Abstract
Instability in rockpasses at deep levels often initiates as a result of stress induced fracturing of the rock on the walls of the pass. This may then progress to a stage at which the geological structure of the rock mass becomes dominant and permits large joint-defined blocks and slabs to become unstable. In this paper, a technique is described in which jointing parameters and their variabilities - orientations, spacings and lengths - are taken into account in estimating the extent of failure that may develop around a typical unsupported deep level gold mine rockpass. The results of this prediction are compared with the results obtained from a review of pass performance in the gold mining industry.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 803-808 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy |
| Volume | 105 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2005 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Stacey, T. R., Wesseloo, J., & Bell, G. (2005). Predicting the stability of rockpasses from the geological structure. Journal of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 105(11), 803-808.