

Proceediongs 11th Int. Cong. Int. Soc. Rock Mech., Lisbon, Taylor and Francis Group, Vol. 1, pp. 69-72.

Frith, R.C., Thomas, R., Hill, D. and Buddery, P. (2002) Final Project Report – Survey of horizontal stresses in coal

mines from available measurements and mapping. SIMRAC Project COL 802, 51 p.

Martin, C.D. (1990) Characterising in situ domains at the AECL Underground Research Laboratory. Can. Geotech.

Journal No. 27, pp. 631-646.

Martin, C.D. (1997) 17th Canadian Geotechnical Colloquium: The effect of cohesion loss and stress path on brittle rock

strength. Can. Geotech. Journal, No. 34. Vol. 5, pp. 698-725.

Martin, C.D., Kaiser, P.K. and McCreath, D.R. (1998) Hoek – Brown parameters for predicting the depth of brittle

failure around tunnels. Can. Geotech. Journal, No. 36, pp. 136-151.

Martin, C.D., Read, R.S. and Martino, J.B. (1997) Observation of brittle failure around a circular test tunnel. Int. J.

Rock Mech. Min. Sci. and Geomech. Abstr., Vol. 34(7), pp. 1065-1073.

Rock Behaviour Under High Stress

Deep Mining 07, Perth, Australia 203

Martino, J.B. and Chandler, N.A. (2004) Excavation-induced damage studies at the Underground Research Laboratory.

Int. J. Rock Mech. and Min. Sci., Vol. 41, pp. 1413-1426.

MHSC 2004/2005 Annual Report (2005) INTERNET. Cited 10 June 2006.

Munsamy, L. (2003) Determination of the high horizontal stresses at Nooitgedacht Colliery and strategies to overcome

the roof instability. MINN594 Investigational Project, School of Mining Engineering, University of the

Witwatersrand, 76 p.

Ndlovu, X. (2006) Three dimensional analyses of stress and strain distributions around bord and pillar geometries, MSc

Dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, 171 p.

Ndlovu, X. and Stacey, T.R. (2005) Observations of roof guttering in a coal mine. Proceedings 3rd Southern African

Rock Engng Symp. Best Practices in rock engineering, Randburg, S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall., Symposium Series

S41, pp. 285-300.

Ndlovu, X. and Stacey, T.R. (2007) Observations and analyses of roof guttering in a coal mine. Jl S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall.,

Vol. 107, No. 8, pp. 477-492.

Ortlepp, W.D. and Moore, M.A. (1987) Underground observation of high propagation-rate extension fractures. Proc. 6th

Int. Cong. Int. Soc. Rock Mech., Montreal, A.A.Balkema, Vol. 2, pp. 1173-1180.

Stacey, T.R. (1981) A simple extension strain criterion for fracture of brittle rock. Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., Vol. 18,

pp. 469-474.

van der Merwe, J.N. and Madden, B.J. (2002) Rock Engineering for Underground Coal Mining. S. Afr. Inst. Min.

Metall., Special Publications Series 7.

Walker, G. and Altounyan, P. (2001) In situ stress measurements at Nooitgedacht, No. 5 Seam Section 50/51. Rock

Mechanics Technology (Pty) Ltd Report to Greenside Colliery, AngloCoal, 14 p.

Dynamic Rock Failures Due to “High” Stress at Shallow Depth T.R. Stacey, et al.

204 Deep Mining 07, Perth, Australia

© Copyright 2024, Australian Centre for Geomechanics (ACG), The University of Western Australia. All rights reserved.
View copyright/legal information
Please direct any queries or error reports to repository-acg@uwa.edu.au