Laboratory testing of a new type of energy absorbing rock bolt

Energy absorbing rock bolts are used as part of rock support systems in underground constructions that are exposed to e.g., rock bursts and detonating explosives. A rock bolt capable of absorbing kinetic energy from these loads must be able to yield with the ground movements and also deform plastically over large distances, at high displacement rates. A new type of energy absorbing rock bolt has been developed and tested in laboratory. The bolt is without a casing and consists of a steel bar that has an inner ribbed-like anchorage section and an outer nut that transfers the load from the rock via a circular disc. When subjected to a dynamic load, the lengthening of the steel bar leads to a decrease in diameter whereby the adhesive bond between bar and grout is lost and the outer end of the bolt is free to yield. The rock bolt is given a very good protection from corrosion when fully grouted in cement. In a laboratory, rock bolts in concrete cylinders were subjected to free fall tests to achieve a loading velocity of 10 m/s. The tests demonstrated that the distribution of plastic strain along the length of a grouted rock bolt is not constant when dynamically loaded. The sections where plastic yielding was allowed were not fully utilized in any of the cases, opposite to that in previous static tests which show almost constant elongation of the bolts. The tests also verified that the load-carrying components of the bolt, the nut and the anchorage, are reliable when dynamically loaded. Elastic and plastic waves will start to propagate through the rock bolt as it is suddenly loaded, resulting in permanent deformation along a section of the bolt. This yield process is demonstrated through a combined graphical and numerical method.