Geomechanics Research Centre (GRC)

Geomechanics Research Centre (GRC)

Mandate - Mission

To conduct research and development in the field of geotechnical engineering to promote safer and more economical mineral resource exploitation and underground construction.

Short History and Past Achievements

The Geomechanics Research Centre (GRC) at Laurentian University was formally established in 1988 under the leadership of Peter Kaiser and Sean Maloney and has been active in the field of geotechnical engineering since inception. One of the first mandates of GRC was to undertake rock support research following upon the recommendations of the Provincial Inquiry into Ground Control and Emergency Preparedness (the Stevenson Commission). GRC has now well over 500 technical papers in journals and conference proceedings, and four books to its credit. These publications cover geomechanics, mining, and seismology. Former GRC staff now occupy academic positions in various Canadian universities or high level, responsible positions in major consulting companies. Current staff include mining engineers, civil engineers and engineering geologists covering a broad spectra of research interests and capabilities.

Current Research Fields:

• Rock Mass Characterization for Underground Construction

  • The optimal utilization of drillhole data for planning and design constitutes a challenge but also a huge opportunity. In mining, exploration and site characterization are typically carried out independently. Consequently, thousands of exploration drillholes are not scanned for geotechnical information, resulting in the under-utilization of millions of investment dollars. Site characterization is required for many rock engineering applications (e.g. mine planning; excavation, support and stope design; deep waste disposal, etc.). Hence it is necessary to know the in situ ground conditions to obtain appropriate design parameters for numerical modeling. With mining activities going deeper, we are stepping out of the world of experience and standard investigation approaches are showing serious deficiencies. Now, there is a greater need to determine relevant design parameters from in-situ tests. The practical way to obtain these is to combine downhole logging techniques with innovative lab programs and rock mass classification systems. Current research is addressing the characterization of intact rock strength properties and their extension to the rock mass, rock fracturing, rock stresses and rock mass classification.

• Underground Excavation in Difficult Ground Conditions

  • Long lateral excavations in civil engineering are called tunnels while the equivalents in underground mining are referred to as drifts. Both types of excavations can be in difficult ground conditions; i.e., ground with the ratio of in-situ major far field principal stress to intact rock uniaxial compressive strength (σ1/σci) greater than 0.4, independent of rock mass quality, or less than 0.15 in a highly fractured rock mass. Research at GRC is focused on the former (i.e. highly stressed, burst-prone ground conditions) with an emphasis on ground support selection for ground control in excavations created by mechanized or perimeter controlled blasting techniques rather than conventional drill-and-blast development.

• Rapid Tunneling and Mine Developments

  • Current drift advance rates in mining fall far short of expectations given the advances in drilling and blasting technologies. Quicker access to orebodies can significantly improve their net present value (NPV). This is particularly critical for block cave mining where many kilometres of lateral development is initially required at high capital cost. The attraction to block caving is its long-term low production cost.
    
    Research at GRC shows that, while drilling and explosive technologies have drastically improved since 1850, current drift advance rates in the Canadian metalliferous mining industry have either remained stagnant or dropped below the advance rates achieved 50 years earlier and in comparison to those in civil tunnelling. Factors contributing to this stagnation include: lack of appropriate methodology for drift support design during development, underestimation of the self-supporting capacities of the rock mass and the cyclic nature of the drill-and-blast excavation method. GRC is currently developing methodologies for drift/tunnel support selection during construction in both lateral and vertical (shafts) mine developments and examining mechanization as an alternative excavation method. Details of our research to date can be found in Kaiser et al. (2003), Suorineni et al. (2008), Kaiser (2005, 2006), Suorineni and Kaiser (2006).

• Innovative Rock Supports

  • The objective of the research is to develop innovative support systems for highly stressed ground under high temperature conditions. In addition, they must contribute to rapid development and to prevent or minimize rehabilitation time and costs. When supporting highly stressed rock, one of the roles of the support or support system is to enhance the rock mass integrity (and thus the rock mass strength), control (reduce) dilation or bulking, limit and manage large deformations, and prevent falls of fractured, spalled or squeezing rock.
    
    A rationale was developed for the design of support considering structural interaction diagrams and ground pressure variability. Currently, the results from both numerical simulation and physical modelling are analysed using this methodology.

