1

Chapter XVII
2
Underground structures have been designed
largely on the basis of optimizing economic,
geologic and seguencing operations for ore
recovery. In many cases, especially in deep
mines or in geologically disturbed areas,
variable stress influences cause appreciable
safety and production hazards when design
configurations do not take into account the in-
situ stress effects.
3
The knowledge of the stress magnitudes and
directions, in-situ, would allow the design of
openingd for stress minimization to be based on
known loading conditions rather than on estimated
conditions. Periodic stress assessment would
also enable problem areas, of high stress
buildup, to be located.

Removal of hazard areas may then be
accomplished through redesign of the local mining
zone, or by the halt of extraction in extreme cases.
4
Single borehole, plane stress measurement
can be made to determine the singular pricipal
stresses which act in the plane perpendicular
to the borehole axis. Only if the directions of
the true pricipal stresses were known could
these methods be used to determine these
values, by measuring in a borehole drilled
perpendicular to their plan of action.
5
For all plane stress measurements, in one or more
boreholes, overcoring of the measument diamond
drill hole, in which the measuring gages are
installed, is required. The initial diamond drill hole
will be drilled circular in shape, and will exist under
the influence of the acting field stresses in the
plane which is normal to the hole axis.
If an overcoring bit is used to cut an annulus of
rock surrounding the instrumented hole, the
annulus becomes stress relieved.
6
Under zero field stresses, the original diamond drill
hole will expand (assuming that the field stresses
were compressive) and cause borehole
deformation diametrically outward.
The stress gages in the borehole are used to
measure the resultant deformation from the initial,
stressed condition to the final, unstressed
condition.
Elastic theory can then be utilized to determine the
existing stress conditions.
7
The doorstopper gage consists of a strain gete
rosette, or rubber plug, in which three strain
gages are mounted. The gages are oriented in
arbitrary horizontal (0 plane), vertical (90
plane) and 45 axes, and are mounted on the
plug so that they can be put into a diamond drill
hole and cemented against the end of the
borehole. Stress measurements in thus
assumed to be in the plane which is
perpendicular to the borehole axis.
8
No stresses in the axial borehole direction are
measured. By overcoring the doorstopper gage,
as illustrated in figure 3, strain in the gage
directions can be measured and used to
determine the principal stresses which act in the
gage plane of measurement.
9
Borehole wall
Gage connections
Rubber plug
Overcore cut
Stress plane
e
v
e
45
e
h
Strain gage
rosette
10
1 2 3 4 5 6 e
h
Circle center
e
e
P1
e
45
e
P2
e
V
e'
3
e'
2
e'
1
2
3


2


1


0


1


2


3

2
Assume:
e
h
= 6 units
e
45
= 1.65 units
e
V
= 1.5 units
11
A Mohr circle analysis of the resultant strain readings
is used to determine the planar stresses. The three
strain values are determined by:

c
1
= largest strain reading (c
h
, c
V
or c
45
)
c
2
= middle strain reading
c
3
= smallest strain reading
12
The calculate principal strain are developed
elastically:
E E
E E
P
p
1 3
2 3
3 1
1 1
uo o
c c
uo o
c c
= =
= =
(4)
13
By reduction and substitution, these become:
( )
( )
( )
( )
1 3
2
3
3 1
2
1
1
1
c c

o
c c

o
+

=
+

=
E
and
E
(5)
14
This system is inacurate because it attemts to
measure only the apparent principal stress in the
one planar direction.
This does not establish the true principal stress
direction and magnitude in a three-dimensional
basis.
Corner stresses developed due to drilling and
sharp configuration also cause the measured
stresses to appear higher than the true planar
stresses. The true stress aproximation can be
obtained by multiplying the values for equation (5)
by (.67).
15
Like the Doorstopper gage, the borehole deformation
gage measures overcore deformation along three
strain measuring axes. The configuration of the gage
in as shown in figure 5, and strain axis are oriented
at 60 from each other. The gage is mounted axially
within the borehole, but not at the end, and so does
not ecounter end stress effects.
The strain relief is measured across the three axial
diameters as U
1
, U
2
and U
3
, and can be related, by
elastic theory, to the principal stresses acting in the
plane of measurement, which is perpendicular to the
borehole axis.
16
Unless the true direction of the principal stress
field is known however, this technique will
only measure the apparent principal stresses
in the plane of measurement. No axial
stresses are measured, and the plane stress
condition is assumed. In reality, plane stress
condition only occur in:
1. The centres of small pillars
2. Near the surface of openings, in planes
parallel to the opening surface, and
3. In ground that is stress relieved normal to the
opening surface, as in some fault zones.
17
readout
borehole
Deformation gage
Overcore hole
18

3
P

1
60 60
2
1
U
2
2
U
2
3
U
Stress relieved
borehole shape
Original borehole
shape (diameter
fixed)
19
For plane stress conditions, diametrical convergent
deformation of a hole in a plate is:
( ) ( ) | |
i i
E
d
U u o o o o 2 cos 2
3 1 3 1
+ + =
Where:
d = original borehole diameter = gage diameter
{E = Young's Modulu's, u = Poisson's
Ratio} these must be known for the test
medium.
(6)
20

1
,
3
= Principal stresses

i
= Counterclockwise angle measured from the
Ui diameter to the direction of major principal
stress
1
.

U
1
, U
2
, U
3
= Diametrical deformation in the
direction of reading.
21
If axial stresses,
A
also exist along the borehole,
then:
( )
( ) ( ) | |
E E
d
U
d
A
o
u o o o o

+ +

= 2 cos 2
1
3 1 3 1
2
If the plate surfaces are fixed and rigid, plane
strain condition arises and.
( )
( ) ( ) | | u o o o o

2 cos 2
1
3 1 3 1
2
+ +

=
E
d
U
(7)
(8)
22
1.
A
= 0
2. A 60 strain gage array
3. Using the U
1
diameter for reference,
become the counterclockwise angle from
U1 to the
1
direction.
Assuming:
23
The pricipal stress dirivations, from three diametrical
deformation measuring gages, become:
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
(

+ + + + + =
2 / 1
2
1 3
2
3 2
2
2 1 3 2 1 1
2
2
6
U U U U U U U U U
d
E
o
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
(

+ + + + =
2 / 1
2
1 3
2
3 2
2
2 1 3 2 1 3
2
2
6
U U U U U U U U U
d
E
o
( )
( )
(

+
=

3 2 1
3 2
1
2
3
tan
2
1
U U U
U U
u
(11)
(10)
(9)
24
Where:
U
2
> U
3
and U
2
+ U
3
< 2U
1
,
1
~ 45
U
2
> U
3
and U
2
+ U
3
> 2U
1
,
1
~ 90
U
2
< U
3
and U
2
+ U
3
> 2U
1
,
1
~ 90 135
U
2
< U
3
and U
2
+ U
3
> 2U
1
, 1 ~ 135 180
25
When
3
= 0 uniaxial stress occurs and
d
EU
hyd
2
= o
Where U = deformation in the
1
direction
When
1
=
2
=
3
, hydrostatic stress occurs and
Where U = deformation in any direction
d
EU
3
1
= o
(12)
(13)
26
No olviden que siempre alguien
necesita de Uds, que el
egosmo no invada sus
corazones y extiendan la mano a
quien lo necesita.
Dr. Carlos Agreda
Profesor