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The purpose of the book is to introduce the students, geologists, and engineers to the fundamentals of the finite element method and its application in the field of geotechnical engineering with emphasis on rock mechanics. They learn the necessary principles to help them use commercially available programs or to create their own basic finite element code for the stress and deformation analysis of solid structures. The topics covered in this book are: Introduction to numerical methods, displacement Finite element method, equilibrium equations, elasticity relations, formulation procedure (solid mechanics), shape functions, stiffness matrix, load vectors, mesh convergence and accuracy, isoparametric element and numerical integration.

Mine haulage drifts are the primary access to the mining blocks of an orebody in a multilevel mining system of a tabular ore deposit. Drift instability could lead to serious consequences such as injuries, production delays and higher operational cost. In this paper, the haulage drift stability is evaluated on the basis of the primary rock support system comprising 1.8 m resin grouted rebars in the drift walls and 2.1 m long in the drift back. Three failure criteria adopted and compared are Mohr-Coulomb yield zones, elasto-plastic and linear elastic brittle shear failure with respect to lower and same-level mining and filling steps in the vicinity of the haulage drift. The Random Monte–Carlo (RMC) is used in conjunction with finite difference FLAC for random assignment of model input parameters in the FLAC grid. The results are presented in terms of probability of instability and categorized with respect to failure condition and mining step.

Haulage drifts play a vital role in providing personnel and equipment access to ore extraction areas for mine production. Thus, their stability is of crucial importance during the life of a mine plan. Many Canadian mines use longhole mining methods or one of its variants. These methods require access to the orebody through haulage drifts on multiple levels. This paper examines the stability of mine haulage drifts with respect to planned mining sequence. A case study of an underground mine is presented. The case study examines #1 Shear East of the Garson Mine in Sudbury, Ontario. A two-dimensional, elastoplastic, finite difference model (FLAC 2D) is developed for a haulage drift situated 1.5 km below surface in the footwall of the orebody. The stability of the haulage drift is evaluated in terms of the spread of yield zones into the rockmass due to nearby mining activities. The performance of the drift stability is evaluated at various mining stages, employing the Random Monte Carlo technique (RMC) in conjunction with finite difference modelling to study the probability of unsatisfactory performance of the drift. The results are presented and categorized with respect to probability, instability, and mining stage.

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