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).

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.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / This paper illustrates how the Bieniawski rock mass rating geomechanics classification, within the support system used by medium-scale mining companies, allows for the development of a new anchor rock bolt selection method aimed at improving horizontal access stability in underground mines. However, this case study only seeks to select the most efficient anchor rock bolt for any given horizontal access. A proper support selection method is very important for mining companies because this decision will safeguard both miners and mining infrastructure. This selection process will ultimately prevent fatal accidents, which is critical for mining companies today, especially considering the constant operation standstills reported in Peru.

Har du någonsin åkt genom en tunnel och undrat hur det kommer sig att det tunga berget över dig inte kollapsar in i detta hålrum? Har du lagt märke till underliga metallpinnar som sticker ut ur väggar och tak? Dessa metallpinnar är bultar, och de är en del av säkerhetsåtgärderna som ser till att tunnlar över hela Sverige är säkra att färdas i. När en tunnel byggs är det viktigt att ta reda på vilka egenskaper som berget har för att kunna avgöra hur stora säkerhetsåtgärder som bör implementeras. Dessa egenskaper kan vara sådant som sprickors utbredning och orientering, hur mycket vatten som finns i sprickorna, vad berget består av och krafter som påverkar berget. Säkerhetsarbetet kring tunnlar kan göra skillnaden mellan liv och död, men hur ska man forska kring detta? I ett labb kan man med hjälp av en modell undersöka vad som fungerar bäst, men även det minsta möjliga för att förhindra kollaps. I detta arbete har en modell som representerar ett tunneltak använts. Den används till undervisning för förståelse av bultar. Modellen var en upphöjd stålram med avtagbar botten, stålramen var kvadratisk med 82 cm sidolängd. I denna ram placerades skruvar och järnvägsmakadam för att simulera ett tunneltak med bultar i mindre skala. Järnvägsmakadam är krossat berg med en kornstorlek på ca 32 till 64 mm. Skruvarna trycker ihop makadamen med hjälp av brickor för att tryck ska uppstå och trycket mäts med tryckgivare som är placerade i modellen. Arbetet som har utförts med hjälp av modellen syftar till att utveckla metoder för hur sådana försök bör utföras i framtiden. Tidigare försök har gjorts och då har det observerats att denna modell har varit stabil när skruvarna spänts till 7 Nm (Newtonmeter) vridmoment och att den kollapsade av minimal påverkan när skruvarna spändes till 5 Nm. Därför gick vi in i detta arbete med hypotesen att modellens lägre gräns för stabilitet fanns strax under 5 Nm. Vid de tidigare försöken mättes inte trycket i modellen och vi hade därför ingen hypotes om detta. Försöken utfördes på olika vis. Skruvarna spändes i olika mönster och med olika vridmoment, makadamen placerades också på olika sätt när modellen byggdes upp. Som resultat ställdes vridmoment och tryck upp i tabeller och diagram. Det skulle visa sig att hypotesen om att den lägre gränsen var nära 5 Nm vridmoment inte stämde. Modellen hölls uppe även när skruvarna endast spändes till 2 Nm. Både när modellens bottenlager var fördelaktigt och ofördelaktigt uppbyggt ur ett stabilitetsperspektiv så höll modellen vid 2 Nm. Lägre vridmoment än 2 Nm kunde inte testas i brist på känsligare verktyg. / Have you ever traveled through a tunnel and wondered why the heavy rock above you doesn’t collapse on top of you? Have you noticed the odd metal rods that sticks out from the walls and ceiling? These metal rods are bolts, a part of the security measures that make sure that tunnels all over Sweden are safe to travel through. When a tunnel is built, it is important to know the properties of the rock to be able to assess what type of security measures that need to be applied. These properties can be fractures and their orientation, the composition of the rock and the forces that are present. The security work regarding tunnels can be the difference between life and death, but how can research in this field be carried out? Model experiments in a laboratory can be of great use to investigate the most efficient way to stabilize the rock, but also the minimal effort required to prevent collapse. For this report a model that represents the roof of a tunnel has been used. The model is used for learning about rock bolts and consisted of an elevated 82 cm square steel frame with a detachable floor. Bolts and crushed rock were placed within the frame to simulate a tunnel roof in a smaller scale. The crushed rock had a grain size of 32 to 64 mm. The bolts in combination with small metal discs compress the rock to produce pressure, and the induced pressure is measured with pressure indicators placed within the model. The experiments conducted with this model aims to develop potential new methods for future uses and experiments. Previous experiments with this type of model have shown that the model is stable when the bolts have been tightened to 7 Nm (Newton Meters) torque, and subsequently collapsed with minimal influence when the bolts were tightened to 5 Nm. Therefore, the hypothesis of this report was based on previous experiments, where the lower limit of the model seemed to be close to 5 Nm. The previous experiments didn’t measure the pressure throughout the strained rock mass, and therefore there is no hypothesis regarding this. The experiments were conducted in different ways. The bolts were tightened both in different patterns and with different torques, and the crushed rock were placed differently throughout the experiments as the model was being built. The following result of torque and pressure were presented in tables and graphs. The result showed that the hypothesis regarding the lower boundary being close to 5 Nm was not correct. The model stayed in place even when the bolts were tightened as low as 2 Nm. The model was stable at 2 Nm both with a favorable and unfavorable bottom layer of rock. Therefore, it is required to tension the bolt with torque lower than 2 Nm to determine the lower limit of stability, but that could not be tested due to the lack of proper tools.

