Geomechanical Monitoring of an Underground Bulk Mining Operation Using a Novel Distributed Optical Fiber Strain Sensing Method

Date

2024-06-01

Author

Nowak, Samuel
Sherizadeh, Taghi
Esmaeelpour, Mina
Brooks, Paul
Guner, Dogukan
Karadeniz, Kutay Emre
Wurst, Gunnar
Kirmaci, Alper

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As mines continue to deepen and become more expansive, active monitoring of larger volumes of rock mass will become more critical to calibrate numerical simulations and to ensure the safety of underground workers. Monitoring larger volumes of rock mass requires low-cost sensors which are simple in construction and installation. In this study, a novel hybrid optical fiber cable (HOFC) designed for use in distributed optical fiber sensing (DOFS) via grouted boreholes was employed to monitor a bulk mining operation in an underground metal mine. The HOFC was successfully used to monitor approximately 2.7 x 103 m3 of rock mass above excavations surrounding a pillar removal area in which six large pillars were removed simultaneously. A total of six measurement boreholes (maximum depth of 22 m) were used to measure strain along the optical fiber during the pillar removal operation using the HOFC, allowing for 70 individual strain measurement points, which were constructed for under one US dollar each. Monitoring of the excavation area took place over a 44-day period after pillar removal. Extensional strains were noted in the areas closest to the removed pillars, while areas of compression were noted directly above the remaining pillar in the area. The results of the case study demonstrate that a low-cost optical fiber strain sensing network can be rapidly installed in a large excavation area and can provide highly sensitive strain measurements in a manner that would be cost-prohibitive via other methods.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/112872

Collections

Department of Mining Engineering, Article