Ground-Breaking Development in Rock Bolt Sensor (RBS) Technology
Mr Yves Quenneville, Mr Roger Lacroix, Dr Andriy Plugartyr, Dr Silvio Kruger, Dr Zhigang Sun
Every year, hundreds of millions of rock bolts are installed to support and stabilize mines. As mining operations are pushed ever deeper, the need for rock bolt and ground condition monitoring is becoming increasingly important for improved safety and operational efficiency. However, a Techno Economic Analysis performed by the National Research Council (NRC) has shown that today’s rock bolt sensors have inherent drawbacks that impact their use and deployment. In response to this challenge, NRC has developed a revolutionary and economical rock bolt sensor that uses ultrasonic technology. It is designed to be deployed in large numbers to form a real-time monitoring network. These proprietary sensors provide extensive information on: bolt conditions; stress from initial load up to rupture; bolt sectional loading; elastic and plastic deformation and more. In this presentation, we will review NRC test results of RBS technology in actual mining conditions. We will also explore how this technology provides invaluable information to ground control engineers, either by itself, or in combination with other technologies. Finally, we will envision the use of RBS for operation planning, ground stress trend analysis and modelling.