• Rockbursts and Seismicity in Burst-prone Ground

  • MIRARCO has pioneered the application of virtual reality (VR) technology for solving complex problems in the mining industry. Originally developed for use in the oil and gas industry, the technology is well suited for multidisciplinary evaluation of information at all the stages of the mining cycle. VR has proven to be beneficial in developing 3D geology models, planning exploration drilling and developing resource models. However, MIRARCO%u2019s work has demonstrated that it can also be extended to handle spatiotemporal data used for planning mine infrastructure, optimising stope sequences and using mine monitoring data to understand how production practices impact the safety of the operation. The latter is particularly relevant to deep mining where rockbursts can have an adverse effect on both safety and the economic viability of the operation. VR and visual interpretation is quickly shifting the data analysis paradigm for highly complex engineering problems. Current research focuses on the development and application of Seismic Excavation Hazard Maps for deep mines in the Canadian Shield. The technology was developed using VR and scientific visualizations methods, thus it is only fitting that it be applied and used in its proper context %u2013 a large screen, immersive, stereoscopic virtual reality facility. Such a VR facility was installed in 2009 at Vale%u2019s Creighton Mine in Sudbury Ontario and all ground control personnel (from various Sudbury Basin mines) were trained and instructed on the technology.

• Orebodies in Shear: Impact on Mine Planning and Design

  • Experience at GRC over the last ten years from three orebodies loaded in shear (major far-field stress oriented obliquely to strike) shows several characteristic problems that differentiate them from those having the major far-field stresses normal to strike or dip. The major problem with orebodies in shear is the unusual frequency and occurrence of seismic activity at unexpected locations, a phenomenon not soluble with current knowledge. A collaborative research development (CRD) project funded by NSERC and industry is (i) developing fundamental knowledge on the behaviour of orebodies in shear (ii) establishing procedures to properly simulate such orebodies (iii) producing a means to simulate offset failure between ore lenses in orebodies containing en-echelon lenses with offsets; (iv) developing methods to reliably predict potential rockburst locations, magnitude and anticipated damage by defining proper energy calculations and seismic data interpretation procedures and (v) developing a methodology for incorporating dynamic loading into a formal risk assessment and support selection process. Key publications to date include Falmagne (2001), Kaiser and Suorineni (2007) Suorineni et al. (2006), Suorineni and Kaiser (2008).

Technical services:

• Testing

  • The Geomechanics Research Centre provides testing services to both the mining and civil construction industries. Our testing services include: (i) Intact rock compressive strength determination with or without acoustic emission (AE) measurements (ii) Triaxial testing (iii) Brazilian tensile strength tests (iv) Point load (v) Schmidt hardness tests, (vi) Drillability, (vii) CERCHAR toughness and abrasivity tests and (viii) Particle size analysis. We also do backfill testing and field pull tests (bolts and liners). Facilities are also available for mesh and shotcrete testing including thin spray-on liners (both dynamic and static). Depending on client needs special tests systems can also be designed and executed.
    
    For quotes, please contact Sean Maloney at smaloney@mirarco.org or by phone at (705) 675-1151 ext. 5086.

• Borehole Log Analyses

  • GRC provides log analyses services with the main focus on geomechanical rock mass characterization, particularly using televiewer data. This includes structure picking and classification as well as borehole failure interpretation for stress characterization. Rock mass characterization from borehole data are performed using the WellCad software package as well as custom in-house solutions. GRC also provides slim hole geophysical logging services with a logging system including a 500 m winch and most common probes.

• Rock Mass Characterisation Using Photogrammetric Method

  • As there are regions with hazardous access such as a high rock slope or an unsupported face underground, etc., data acquisition using a compass-clinometer and a tape-measure for rock mass classification cannot be conducted. Additionally, considerable time may be required to get access to all relevant measurement locations.
    
    GRC provides rock mass characterisation services using a photogrammetric method employing the ShapeMetrix3D software package from 3G Systems Ag and in-house codes. The methodology enables an assessment of a 3D image by quantifying discontinuity orientations, spacings, trace lengths, or areas (even blasting profiles without need for physical access. GRC has successfully provided clients, including open pit and underground mining operators with this service.

