Principles of rockbolting design

This article introduces the principles of underground rockbolting design.The items discussed include underground loading conditions,natural pressure zone around an underground opening,design methodologies,selection of rockbolt types,determination of bolt length and spacing,factor of safety,and compatibility between support elements.Different types of rockbolting used in engineering practise are also presented.The traditional principle of selecting strong rockbolts is valid only in conditions of low in situ stresses in the rock mass.Energy-absorbing rockbolts are preferred in the case of high in situ stresses.A natural pressure arch is formed in the rock at a certain distance behind the tunnel wall.Rockbolts should be long enough to reach the natural pressure arch when the failure zone is small.The bolt length should be at least 1 m beyond the failure zone.In the case of a vast failure zone,tightly spaced short rockbolts are installed to establish an artificial pressure arch within the failure zone and long cables are anchored on the natural pressure arch.In this case,the rockbolts are usually less than 3 m long in mine drifts,but can be up to 7 m in large-scale rock caverns.Bolt spacing is more important than bolt length in the case of establishing an artificial pressure arch.In addition to the factor of safety,the maximum allowable displacement in the tunnel and the ultimate displacement capacity of rockbolts must be also taken into account in the design.Finally,rockbolts should be compatible with other support elements in the same support system in terms of displacement and energy absorption capacities.

Analysis of the interaction between bolt-reinforced rock and surface support in tunnels based on convergence-confinement method

To investigate the interaction of the bolt-reinforced rock and the surface support,an analytical model of the convergence-confinement type is proposed,considering the sequential installation of the fully grouted rockbolts and the surface support.The rock mass is assumed to be elastic-brittle-plastic material,obeying the linear Mohr-Coulomb criterion or the non-linear Hoek-Brown criterion.According to the strain states of the tunnel wall at bolt and surface support installation and the relative magnitude between the bolt length and the plastic depth during the whole process,six cases are categorized upon solving the problem.Each case is divided into three stages due to the different effects of the active rockbolts and the passive surface support.The fictitious pressure is introduced to quantify the threedimensional(3D)effect of the tunnel face,and thus,the actual physical location along the tunnel axis of the analytical section can be considered.By using the bolt-rock strain compatibility and the rocksurface support displacement compatibility conditions,the solutions of longitudinal tunnel displacement and the reaction pressure of surface support along the tunnel axis are obtained.The proposed analytical solutions are validated by a series of 3D numerical simulations.Extensive parametric studies are conducted to examine the effect of the typical parameters of rockbolts and surface support on the tunnel displacement and the reaction pressure of the surface support under different rock conditions.The results show that the rockbolts are more effective in controlling the tunnel displacement than the surface support,which should be installed as soon as possible with a suitable length.For tunnels excavated in weak rocks or with restricted displacement control requirements,the surface support should also be installed or closed timely with a certain stiffness.The proposed method provides a convenient alternative approach for the optimization of rockbolts and surface support at the preliminary stage of tunnel design.

Failure behavior and strength model of blocky rock mass with and without rockbolts

To better understand the failure behaviours and strength of bolt-reinforced blocky rocks,large scale extensive laboratory experiments are carried out on blocky rock-like specimens with and without rockbolt reinforcement.The results show that both shear failure and tensile failure along joint surfaces are observed but the shear failure is a main controlling factor for the peak strength of the rock mass with and without rockbolts.The rockbolts are necked and shear deformation simultaneously happens in bolt reinforced rock specimens.As the joint dip angle increases,the joint shear failure becomes more dominant.The number of rockbolts has a significant impact on the peak strain and uniaxial compressive strength(UCS),but little influence on the deformation modulus of the rock mass.Using the Winkler beam model to represent the rockbolt behaviours,an analytical model for the prediction of the strength of boltreinforced blocky rocks is proposed.Good agreement between the UCS values predicted by proposed model and obtained from experiments suggest an encouraging performance of the proposed model.In addition,the performance of the proposed model is further assessed using published results in the literature,indicating the proposed model can be used effectively in the prediction of UCS of bolt-reinforced blocky rocks.

