As underground mines get ever deeper in search of supplementary orebodies, the earth’s gravitational and tectonic pressures become a significant issue in the stabilisation of tunnels. Existing tunnel support methods become less effectual at greater depth, and the need for additional reinforcement rises considerably.
With some of the deepest mines reaching four kilometres underground, global trends suggest incidents of rock bursts and tunnel failure are on the rise. The deeper the mine, the higher the stress level exerted on the surrounding rock. In the majority of the cases, the currently installed ground support capacity is estimated at less than 20 kJ/m2. For a mine at depth’s below one kilometre to withstand the pressure, it needs to be increased to at least 40 kJ/m2.