Dams are designed and assessed based on traditional factor of safety methodology. Several drawbacks of this approach exist; for example varying failure probability for structures where the factor of safety is the same. This traditional factor of safety methodology imposes conservative assumptions in terms of both design and analysis. A probability-based analysis has been suggested to account for the omission of uncertainties and provide a less conservative analysis (Westberg & Johansson, 2014). Through the stability analyses of three existing dam structures, a minimum level of reliability or maximum failure probability may be calculated with the ultimate goal of defining a target safety index (β-target) for buttress and gravity dams. These analyses shall in turn contribute to the formulation of a probability-based guideline for the design and assessment of Swedish concrete dams. This probability-based guideline shall be known as the ‘Probabilistic Model Code for Concrete Dams.’ The calculations carried out in this study adhere to the methodologies and specifications set out in the preliminary draft of the Probabilistic Model Code for Concrete Dams. These methodologies encompass analyses within two dominating failure modes for concrete dams; sliding stability and overturning stability. Various load combinations have been modelled for each dam structure to account for the probabilistic failure of each dam under commonly occurring circumstances. A parametric study has been carried out in order to provide insight into the contribution that existing rock bolts provide to the stability of each dam. Furthermore, a study has been carried out into the existence of a persistent rock joint or failure plane in the rock foundation and the effects its presence would have on the sliding stability of a dam. Finally a discussion had been carried out in order to provide suggestions into the formulation of a target safety index through the data envisaged by our analyses for the design and assessment of Swedish concrete dams.

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the contribution of grouted rock bolts on the stability of concrete dams. The load capacity of the grouted rock bolts are assessed considering eventual deteriorating processes. An additional objective was to compare the resulting load capacity with the prevailing regulations in RIDAS (the power companies’ guidelines on dam safety) and possibly suggest new guideline values. The literature study consists of two parts; concrete dams and grouted rock bolts. In the first part concrete dams are discussed and especially the inherent forces and aspects when controlling their stability. The second part treats grouted rock bolts and the theoretical focus is on their function and possible failure modes as well as on the degrading processes (primarily corrosion) that are affecting the rock bolts.  Subsequently, the theory was applied on the Swedish concrete buttress dam Storfinnforsen, which is the largest concrete dam in Sweden. The dam was selected for this study mainly because its shape is archetypical for buttress dams. In addition, a digitalized model of the dam was obtainable from previous research projects.  A numerical analysis with the finite element analysis software ABAQUS was performed in order to evaluate the stability of the dam and to support the analytical analysis. The load capacity of the grouted rock bolts was analytically evaluated with consideration to eventual degradation. Assuming a corrosion rate of 60 μm/year, the grouted rock bolts in Storfinnforsen could after 100 years be trusted with a load capacity of approximately 180 MPa. That load capacity is due to shear failure, which constitutes the most plausible failure mode for rock bolts in buttress dams. The value 180 MPa is to be seen in contrast to the current limitation of 140 MPa that is defined in RIDAS (2011). The conclusion of this thesis is accordingly, that the maximum allowed load capacity that can be assigned the grouted rock bolts in the stability calculations of concrete dams can be increased from todays 140 MPa. This conclusion is substantiated by the analytical analyses with the numerical calculations as support.