Effect of dynamic loading conditions on the dynamic performance of MP1 energy-absorbing rockbolts:Insight from laboratory drop test

Energy-absorbing rockbolts have been widely adopted in burst-prone excavation support, and their serviceability is closely related to the frequency and magnitude of seismic events. In this research, the splittube drop test with varying impact energy was conducted to reproduce the dynamic performance of MP1rockbolts under a wide range of seismic event magnitudes. The test results showed that the impact process could be subdivided into four distinct stages, i.e. mobilization, strain hardening, plastic flow(ductile), and rebound stage, of which strain hardening and plastic flow are the primary energy absorbing stages. As the impact energy per drop increases from 8.1 to 46.7 k J, the strain rate of the shank varies between 1.20 and 2.70 s^(-1), and the average impact load is between 240 and 270kN, which may be considered as constant. The MP1 rockbolt has a cumulative maximum energy absorption(CMEA) of 31.9–40.0 k J/m, with an average of 35.0 k J/m, and the elongation rate is 11.4%–14.7%, with an average of 12.7%, both of which are negatively correlated with the impact energy per drop. Regression analysis shows that energy absorption and shank elongation, as well as momentum input and impact duration,conform to the linear relationship. The complete dynamic capacity envelope of MP1 rockbolts is proposed, which reflects the dynamic bearing capacity, elongation, and distinct stages. This study is helpful to better understand the dynamic characteristics of energy-absorbing rockbolts and assist design engineers in robust reinforcement systems design to mitigate rockburst damage in seismically active underground excavations.

Propagation Characteristics of Ultrasonic Guided Waves in Grouted Rockbolt Systems with Bond Defects under Different Confining Conditions

A rockbolt acting in the rock mass is subjected to the combined action of the pull-out load and confining pressure, and the bond quality of the rockbolt directly affects the stability of the roadway and cavern. Therefore, in this study, confining pressure and pull-out load are applied to grouted rockbolt systems with bond defects by a numerical simulation method, and the rockbolt is detected by ultrasonic guided waves to study the propagation law of ultrasonic guided waves in defective rockbolt systems and the bond quality of rockbolts under the combined action of pull-out load and confining pressure. The numerical simulation results show that the length and location of bond defects can be detected by ultrasonic guided waves under the combined action of pull-out load and confining pressure. Under no pull-out load, with increasing confining pressure, the low-frequency part of the guided wave frequency in the rockbolt increases, the high-frequency part decreases, the weakening effect of the confining pressure on the guided wave propagation law increases, and the bond quality of the rockbolt increases. The existence of defects cannot change the strengthening effect of the confining pressure on the guided wave propagation law under the same pull-out load or the weakening effect of the pull-out load on the guided wave propagation law under the same confining pressure.

Principles and methods of rock support for rockburst control

This paper presents the principles of rock support for rockburst control and three rockburst support systems used in deep metal mines.Before the principles of rock support are presented,rock fracture related to strain burst is first discussed with the help of photos taken on site,and the energy sources and transformations during bursting are illustrated through conceptual models.Surface parallel extension fracture usually occurs in the ejected and surrounding rocks in a strain burst event,while the ejected rock in a fault-slip rockburst is often already pre-fractured before the event.There must be excessive release energy available for rock ejection.The excessive release energy comes from both the ejected rock itself and the surrounding rock.To prevent rock ejection in a rockburst,the support system must be able to dissipate the excessive release energy.All support devices in a support system for rockburst control must be able to dissipate energy,be firmly linked,and be compatible in deformability.A support system for rockburst control comprises surface-retaining devices and yield rockbolts as well as yield cablebolts when needed.Laying mesh on the top of shotcrete liner is a good practice to enhance the surfaceretaining capacity of the support system.Energy-absorbing yield rockbolts dissipate energy either by stretching of the bolt shank or by sliding of the inner anchor in the borehole.Mesh,mesh strap and shotcrete are the surface-retaining devices widely used in the current rock support systems.The three types of rock support used for rockburst control at present are soft support system using Split Set bolts,hybrid support system using rebar and two-point anchored yield bolts,and entirely yieldable support system using strong yield bolts.

