Using true‑triaxial stress path to simulate excavation‑induced rock damage:a case study

This study presents an example illustrating the role of in situ 3D stress path method in simulating the roof damage development observed in the Mine-by tunnel at Underground Research Laboratory(URL)located in Manitoba,Canada.The 3D stress path,at the point 1 cm in the crown of the Mine-by tunnel,was applied to a cubic Lac du Bonnet(LdB)granite sample to further understand the roof damage process and the associated seismicity.After careful calibrations,a numerical model was used to reproduce the experiment,which produced similar seismicity processes and source mechanisms.Acoustic emission(AE)events obtained from laboratory and numerical modeling were converted to locations in relation to the tunnel face and were compared to the feld microseismicity(MS)occurring in the upper notch region of the Mine-by tunnel.The crack development and damage mechanism are carefully illustrated.The diference between tests and feld monitoring was discussed.The intermediate principal stress(σ_(2))unloading process was carried out in numerical simulation to investigate its role in rock damage development.The results clearly showedσ_(2)could play a signifcant role both in damage development and failure mode.It should be considered when predicting the damage region in underground excavations.This study highlights the potential role of laboratory and numerical stress path tests to investigate fracture processes and mechanisms occurring during engineering activities such as tunnel excavation.

Analysis of blasting damage in adjacent mining excavations

Following a small-scale wedge failure at Yukon Zinc＇s Wolverine Mine in Yukon, Canada, a vibration monitoring program was added to the existing rockbolt pull testing regime. The failure in the 1150 drift occurred after numerous successive blasts in an adjacent tunnel had loosened friction bolts passing through an unmapped fault. Analysis of blasting vibration revealed that support integrity is not compromised unless there is a geological structure to act as a failure plane. The peak particle velocity（PPV） rarely exceeded 250 mm/s with a frequency larger than 50 Hz. As expected, blasting more competent rock resulted in higher PPVs. In such cases, reducing the round length from 3.5 m to 2.0 m was an effective means of limiting potential rock mass and support damage.