Numerical Analysis of Stress Distribution in Backfilled Stopes Considering Interfaces between the Backfill and Rock Walls
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 17, Issue 2
Abstract
Mining backfill is widely used in underground mines worldwide. The stresses in backfilled stopes must be correctly evaluated because they influence the ground stability and the required strength of exposed (horizontally or vertically) cemented backfill. The stress estimation can be accomplished by numerical modeling with or without the use of interface elements between the backfill and rock walls. To date, most numerical models have been developed without the use of interface elements, and only a few have used interface elements with the same shear strength as the backfill. Stress changes resulting from the addition of interface elements or from the variations in the shear strength of interfaces have never been investigated. In this study, these aspects were analyzed with two-dimensional (2D) (plane-strain) numerical models. The stress changes resulting from the variation of the backfill’s shear strength were also analyzed. The results show that the stresses decreased as the interfaces’ shear strength increased but were relatively insensitive to the variation of the backfill’s shear strength. When the interfaces have the same shear strength as the backfill, the consideration of interface elements is not necessary in numerical models because the stress distributions with or without consideration of interface elements are almost identical. When the interfaces are weaker than the backfill, the stresses obtained by the two numerical models can differ considerably, and the interface elements should be used in numerical models.
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Acknowledgments
The first author acknowledges the financial support from China Scholarship Council (CSC) under the Grant CSC No. 201406460041. The authors also acknowledge the financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC RGPIN-402318), Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST 2013-0029), Fonds de recherche du Québec—Nature et technologies (FRQNT 2015-MI-191676), and the industrial partners of Research Institute on Mines and Environment (RIME UQAT-Polytechnique; http://rime-irme.ca). The financial support from the National Science and Technology Support Program of China (No. 2013BAB02B02) and the Scientific Research Fund of Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy of China (No. YJ201507) is also gratefully acknowledged. The anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged for their comments, which helped to improve the quality of the paper.
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International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 17 • Issue 2 • February 2017
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© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 19, 2015
Accepted: Mar 28, 2016
Published online: May 9, 2016
Discussion open until: Oct 9, 2016
Published in print: Feb 1, 2017
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