A critical review on the developments of rock support systems in high stress ground conditions

Extreme ground behaviour in high-stress rock masses such as rockburst prone and squeezing ground conditions are encountered in a range of underground projects both in civil and mining applications.The occurrence of such ground behaviour types are difficult to predict and special design and construction measures must be taken to control them.Determining the most appropriate support system in such grounds is one of the major challenges for ground control engineers because there are many contributing factors to be considered,such as the rock mass parameters,the stress condition,the type and performance of the support systems,the condition of major geological structures and the size and geometry of the underground excavation.The main characteristics and support requirements of rockburst-prone and squeezing ground conditions are herein critically reviewed and characteristics of support functions are discussed.Different types of energy-absorbing rockbolts and other support elements applicable for ground support in burst-prone and squeezing grounds are introduced.Important differences in the choice and economics of ground support strategies in high-stress ground conditions between civil tunnels and mining excavations are discussed.Ground support benchmarking data and mitigation measures for mines and civil tunnels in burst-prone,squeezing and heavily swelling grounds conditions are briefly presented by some examples in practice.

Reinforcement selection for deep and high-stress tunnels at preliminary design stages using ground demand and support capacity approach

Underground mining is going to be deeper gradually because near surface resources are going to be depleted. Therefore, risk of seismic events in underground mines is escalating. Additionally, existence of the large ratio of horizontal to vertical stress, could be a potential reason for high-stress condition and occurrence of dynamic activities. Depending on various parameters such as the level of induced stress, rock properties, etc., ground demand changes and it is difficult to estimate. On the other hand,under seismic condition, energy dissipation and deformation capacity of supports is the most important factors, however, rock support performance factors in dynamic conditions are still under investigation.Expanding the knowledge of reinforcement behaviour and capacity, specifically that of the rockbolt as a primary element in seismic conditions, would help to develop a suitable, safe and economic support design. This paper contains various methods to estimate ground demand including the intact rock properties approach, failure thickness and ejection velocity estimation, and rockburst damage potential method. It also covers measurement methods of rockbolts energy dissipation capacities such as drop test,blasting simulating, back calculation and momentum transfer measurement methods. A large-scale dynamic test rig is also explained. Based on the findings, a table and a graph to show the applicable range of each type of rockbolts were presented. Suitable rockbolt types for various ground energy demand and deformation capacity range were categorised in the table and the graph. The presented support selection method facilitates the selection of a suitable reinforcement system at the preliminary stages of design and guides the designer to adjust the support reinforcement system based on observed ground and support reaction.

Partially decoupling and collar bonding of the encapsulated rebar rockbolts to improve their performance in seismic prone deep underground excavations

Rockbolt is widely employed all over the world as an effective ground reinforcement element in order to secure the underground workplaces.Ordinary encapsulated rebar or rebar rockbolt is most popular and commonly used as reinforcement in a ground support system because of its accessibility,cost effectiveness and easy practicability.Reinforcement elements in a seismic condition such as rock burst have to dissipate the energy release of the dynamic impact via their deformation and ultimate load capacity,knowing that the former is more important.In other words,achieving early stiff behaviour along with large deformation capacity in rockbolts are the goals for new development in rock reinforcement.Yielding rockbolts are expensive while some of them have large deformation capability with low ultimate load capacity.In this paper,modifications were made on encapsulation of rebar rockbolts to utilise it effectively as a yielding reinforcement in seismic conditions.Applying a sufficient decoupled length in the shank of rebar rockbolts which industry has regularly been using to control the bulking of the stress fractured ground,improves the deformation capacity of the bolt.Additionally,leaving a collar bonding underneath of the bearing pad and plate removes the weaknesses of the head anchorage of rockbolt.Therefore the dynamic performance of the bolt is improved by these easily applicable modifications.The behaviour and performance of encapsulated rockbolts have been discussed first,then the effects of modifications are illustrated.The proposed modification of the rebars is not only cost effective but also easy to apply in the field and improves the performance of reinforcements in seismic prone zones.

