1.

Rock Mechanics and mining

engineering
 1.1 General concepts
• Rock mechanics is
the theoretical and applied science of the
mechanical behavior of rock and rock
masses; it is that branch of mechanics
concerned with the response of rock and
rock masses to the force fields of their
physical environment.
By US National Committee on Rock Mechanics (1964 & 1974)
 1.1 General concepts
• Geomechanics is
the application of engineering and
geological principles to the behavior of the
ground and ground water and the use of
these principles in civil, mining, offshore
and environmental engineering in the
widest sense.
By the Australian Geomechanics Society
 1.1 General concepts
• Geotechnical engineering is
the application of the sciences of soil
mechanics and rock mechanics,
engineering geology and other related
disciplines to civil engineering construction,
the extractive industries and the
preservation and enhancement of the
environment.
By Anon (1999)
Application of rock mechanics
응용 분야 활용 시설 유형과 세부 분야

지하채광 : 수갱, 사갱, 수평갱도, 주운반 갱도 설계

각종 채굴법 설계(주방식, 장벽식, 붕락식)
자원개발
노천채광 : 사면의 안정
우주개발 (NASA Project)

석유개발 시추공정, 수압파쇄(2차 채유), 오일 셰일 채광

댐, 지하 발전소(수력, 양수, 원자력), 원유와 액화가스

수자원 및 에너지
의 지하저장, 압축공기, 방사능 폐기물 지하 보관, 지열 개발,
저장, 개발
열저장 및 지역 냉난방

고속도로(도로) 터널, 고속철도(철도) 터널

교통, 수송
도시지하철 및 정거장, 지하 주차장

용수로 터널, 폐․하수로 터널 및 지하 폐․하수 처리장

사회 공공시설
송배전 및 통신 케이블 터널, 산업 폐기물 처리장

식품․농수산 지하 냉동․ 냉장 저장소, 지하 저온 저장소

군사시설 전략 미사일 지하기지, 지하방어(지휘, 통신, 대피)시설

지하 또는 반지하 주택, 지하상가, 사무실, 창고, 음악당

주거․문화
박물관, 스포츠센터
 1.1 General concepts
• Application of rock mechanics to (underground)
mine engineering : premises
1) a rock mass can be ascribed a set of
mechanical properties which can be measured
in standard test or estimated using well-
established techniques.
2) the process of underground mining generates a
rock structure consisting of voids, support
elements and abutment; mechanical
performance of the structure is amenable to
analysis using the principles of classical
mechanics.
 1.1 General concepts
3) the capacity to predict and control the
mechanical performance of the host rock mass
in which mining proceeds can assure or
enhance the safe and economic performance of
the mine.
 1.1 General concepts
• Mechanical process during underground mining

- Before excavation: in-situ/initial state stress

- Excavation: perturbation/concentration of stress
in pillars
- Deformation: strain energy = stress ´ strain
- Displacement/fracture/slip/collapse
(sudden release of potential energy)
 1.1 General concepts
• Ultimate objective in the design of a mine structure in a
geomechanical point of view is to control rock
displacements into and around mine excavations.

• To achieve such objective we should know about

- Strength and deformation properties of orebody and
adjacent rock
- Geological structure of rock mass: geometrical and
mechanical properties
- Groundwater pressure distribution
- Analytical techniques to evaluate the response of rock
mass

…..recently available (from about 40 years ago)

 1.1 General concepts
• Factors contributed to the recent emergence of rock
mechanics as a mining science are
- Increased dimension of mines: increased possibility of
failure
- Requirement for improved profitability
- Unfavorable mining environments: increasing depth
- Resource conservation and industrial safety: maximizing
the recovery from mines

