Rockfall Barrier Testing in an Open Pit Mine: Comparing Empirical and Modeled Rockfall Dynamics

Details

• Personal Author:
  McNabb JC ; Meyer BJ ; Potter JJ ; Wagner DA ; Warren SN
• Description:
  Rockfalls pose severe hazards to miners and infrastructure in open pit mines, and rockfall barrier systems are an increasingly common method for mitigating this hazard. Extensive testing to understand rockfall kinetics and barrier efficacy has been performed in controlled settings and natural environments, but rarely in open pit mining environments. This study is part of a collaboration with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Geobrugg, and the University of Arizona's Geotechnical Center of Excellence, in which controlled rockfall tests were conducted using synthetic concrete rocks on an open pit highwall with a prototype mobile rockfall barrier system. A solitary rockfall that impacted the barrier with significant force was analyzed to determine the kinetics and kinematics of its fall trajectory leading to the barrier strike. These results are then compared to a best-fit 2D rockfall simulation, showing a close match at the moment of impact into the barrier. Lastly, the effects of highwall bench configuration on the test rock trajectory are assessed, which suggest that minor catch bench loss likely resulted in the test rock attaining dangerously high velocity and lateral trajectory, ultimately sending it into the barrier. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Mining
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Rock falls
  • Mining industry
  • Open pit mining
  • Rock mechanics
  • Geotechnical engineering
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9780979497599
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Arizona ; New Mexico ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 6 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  SMRD - Spokane Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070425
• Citation:
  58th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June 23-26, 2024, Golden, Colorado. Alexandria, VA: American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA), 2024 Jun; :ARMA-24-1048
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  58th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June 23-26, 2024, Golden, Colorado
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215706/cdc_215706_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 634.38 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:705af1518d1b8a8543f181c3af791ec65b74d9721057ea189f1ae9c4e7caeca08cd250f7b879afab869c84f4ec8de6b0b0f291a5b56c2db146b9079ccf05abcf