Filtering detecting signal of rockbolt with harmonic wavelet

Harmonic wavelets not only possess the traditional advantages of a wavelet function,they also have other merits such as clear expressions,more flexible time-frequency divisions,a simple transformation algorithm,a finer box-like frequency spectrum and others.Given the frequency distribution characteristics of the nondestructive testing signals from a rockbolt support system and based on the discrete harmonic wavelet transformation theory,we have effectively abstracted signals from frequency ranges concerned by removing useless high and low frequency signals from the testing signals of the rockbolt support system and obtained filtered signals with a reconstruction algorithm of harmonic wavelets.Finally,we applied the harmonic wavelet transformation in filtering analog signals and measured response signals of rockbolts.The results indicate that harmonic wavelets also have excellent filtering characteristics.

A review on the performance of conventional and energy-absorbing rockbolts

This is a review paper on the performances of both conventional and energy-absorbing rockbolts manifested in laboratory tests. Characteristic parameters such as ultimate load, displacement and energy absorption are reported, in addition to load-displacement graphs for every type of rockbolt. Conventional rockbolts refer to mechanical rockbolts, fully-grouted rebars and frictional rockbolts. According to the test results, under static pull loading a mechanical rockbolt usually fails at the plate; a fully-grouted rebar bolt fails in the bolt shank at an ultimate load equal to the strength of the steel after a small amount of displacement; and a frictional rockbolt is subjected to large displacement at a low yield load. Under shear loading, all types of bolts fail in the shank. Energy-absorbing rockbolts are developed aiming to combat instability problems in burst-prone and squeezing rock conditions. They absorb deformation energy either through ploughing/slippage at predefined load levels or through stretching of the steel bolt. An energy-absorbing rockbolt can carry a high load and also accommodate significant rock displacement, and thus its energy-absorbing capacity is high. The test results show that the energy absorption of the energy-absorbing bolts is much larger than that of all conventional bolts. The dynamic load capacity is smaller than the static load capacity for the energy-absorbing bolts displacing based on ploughing/slippage while they are approximately the same for the D-Bolt that displaces based on steel stretching.

Development of a spring analogue approach for the study of pillars and shafts

In civil and mining operations that involve ground excavation and support, the loads are distributed between the ground and support depending on their relative stiffness. This paper presents the development of conceptual single-degree-of-freedom models, which are used to derive equations for estimating displacements and stresses for ground-support interaction problems encountered in pillars in room-andpillar mining(natural support system), and liners for circular vertical shafts(artificial support systems).For pillar assessment, mine-pillar interaction curves can be constructed using a double spring analogy.Additionally, the effectiveness of different support systems can be evaluated depending on their effect upon the mine-pillar system. For shaft design, an initial estimation of the required lining strength and thickness can be readily made based on a double ring analogue. For both problems, the results from the proposed approach compare well with those obtained by finite element numerical simulations.

An analytical analysis for the mechanical performance of fully-grouted rockbolts based on the exponential softening model

This paper presented a novel bond-slip model to better reveal the mechanical behavior of the bolt-grout interface for fully-grouted rockbolts under tensile loads by considering the non-linear response in the softening stage.The exponential decay function is adopted for describing the non-linear response in the softening stage.Based on the improved bond-slip model,the corresponding analytical solutions for the interfacial shear stress and the axial force of the bolt under different loading stages are solved.Then,the validity of this proposed model was verified by comparing with the experimental results.The results show that compared with the linear softening model,the proposed model is more suitable for predicting the mechanical performance of fully-grouted rockbolts.Finally,a series of parametric studies are conducted to explore the effect of model parameters on the mechanical properties of fully-grouted rockbolts.The results indicate that compared with the anchor length,the bolt diameter and the bond strength of the bolt-grout interface have a significance influence on the ultimate load of bolt,especially for the elastic and softening stage.Moreover,it can be found that using the linear softening model maybe overestimates the supporting performance of grouted bolt,resulting in an unsafe design for bolt.

