Modelling Underground Mines For RockStability Assessment Using Boundary Elements:A New Approach For Large Scale Problems

The Boundary Element Method has been applied to calculate stress distribution and stability of underground mines for disposal of chemical waste. A case similar to the Stripa mine in Sweden has been considered. The rock mass was granite, with major fracture zones represented by three families of planes mutually orthogonal and 100 meters distant from each other. The pre and post processor GiD [3] and the Boundary Element software BEASY [2] have been used for model preparation, solution and result post processing. A modelling technology has been developed to enable the investigation of stability in the presence of a large number of fracture zones while at the same time determining the detailed stress near the mine. Results for stress and stability of the rock are presented here and discussed.