Unified rock pillar strength formula for mine design

IF 4.2 2区工程技术 Q3 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment Pub Date : 2025-02-06 DOI:10.1007/s10064-025-04104-6

Cesar Arriagada, Javier Vallejos, Lorena Burgos, Adeline Delonca, Felipe Ochoa-Cornejo, Jorge Velásquez

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Abstract

This paper presents a new equation to design rock pillars in underground excavations. The study is based on rigorous statistical analysis of empirical databases and equations used in the engineering design process. The new formula has three fitting functions that consider the rock mass quality, the shape of the rock pillar, and the scale effects. The new equation has two distinctive advantages: (1) It takes into account the Rock Mass Rating of Bieniawski-1989 (RMR_B89), and (2) It unifies the strength of the intact rock, scaling the strength of laboratory tests to the scale of rock pillars. The results suggest that the proposed new formula (and corresponding fitting formulae) provide better estimations than empirical approaches, at both the laboratory and rock pillar scale levels. Specific recommendations to use the equations are based on the rock mass quality, geometrical properties, and spatial location of the rock pillars. The premise of this study was to overcome the three main disadvantages of empirical formulae used in the engineering design of rock pillars: (1) disregarding of the rock mass quality of rock pillars in the formulation. (2) Dependency on local site geomechanical conditions (site conditions dependent equations). (3) The non-uniformity between the intact rock strength measured in the laboratory and the pillar strength. The results of this work provide a step forward in the design of rock pillars, structures engineered with the natural in-situ rock mass, to sustain underground openings, and guarantee safe underground excavations.

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统一矿柱强度公式进行矿山设计

本文提出了一种新的地下基坑岩柱设计方程。该研究基于对工程设计过程中使用的经验数据库和方程的严格统计分析。新公式具有考虑岩体质量、岩柱形状和尺度效应的三个拟合函数。新方程有两个显著的优点：(1)它考虑了Bieniawski-1989 （RMRB89）的岩体等级；(2)它统一了完整岩石的强度，将实验室测试的强度按岩柱的尺度进行了调整。结果表明，所提出的新公式（以及相应的拟合公式）在实验室和岩柱尺度上都比经验方法提供了更好的估计。根据岩体质量、几何特性和岩柱的空间位置，提出了使用这些方程的具体建议。本文研究的前提是克服岩柱工程设计中使用经验公式的三个主要缺点：(1)在公式中不考虑岩柱的岩体质量。(2)对场地局部地质力学条件的依赖性（场地条件依赖方程）。(3)实验室测得的岩石完整强度与矿柱强度的不均匀性。这项工作的结果为岩柱的设计迈出了一步，岩柱是利用天然的原位岩体进行工程设计的结构，以维持地下洞口，并保证地下开挖的安全。

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来源期刊

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment 工程技术-地球科学综合

CiteScore

7.10

自引率

11.90%

发文量

445

审稿时长

4.1 months

期刊介绍： Engineering geology is defined in the statutes of the IAEG as the science devoted to the investigation, study and solution of engineering and environmental problems which may arise as the result of the interaction between geology and the works or activities of man, as well as of the prediction of and development of measures for the prevention or remediation of geological hazards. Engineering geology embraces: • the applications/implications of the geomorphology, structural geology, and hydrogeological conditions of geological formations; • the characterisation of the mineralogical, physico-geomechanical, chemical and hydraulic properties of all earth materials involved in construction, resource recovery and environmental change; • the assessment of the mechanical and hydrological behaviour of soil and rock masses; • the prediction of changes to the above properties with time; • the determination of the parameters to be considered in the stability analysis of engineering works and earth masses.