Evaluation of the performance of yielding rockbolts during rockbursts using numerical modeling method

Rockburst;Rockburst damage;Yielding rockbolt;Numerical modeling;UDEC;Underground miningThe assessment of yielding rockbolt performance during rockbursts with actual seismic loading is essential for rock-burst supporting designs.In this paper,two types of yielding rockbolts(D-bolt and Roofex)and the fully resin-grouted rebar bolt are modeled via the"rockbolt"element in universal distinct element code(UDEC)after an exact calibration procedure.A two-dimensional(2D)model of a deep tunnel is built to fully evaluate the performance(e.g.,capacity of energy-absorption and control of rock damage)of yielding and traditional rockbolts based on the simulated rockbursts.The influence of different rockburst magnitudes is also studied.The results suggest that the D-bolt can effectively control and mitigate rockburst damage during a weak rockburst because of its high strength and deformation capacity.The Roofex is too"soft"or"smooth"to limit the movement of ejected rocks and restrain the large deformation,although it has an excellent deformation capacity.The resin-grouted rebar bolt can maintain a high axial force level during rockbursts but is easy to break during dynamic shocks,which fails to control rapid rock bulking or ejection.Three types of rockbolts cannot control the large deformation and mitigate rockburst damage effectively during violent rockbursts.The rockburst damage severity can be significantly reduced by additional support with cable bolts.This study highlights the effectiveness of numerical modeling methods in assessing the complex performance of yielding rockbolts during rockbursts,which can provide some references to improve and optimize the design of rock supporting in burst-prone grounds.

Modeling of grout crack of rockbolt grouted system

This paper presents a numerical study on the pullout behavior of the rockholt grouted system. Among the complicated failure modes of the rockbolt grouted system, the crack of the grout is concerned here. A tri- linear cohesive zone model （CZM） is used to simulate the inteffacial behavior of rockbolt-grout interface： and a plastic damaged model is adopted for the grout materials. The feasibility of the numerical method is verified by comparing the calculated results with the test observations. The numerical results indicate that two types of cracks of the grout materials can be identified as the inclined crack and the horizontal crack. The inclined crack forms firstly and then the horizontal crack. Both cracks can reduce the interracial shear stress and thus reduce the load transfer efficiency. Further analysis indicates that the crack of the gout material can induce the obvious drops of load capacity, which is not a safe failure mode. This study leads to a better understanding of the mechanism for rockbolt grouted system.

Performance of identical rockbolts tested on four dynamic testing rigs employing the direct impact method

Impact drop tests are routinely used to examine the dynamic performance of rockbolts.Numerous impact tests have been carried out in the past decades on independently designed,constructed and operated testing rigs.Each laboratory has developed testing procedures;thus,the results are often reported in different ways by various laboratories.The inconsistency in testing procedures and reporting formats presents a challenge when comparing results from different laboratories.A series of impact tests of identical rockbolts was carried out using the direct impact method(i.e.the mass free-fall method)on the rigs in four laboratories in different countries.The purpose of these tests was to investigate the level of consistency in the results from the four rigs.Each rig demonstrated a high level of repeatability,but differences existed between the various rigs.The differences would suggest that there is noticeable equipment-dependent bias when test results obtained from different laboratories are compared.It was also observed that the energy dissipated for the plastic displacement of the bolt was smaller than the impact energy in the tests.The average impact load(AIL)and the ultimate plastic displacement(D)of the bolt describe the ultimate dynamic performance of the bolt.In the case where the bolt does not rupture,the specific plastic energy(SPE)is an appropriate parameter in describing the impact performance of the bolt.Two other relevant parameters are the first peak load(FPL)and the initial stiffness(K)of the bolt sample.The information from this test series will guide the formulation of standardised testing procedures for dynamic impact tests of rockbolts.

