Rock Mass Stability Around Underground Excavations in a Mine

Yan Xing is a postdoctoral researcher at China University of Mining and Technology. She received her Ph.D. degree in Mining, Geological and Geophysical Engineering at the University of Arizona in August 2017. She was a visiting Ph.D. student at the University of Arizona from 2013 to 2014, sponsored by the Chinese Scholarship Council. Her research interests are rock mass stability around underground excavations and DEM Numerical Modelling. Dr. Pinnaduwa H.S.W. Kulatilake has the following affiliations: 1. Academic Director and Distinguished Professor of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, China; 2. Emeritus Professor, Dept. of Mining and Geological Engineering, University of Arizona, USA. He has over 40 years of experience in rock mechanics & rock engineering associated with mining and civil engineering. He has written over 250 papers and has delivered over 30 keynotes and over 50 other invited lectures throughout the world. He has been a research paper reviewer for over 30 technical journals and an editorial board member for several international journals. Currently he is serving as an Associate Editor for the Arabian Journal of Geosciences. He has taught short courses on several topics in 18 countries covering all 6 continents. He has served over 20 years either as the primary or the sole examiner for the geological engineering professional exam conducted by the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration. Due to the contributions he made in teaching, research, consulting and service activities, he has received many awards internationally. He has organized and run two International Conferences. In 2013 and 2016, he received Peter Cundall awards. Louis Sandbak has been the Senior Geotechnical Engineer for Nevada Gold Mines at the Turquoise Ridge Mine, Nevada. for the past 14 years. Previously he worked as the Senior Mining Engineer: Slope Stability for ASARCO, Inc., at the Ray Mine Operations Open Pit Mine in Hayden, Arizona. He also worked for over 20 years in various capacities from Senior Mining Engineer to Senior Geologist for BHP Copper at the underground block caving San Manuel-Kalamazoo Complex, Arizona. He received his Master of Engineering Degree from the University of Arizona, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from Northern Arizona University He has been a member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) for 40 years He has authored and co-authored over 30 papers dealing with a wide range of geotechnical topics including practical mine design, QA/QC, rock mass stability and classification, and mechanical excavation and mining techniques.

1 Introduction
2 Description of the site, the tunnel system, ground control methods and field measurements
3 Methodologies for investigating rock mass stability around underground excavations
4 Some critical factors in modeling rock mass stability around underground excavations
5 Theory and background of three-dimensional Distinct Element Code
6 Conducted laboratory tests and results
7 Three-dimensional discontinuum numerical modeling of tunnel stability
8 Conclusions and recommendations for future work
Appendices