Document Type
Conference Paper
Publication Date
2010
Abstract
Non-destructive testing, used to study the integrity of the bolting systems in underground mining and civil construction industries, as an alternative method to the current hydraulic pull testing practice, is described. Non-destructive tests were carried out on a total of 227 bolts, comprising 89 rebar type bolts, 124 cable bolts and 14 splitsets were tested in four mines across Australia. The purpose of these tests was to confirm the validity of the testing methodology for rock reinforcement systems used in mines and provide reassurance on bolt’s integrity, which could have been compromised during installation or affected by in-situ aggressive conditions causing corrosion. A complex stress wave analysis package, based on the processing of clear seismic signals imparted into the rock reinforcement element, was used. The seismic signals are processed by “Fourier Transform” into various criteria, which can be used to produce models of the elements, such as mechanical admittance, frequency spectra and velocity. These components are then used in the final modelling of the rock reinforcement element under analysis. The non-destructive integrity testing of rock reinforcement at these mines indicated that there is opportunity to further investigate the potential in effectively managing the risk of ground failure incidents in underground openings.
Publication Details
This conference paper was originally published as Hartman, W, Lecinq, B, Higgs, J and Tongue, D, Non destructive integrity testing of rock reinforcement elements in Australian mines, in Aziz, N (ed), 10th Underground Coal Operators' Conference, University of Wollongong & the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2010, 161-170.