Analytical analysis of pullout resistance of the hydraulic expansion rockbolts on a frictionally coupled model

This paper proposes an empirical formula to estimate the shear strength of hydraulic expansion rockbolts.The field experimental results were obtained from eleven pullout tests to evaluate the results computed by the proposed formula.It was found that shear resistance of hydraulic expansion rockbolts significantly depends on the uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus of rock,with high correlation coefficients of 0.7651 and0.8587,respectively.The developed formula enables estimation of the maximum pullout load in an analytical process without pullout tests in the field.Conversely,due to the poor interlocking at the initial pullout load,the measured displacements were higher than the estimated ones.To reduce the interlocking effects between bolt and rock,we recommend preloading of 29.4 kN.Preload allows reducing the distance between the measured and estimated displacement and making two load-displacement curves practically identical with marginal differences of 1.1 to 1.5 mm at the maximum pullout load.

Dynamic response of support systems during excavation of underground openings

Rockburst,earthquake and blasting cause some dynamic loads on rock support and rock reinforcement system.Elements of rock support and rock reinforcement are generally made of steel bar or cables,which are resistant against corrosion.These support elements may be subjected to vibrations induced by turbines,vehicle traffic and long-term corrosion in addition to dynamic loading caused by earthquake,rockburst and blasting.In this study,some theoretical,numerical and experimental studies are conducted on rockbolts and rock anchors under shaking and impulsive loading.Then the outcomes of these studies are presented and their practical implications are discussed accordingly.

Experimental and numerical evaluation on debonding of fully grouted rockbolt under pull‑out loading

The axial loading in rockbolts changes due to stress redistribution and rheology in the country rock mass.Such a change may lead to debonding at rockbolt to grout interface or rupture of the rockbolt.In this study,based on laboratory experiments,ultrasonic guided wave propagation in fully grouted rockbolt under different pull-out loads was investigated in order to examine the resultant debonding of rockbolt.The signals obtained from the ultrasonic monitoring during the pull-out test were processed using wavelet multi-scale analysis and frequency spectrum analysis,the signal amplitude and the amplitude ratio(Q)of low frequency to high frequency were defined to quantify the debonding of rockbolt.In addition to the laboratory test,numerical simulation on the effect of the embedment lengths on ultrasonic guided wave propagation in rockbolt was conducted by using a damage-based model,and the debonding between rockbolt and cement mortar was numerically examined.It was confirmed that the ultrasonic guided wave propagation in rockbolt was very sensitive to the debonding because of pull-out load,therefore,the critical bond length could be calculated based on the propagation of guided wave in the grouted rockbolt.In time domain,the signal amplitude in rockbolt increased with pull-out load from 0 to 100 kN until the completely debonding,thus quantifying the debonding under the different pull-out loads.In the frequency domain,as the Q value increased,the debonding length of rockbolt decreased exponentially.The numerical results confirmed that the guided wave propagation in the fully grouted rockbolt was effective in detecting and quantifying the debonding of rockbolt under pull-out load.

Stress state and caving danger of the roof in bolt supporting roadway

The start point of this text is the bottleneck problem of bolt supporting coal entrythat is security problem of bolt supporting roof,we divide one entry into some sections withdifferent stress,simulate stress field of wall rock and rockbolt solidified at different sectionsused umbrella disperse soft UDEC(universal distinct element code),we educe that thestress level of wallrock and bolt solidified is higher in roof fall risk section,and roof rockboltload can reflect this rule clearly,that offer an important guideline in monitoring entry rooffall risk.