2
provides a comprehensive consideration of ground moni-
toring instrumentation, installation best practices, and data
collection methods for monitoring the ever-changing mine
environment.
INSTRUMENTATION AND
INSTALLATION
Ground monitoring instrumentation can be categorized
into groups based on what the instrument measures. These
measures include displacement, stress, and load. These three
measurements typically cover the areas of interests when
monitoring an underground mine. While not every instru-
ment at NIOSH’s disposal is installed at a specific field site,
a combination of them can be strategically arranged to pro-
duce the most impactful outcome. (Figure 1).
This specific site, for example, is arranged to monitor
roof displacements across the width of the entry. The anchor
depths can correspond to either bolted horizons or specific
stratigraphic horizons in the roof. The BPCs are installed
into the pillar at varying depths. The specific depths, in this
case, allow for both redundancy in measurement as well as
providing a stress profile across the pillar.
Successful implementation of ground-control moni-
toring hinges largely on the meticulous installation of the
instrumentation. Not all, but most of the instrumentation
currently being used by NIOSH requires a borehole for
installation. The borehole serves as the conduit between
the physical environment and parameter being analyzed.
Ensuring that interaction is reliable depends on the diam-
eter, depth, orientation, and cleanliness of the borehole.
The borehole is achieved by using a multitude of rock
boring drill bits, auger steel, hex steel, and drilling equip-
ment. A roof bolting machine is typically used to drill
the vertical and horizontal holes required for installation
although handheld hydraulic and pneumatic drills such as
the TURMAG (MINOVA, 2019) have been used in the
past and are available to accomplish similar results. The fol-
lowing will highlight the specific function, application, and
installation procedures of each instrument currently being
used by NIOSH researchers.
DISPLACEMENT INSTRUMENTATION
Understanding the dynamic nature of strata movement
in the underground environment is very important for
mine engineers and management tasked with designing
support systems. Displacement instrumentation serves as
a cornerstone in this endeavor, offering insights into the
movements within the mine’s roof and floor strata. The fol-
lowing instruments are currently used by NIOSH research-
ers when the measurement of strata displacement is desired.
These instruments can be divided into three distinct catego-
ries, those that measure displacement in a single direction,
those that measure convergence, and those that measure
displacement velocity or acceleration (seismicity).
Figure 1. Example instrumentation layout in a mine entry utilizing multiple instrumentation types
(after McElhinney et al., 2023)
provides a comprehensive consideration of ground moni-
toring instrumentation, installation best practices, and data
collection methods for monitoring the ever-changing mine
environment.
INSTRUMENTATION AND
INSTALLATION
Ground monitoring instrumentation can be categorized
into groups based on what the instrument measures. These
measures include displacement, stress, and load. These three
measurements typically cover the areas of interests when
monitoring an underground mine. While not every instru-
ment at NIOSH’s disposal is installed at a specific field site,
a combination of them can be strategically arranged to pro-
duce the most impactful outcome. (Figure 1).
This specific site, for example, is arranged to monitor
roof displacements across the width of the entry. The anchor
depths can correspond to either bolted horizons or specific
stratigraphic horizons in the roof. The BPCs are installed
into the pillar at varying depths. The specific depths, in this
case, allow for both redundancy in measurement as well as
providing a stress profile across the pillar.
Successful implementation of ground-control moni-
toring hinges largely on the meticulous installation of the
instrumentation. Not all, but most of the instrumentation
currently being used by NIOSH requires a borehole for
installation. The borehole serves as the conduit between
the physical environment and parameter being analyzed.
Ensuring that interaction is reliable depends on the diam-
eter, depth, orientation, and cleanliness of the borehole.
The borehole is achieved by using a multitude of rock
boring drill bits, auger steel, hex steel, and drilling equip-
ment. A roof bolting machine is typically used to drill
the vertical and horizontal holes required for installation
although handheld hydraulic and pneumatic drills such as
the TURMAG (MINOVA, 2019) have been used in the
past and are available to accomplish similar results. The fol-
lowing will highlight the specific function, application, and
installation procedures of each instrument currently being
used by NIOSH researchers.
DISPLACEMENT INSTRUMENTATION
Understanding the dynamic nature of strata movement
in the underground environment is very important for
mine engineers and management tasked with designing
support systems. Displacement instrumentation serves as
a cornerstone in this endeavor, offering insights into the
movements within the mine’s roof and floor strata. The fol-
lowing instruments are currently used by NIOSH research-
ers when the measurement of strata displacement is desired.
These instruments can be divided into three distinct catego-
ries, those that measure displacement in a single direction,
those that measure convergence, and those that measure
displacement velocity or acceleration (seismicity).
Figure 1. Example instrumentation layout in a mine entry utilizing multiple instrumentation types
(after McElhinney et al., 2023)