Current design of cemented paste backfill (CPB) barricades tends to be of unknown conservativeness due to limited understanding of their behaviour. Previous work done to characterize barricade response has not accounted for the effects of the surrounding rock stiffness, which can have significant impact on the development of axial forces which enhance capacity via compressive membrane action. Parametric analyses were performed with the finite element analysis program Augustus-2 to determine the effects of various material and geometric properties on barricade capacity. Equations based on Timoshenko and Boussinesq solutions were developed to model rock stiffness effects based on boundary material properties. An iterative simulation process was used to account for secondary moment effects as a proof of concept. It was found that, for a range of typical rock types, barricade capacity varied significantly. The commonly made design assumption of a fully rigid boundary resulted in unconservative overpredictions of strength.

Current design of cemented paste backfill (CPB) barricades tends to be of unknown conservativeness due to limited understanding of their behaviour. Previous work done to characterize barricade response has not accounted for the effects of the surrounding rock stiffness, which can have significant impact on the development of axial forces which enhance capacity via compressive membrane action. Parametric analyses were performed with the finite element analysis program Augustus-2 to determine the effects of various material and geometric properties on barricade capacity. Equations based on Timoshenko and Boussinesq solutions were developed to model rock stiffness effects based on boundary material properties. An iterative simulation process was used to account for secondary moment effects as a proof of concept. It was found that, for a range of typical rock types, barricade capacity varied significantly. The commonly made design assumption of a fully rigid boundary resulted in unconservative overpredictions of strength.