Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xvi, 357 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-124).

The Fully Encapsulated Resin Bolt (FERB) is widely utilised for strata control and ground support in civil and mining applications worldwide, with approximately 6 million installed per annum by the Australian coal mining industry. Independent studies have concluded that 30-35% of these rockbolts, which represents an annual expenditure of $40 million, are ineffective. The anchorage and failure mechanisms of FERB are yet to be quantified, and support systems are designed primarily from empirical rather than scientific methods. There are no standardised methods of assessing FERB components, installation techniques and support behaviour. The majority of research into FERB support systems remains commercial intellectual property, with little information released into the public domain. This thesis investigated several variables of FERB support systems, and also examined differences between field and laboratory pull-out test load distributions. This research was conducted in two phases, with Phase 1 seeking standardised methodology and repeatability in results, while Phase 2 further refined Phase 1 methods and extended the range of tests. The results in both phases were encouraging, with reasonable repeatability attained in all testing series. The findings included: ??? Annulus Thickness: There was little change in load capacity with small annulus thickness, however the maximum peak load (MPL) significantly reduced once annulus thickness exceeded 4mm ??? Resin Installation Spin Time: Underspinning of cartridge resin was found to have an insignificant effect on rockbolt load/deformation characteristics. Overspinning, however, led to a dramatic reduction in anchorage performance with a lessening in both MPL and stiffness ??? Rockbolt Load Transfer: The magnitude of an applied load reduced to zero along the length of the rockbolt, being greatest nearest the rock free surface (the point of load application). An exponential reduction was found when tested in the manner of laboratory tests, with the loading jack reacting against the free surface. This reduction was linear when the load was applied as in the field, with no load placed on the free surface This basic investigation into FERB support systems has validated many empirical understandings of rockbolts, while highlighting the need for further testing into several key areas.

The Fully Encapsulated Resin Bolt (FERB) is widely utilised for strata control and ground support in civil and mining applications worldwide, with approximately 6 million installed per annum by the Australian coal mining industry. Independent studies have concluded that 30-35% of these rockbolts, which represents an annual expenditure of $40 million, are ineffective. The anchorage and failure mechanisms of FERB are yet to be quantified, and support systems are designed primarily from empirical rather than scientific methods. There are no standardised methods of assessing FERB components, installation techniques and support behaviour. The majority of research into FERB support systems remains commercial intellectual property, with little information released into the public domain. This thesis investigated several variables of FERB support systems, and also examined differences between field and laboratory pull-out test load distributions. This research was conducted in two phases, with Phase 1 seeking standardised methodology and repeatability in results, while Phase 2 further refined Phase 1 methods and extended the range of tests. The results in both phases were encouraging, with reasonable repeatability attained in all testing series. The findings included: ??? Annulus Thickness: There was little change in load capacity with small annulus thickness, however the maximum peak load (MPL) significantly reduced once annulus thickness exceeded 4mm ??? Resin Installation Spin Time: Underspinning of cartridge resin was found to have an insignificant effect on rockbolt load/deformation characteristics. Overspinning, however, led to a dramatic reduction in anchorage performance with a lessening in both MPL and stiffness ??? Rockbolt Load Transfer: The magnitude of an applied load reduced to zero along the length of the rockbolt, being greatest nearest the rock free surface (the point of load application). An exponential reduction was found when tested in the manner of laboratory tests, with the loading jack reacting against the free surface. This reduction was linear when the load was applied as in the field, with no load placed on the free surface This basic investigation into FERB support systems has validated many empirical understandings of rockbolts, while highlighting the need for further testing into several key areas.

Thesis (M. E.)--University of New South Wales, 2003. / "The precursor to this thesis was an industry-sponsored project, completed in 2000 by C. Offner at the School of Mining Engineering, UNSW ; this project is referred to as the Stage 1 project"--summary. Also available online.

Thesis (M.Eng.(Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2008. / Vita. The entire thesis text is included in file. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed June 1, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 229-234).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xviii, 193 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-193).

M.Ing.(Electrical and Electronic Engineering) / The study investigated whether non-destructive impact testing, aided by supervised machine learning methods, could be used to identify improper roof bolt installations, related to insufficient grout coverage. The testing method involved the installation of four roof bolts, with varying installation properties, into a 1511 × 940 × 1350mm rock test block. Three fully grouted bolts served as examples of proper installations, with the fourth bolt grouted only up to half the length of the borehole serving as an improper roof bolt installation. The testing procedure involved placing sensors directly onto the bolts and mechanically impacting a chosen bolt while measuring the response on all the bolts. The focus was on gaining understanding of the working principle of the testing technique and how the measured response was influenced by the presence of signal-modifying factors of the physical test block geometry, such as changes in material properties, boundary changes, cracks or empty boreholes. It was shown that the roof bolt integrity testing method aided by supervised machine learning methods could identify and classify both properly and improperly grouted roof bolts on the small sample of test bolts, in a series of tests conducted at the CSIR Centre for Mining Innovation premises. The method was also shown to be robust enough to do so even in the presence of the signal-modifying factors of the physical test block geometry.