Review and application of stope support design criteria.

Some of the fundamental rock-mass and support engineering criteria that form the basis of an improved methodology for designing support are reviewed: height of potential fall; quasi-static stope closure rates; dynamic stope closure rates; compressive hangingwall stresses; discontinuity spacing, orientation and interface properties; effect of support length (stoping width); effect of compression rate; consistency of support performance; areal coverage; support spacing; and zone of support influence. The site-specific methodology consists of two stages: the spacing requirements of tributary areas are first analysed and an analysis is then made of stability and the influence of the zone of support, considering hangingwall failure due to buckling, shear and block rotation. It is suitable for both blocky hangingwalls and those fragmented by face-parallel extension and shear fractures.
Some of the fundamental rock-mass and support engineering criteria that form the basis of an improved methodology for designing support are reviewed: height of potential fall; quasi-static stope closure rates; dynamic stope closure rates; compressive hangingwall stresses; discontinuity spacing, orientation and interface properties; effect of support length (stoping width); effect of compression rate; consistency of support performance; areal coverage; support spacing; and zone of support influence. The site-specific methodology consists of two stages: the spacing requirements of tributary areas are first analysed and an analysis is then made of stability and the influence of the zone of support, considering hangingwall failure due to buckling, shear and block rotation. It is suitable for both blocky hangingwalls and those fragmented by face-parallel extension and shear fractures.