Footwall anchoring at Smoky River Coal Limited
CIM Bulletin, Vol. 81, No. 915, 1988
DAVID A. FAWCETT and PETER L SHEEHAN Smoky River Coal Limited and DENNIS C. MARTIN Piteau Associates Engineering Ltd.
Smoky River Coal Limited has successfully completed a major program involving the pattern rock anchoring of a high, steeply-dipping footwall slope. The slope dips at approximately 65 to 70 degrees to the north, is benched for the upper 200 feet, is supported with rock anchors for another 240 feet, and is unsupported at the pit bottom. In addition to the height and steepness, several structural features including shears, rolls and stratigraphic pinchouts complicate footwall stability.
This paper presents an overview of the project with descriptions of the engineering geology and footwall design, anchor installation, instrumentation and monitoring and a cost summary.
Keywords:
Rock mechanics, Smoky River Coal Limited, Footwall anchoring, Engineering geology, Anchor installation, Instrumentation.
