3
loading if fracture networks exist to allow progressive
unraveling. If the stope shoulders can be supported, then
the back can be more simply supported. As a result, achiev-
ing a kinematically stable stope shoulder was the goal which
could be achieved by widening the TC width, by adding
high-capacity bolts within the TC ribs, or by doing a com-
bination of these.
Rock Structure
Rock joints are continuous and steeply-dipping (Figure 4).
Mapping, using the cell mapping method, was conducted
to get joint orientations, spacings, lengths, and probabili-
ties of occurrence (Figure 5).
Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) Simulation
Undercut stope shoulders may fail if fracture networks exist
to allow progressive unraveling. In order to assess the likeli-
hood of vjoint networks which might allow for raveling,
a discrete fracture network model was conducted which
utilizes the joint set orientations and statistics presented in
Figure 5.
Call &Nicholas’s DFN program, SCRATCH, was
utilized to simulate the fracture traces on a 2-dimensional
plane. Because the stopes were oriented in the East-West
azimuth, only sets which were approximately parallel to the
stopes were considered (Sets 1 and 2). The resulting DFN
model is presented in Figure 6.
Figure 3. Failure Mechanism
Figure 4. Steep and continuous jointing
Figure 5. Rock structure mapping data
loading if fracture networks exist to allow progressive
unraveling. If the stope shoulders can be supported, then
the back can be more simply supported. As a result, achiev-
ing a kinematically stable stope shoulder was the goal which
could be achieved by widening the TC width, by adding
high-capacity bolts within the TC ribs, or by doing a com-
bination of these.
Rock Structure
Rock joints are continuous and steeply-dipping (Figure 4).
Mapping, using the cell mapping method, was conducted
to get joint orientations, spacings, lengths, and probabili-
ties of occurrence (Figure 5).
Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) Simulation
Undercut stope shoulders may fail if fracture networks exist
to allow progressive unraveling. In order to assess the likeli-
hood of vjoint networks which might allow for raveling,
a discrete fracture network model was conducted which
utilizes the joint set orientations and statistics presented in
Figure 5.
Call &Nicholas’s DFN program, SCRATCH, was
utilized to simulate the fracture traces on a 2-dimensional
plane. Because the stopes were oriented in the East-West
azimuth, only sets which were approximately parallel to the
stopes were considered (Sets 1 and 2). The resulting DFN
model is presented in Figure 6.
Figure 3. Failure Mechanism
Figure 4. Steep and continuous jointing
Figure 5. Rock structure mapping data