Elastoplastic stability analysis of mine haulage drift in the vicinity of mined stopes

This paper is focused on the interaction between the haulage drift and nearby mining activity related to sublevel stoping method with delayed backfill, one of the most popular mining methods in Canadian underground metal mines. The stability of the haulage drift is examined through a detailed parametric study of a nonlinear, elastoplastic, two-dimensional finite element model representing typical mining layout most commonly adopted in Canadian underground metal mines. The model parametric study examines the influence of critical factors such as the stope mining sequence, mining depth and the distance between the stope and the haulage drift. Stability indicators are defined in terms of displacement, stress and the extent of yield zones, which serve as a basis for assessing the effect of different parameters on the stability of the haulage drift. The model parametric study demonstrates that stope mining causes a footwall lateral shift of the entire drift. The severity of such shift is increased with shorter distance between the stope and haulage drift. Of all mining excavations examined, same-level mining appears to be the most critical. It is also found that more stress relaxation zones and yield zones develop around the haulage drift as the mining depth increases and as distance between haulage drift and the stope decreases.