• Numerical Modeling

  • Numerical modeling using 2D (Phase2, FLAC, UDEC and PFC) and 3D (MAP3D, FLAC3D, 3DEC and Abaqus) codes to tackle various advanced problems in rock mechanics including:
    - Brittle failures
    - Mine wide stress modeling
    - Advanced material behaviour laws
    - Innovative support design
    

• Virtual Reality Applications

  • - Data integration
    - Earth model
    - Microseismicity
    

• In Situ Stress Measurement

  • GRC has a long history in in-situ stress characterization and measurement. Depending on the type of project, an appropriate method will be selected from the suite of overcoring techniques, borehole failure analyses or under-excavation techniques. In particular, GRC favours a holistic approach where all available stress indicators are considered and combined in order to derive a consistent stress characterization for a given site. Our clients include mining companies and governmental agencies.

  • Training (Including Short Course)

    • As a not-for-profit organization GRC sees dissemination of knowledge to industry and academia as an important part of its mandate. Dissemination of knowledge at GRC is through books, technical papers, professional development courses and hands-on training. Training of high quality personnel (HQP) is through graduate students, Post-Doctoral Fellows, visiting scholars and internships. See publications and graduate studies and internships for further details

Publications

A list of GRC's publication from can be found here.

People

The GRC team includes individuals with varied backgrounds and experience levels, an ideal environment in which to conduct multidisciplinary research and equipped with the necessary resources to focus on specific problems and deliver innovative and practical solutions.

Staff:

• Sean Maloney, M.Sc., P. Eng. - Director - specialty in stress measurements, full-scale laboratory testing, and ground support design.
• Fidelis Suorineni, Ph.D. - Senior Researcher - main focus on mine design (method and sequence optimisation), support systems, seismicity and rock properties.more...
• Pavel Vasak, M.Sc., P. Eng. - Research Engineer - Specialty in exploration, resource modeling, engineering earth models, virtual reality, rock mechanics and mining-induced seismicity.more...
• Bo-Hyun Kim, Ph.D. - Senior Researcher - main interests in rock mass characterization using photogrammetric method and numerical modeling.more...
• Benoit Valley, Ph.D. - Senior Researcher - active at the disciplines interface of structural geology and geomechanics with focus on rock mass characterization.more...
• Navid Bahrani, M.Sc. - Research Engineer - main interest in numerical modeling, mining geomechanics, ground support design.more...
• Rob Bewick, M.Sc., P. Eng. - Research Engineer - specialty in site characterization, mine design, ground support design (static & dynamic), crown pillar stability & photogrammetry using SiroVision & 3G tool sets.more...
• Salina Yong, PEng, PE, PhD. - Senior Research Engineer - interests in field-scale investigations, site characterisation, data integration and interpretation, and development of engineering models.more...

Senior Research Advisors:

• Peter Kaiser, Ph.D, P. Eng. - Chair for Rock Mechanics and Ground Control, Laurentian University. President and CEO of the Center for Excellence in Mining Innovation.more...
• Ming Cai, Ph.D, P. Eng. - Associate Professor in Laurentian University's School of Engineering.more...

Graduate Studies and Internships:

• Graduate Studies

  • GRC is located in Sudbury, a world renowned hard rock mining centre. The nickel mines are used as real world laboratories for teaching and learning.
    
    Part of the mission of MIRARCO, and therefore GRC, is to train Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP). Because of its world renowned recognition in high quality research, GRC has over the years attracted graduate students from all Provinces within Canada, and around the world. GRC collaborates with various institutions including University of Waterloo, Queens University, University of Alberta, University of Toronto and of course Laurentian University, its parent institution. GRC staff come from around the world, making it a unique place for graduate work and international experience.(More details on Graduate Studies)

• Visiting Scholars

  • As a world renowned research organization the Geomechanics Research Centre has over the years received many visiting scholars from universities, research institutions and government agencies around the world. These visiting scholars come here either to familiarize themselves with the many research developments in GRC or bring their own planned research subjects for direction in their development. Duration of attachments vary and depends on the objectives of the visiting scholar.

• Internships

  • GRC accepts internships for both graduate and undergraduate students. Students are attached to Senior Research Engineers and Scientists as their mentors in various projects. We receive both local and international students.
    
    A popular area for internship is training on geomechanics laboratory testing and field performance monitoring procedures.

For more information, contact:

Sean Maloney
Vice President, Operations
Director, Geomechanics Research Centre (GRC)
Tel: (705)675-1151 Ext. 5086
Email: smaloney@mirarco.org