Roof fall hazard due to blasting activity in the light of numerical modeling and underground measurements

TL;DR

This study combines numerical modeling and underground measurements to assess how multi-face blasting impacts roof stability in underground copper mines, finding minimal effect on roof fall potential.

Contribution

It introduces a combined numerical and field measurement approach to evaluate blasting effects on roof stability, providing validated insights for mine safety.

Findings

Numerical stress/strain fields closely match field measurements.

Blasting has a low impact on immediate roof fall risk.

Combined approach enhances understanding of blasting effects.

Abstract

One of the major problems associated with exploitation of the copper ore deposit in underground mines in Poland is the local disturbance in a state of stable equilibrium manifested in a sudden release of strain energy stored in the deformed rock mass. It occurs mainly in the form of dynamic events which may result in rockbursts and roof falls. In order to face this threats, a number of organisational and technical prevention methods are applied in mines. It should be also noted that the greatest difficulties with the roof control are observed in the vicinity of active mining fronts, where the highest deformations are observed. The detonation of explosives generates a propagating shock wave which may cause a serious damage to a material body that is encountered on its way. Thus, a number of doubts during the mining operation emerged, that simultaneous firing of group of mining faces may have the negative impact on the condition of applied roof support and condition of roof strata as well The article discusses geomechanical influence of multi-faces blasting on immediate roof strata condition through the mutual comparison of the instrumented bolts monitoring data and the computer simulations results. The numerically assessed stress/strain field in the near vicinity of the blasting works operation has proved to be in close agreement with the field measured data. In the considered mining conditions both the numerical approach and field strain/stress monitoring indicated the low effect of production blasting on the immediate roof fall potential.