The Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA) has released new technology for the advancement of bolt safety in underground mines.
In the new report overview of In-situ Rock Bolt Behaviour Underground, the group outlined its extensive lab testing to understand rock bolt behaviour under complex load conditions.
“Physical models were prepared to simulate the shearing in underground opening with the results used to analyse the effect of combined load on the safety factor of rock bolt reinforcement in underground openings using numerical modelling,” MRIWA said.
“A significant reduction was found in the actual safety factor of the reinforcement designed under combined load conditions.”
The group said a new instrumented rock bolt was designed for underground testing and, to analyse the data, a new software tool was written to allow the operator to observe the recorded strain values for a single fibre or for one rock bolt at a time through a graphical user interface.
The software also will provide the option to display the 3D shape and deformation of the bolt.
The full report is available here: https://lnkd.in/gQZRs8r3.