• Difference between rock mechanics and soil mechanics

- Failure process of materials: fracture (crack) generation
- Stress condition: relatively high/low
- Mechanical properties: strength, deformation modulus,
permeability, etc.
…. should be regarded as complementary rather than mutually inclusive
1.2 Inherent complexities in rock mechanics
1) Rock fracture
- Fractures occur in a tensile stress field.
- Stress fields are pervasively compressive.
- Friction intervenes in failure process.
- Strength of rock is highly sensitive to confining
pressure.
2) Scale effect
- Response of rock mass to imposed load is affected by the scale
(size) of the loaded volume:
Drilling – intact rock;
Tunnel in a jointed rock mass – joint surface;
Large mine pillar – rock + joint
(pseudo-continuum)
1.2 Inherent complexities in rock mechanics
3) Tensile strength
- Lower tensile strength than all other engineering
materials except concrete.
- Joints or fractures have very little or no tensile strength.
- Tensile stress zone identified by analysis means a de-
stressed zone where detachment of rock units from host
mass takes place.
4) Effect of groundwater
- Normal effective stress is reduced by water in joints and
pore, and therefore strength of the mass decreases.
- Argillaceous rock shows marked reduction in material
strength following infusion with water.
1.2 Inherent complexities in rock mechanics
5) Weathering
- Chemical or physical alteration of rock at its surface by its
reaction with atmospheric gas or aqueous solutions.
- Physical processes such as thermal cycling and insolation
are important in surface mining while underground
weathering processes are chiefly chemical: dissolution, ion
exchange, oxidation, and hydration.
- Dissolution of limestone, softening of marl (이회,泥灰) due
to sulfate removal, oxidation of pyrrhotite (자황철광,磁黃鐵
鑛), etc.
 1.3 Underground mining
1) Types of openings
- Operating (mine access) opening / service opening/ ore
source: main shaft, level drive, cross cut, ore haulage,
ventilation shaft, airway, drill heading, access raise,
extraction heading, ore pass, etc. Refer to Fig.1.3 &
Mine terminology.
- Duty life of the openings: equal to or longer than mining
life.
1.3 Underground mining
1.3 Underground mining
 1.3 Underground mining
2) Mining methods
- Unsupported (naturally supported) mining:
room-and-pillar, stope-and-pillar, shrinkage stoping,
sublevel stoping
- Supported mining (artificially supported):
cut-and-fill stoping, stull stoping, square-set stoping
- Caving (longwall and caving) methods:
longwall mining, sublevel caving, block caving
3) Choosing of mining methods
- Consider ore size, shape, geometric disposition, distribution of
values, and geotechnical environments.
- The geotechnical environments include: mechanical properties of
ore and rock, geological structures, state of stress, geohydrological
conditions.
 1.3 Underground mining
4) Rock mechanics objectives for the performance of mine
structure
- to ensure the overall stability of the mine structures
including the main ore sources, mined voids, ore
remnants and adjacent rock.
- to protect the major service openings throughout their
duty life.
- to provide secure access to safe working places
- to preserve the mineable condition of unmined ore
reserves.
 1.3 Underground mining
5) Difference with civil excavations
- Use of any opening is entirely in the control of mine
operators.
- Duty life is significantly less than those of civil
excavations.
- Mine structures continue to develop throughout the life
of mine.
1.4 Functional interactions in mine engineering
• Activities in planning and design of mining
- Refer to Fig. 1.5
• Interaction between technical groups
- Refer to Fig. 1.6
- Key point is the mutual dependence of each functional
group on information provided by the others: close
working relationship between geology, planning, rock
mechanics and production group is required.
1.4 Functional interactions in mine engineering
1.4 Functional interactions in mine engineering
1.4 Functional interactions in mine engineering
1) Management
- Should define explicitly management policy and
objectives for the mining such as
- orebody extraction ratio and its change in response to
product prices, company investment strategy, constraints
on mining technique, restrictions on geohydrological
disturbance, restriction on operating practices, etc.
2) Geology
- Structural (geological) and geohydrological data should
be logged and processed.
- Comprehensive geological description should be given:
distribution of lithologies, distribution of values
throughout the orebody, etc.
1.4 Functional interactions in mine engineering
3) Planning
- Mine planning and design engineers’ role is initiative as well
as integrative.
- Gives information useful to delineate the scope of
geomechanical analysis.
- Defines the general mining strategy: whether to extract pillars,
extent of mine structures, use of backfills, constraints on
future mining by current situation, etc.
4) Rock mechanics
- Relevant role in design: mine layout and sequencing,
extraction design, support and reinforcement design, siting of
service and ventilation shaft, etc.
- Majority of rock mechanics activity: dimensioning, layout, and
sequencing (of extraction) of stopes and pillars, blasting
design, monitoring of excavations and providing remedial
actions to manage unforeseen events, etc.
1.5 Implementation of a rock mechanics program

• Rock mechanics program

- Refer to Fig. 1.7
- Multi-pass loop: repeated site characterization is required
and mine design is a evolutionary process.
1) Site characterization
- Define mechanical properties and state of medium:
strength and deformation (modulus), geometric and
mechanical properties of joints and faults, in situ stress,
hydrogeology etc.
- First-pass site characterization is deficient due to limited
physical access.
1.5 Implementation of a rock mechanics program
1.5 Implementation of a rock mechanics program

2) Mine model formulation

- To account for principal geomechanical features of a
mine such as deformational behavior based on
simplified and rationalized data of site characterization.
- Use of representative/average/regular properties of
rocks/joints/faults/stress.
- Significant discrepancies may be introduced by failure to
recognize particular features of the mine site.
1.5 Implementation of a rock mechanics program

3) Design analysis
- Mechanical performance of selected mining configuration
can be predicted by mathematical or numerical
techniques.
- It shows the core of rock mechanics practice.

4) Rock performance monitoring

- The objective is to characterize the operational response
of rock mass to mining activity.
- Measurements are for displacement, stress, slip on faults,
etc at key locations.
- Visual inspection should be undertaken regularly for
structurally controlled failures and area of anomalous
response, and should be mapped routinely.
1.5 Implementation of a rock mechanics program

5) Retrospective analysis
- Quantitative analysis of data obtained by monitoring is
useful to improve knowledge of the in situ mechanical
properties of rock mass and to review the adequacy of
the postulated mine model.
- Analysis of local failure is practically valuable for this
purpose.
- This enables us to establish the rules specifying stope
shape, stope blasting practice, and drawpoint layouts.