Numerical Investigation of the Stress State in Inclined Backfilled Stopes

Abstract

Evaluating the stresses in backfilled stopes constitutes a critical step for insuring underground mine safety and for analyzing backfill response. In recent years, the writers have presented several methods for conducting numerical and analytical investigations to assess the stress state in backfilled stopes. The results have shown significant stress transfer to the rock mass along stope walls which induces an arching effect. To date, most solutions have been developed for (sub-) vertical openings. In this paper, the results of an extensive numerical investigation on inclined stopes are presented. Emphasis is placed on the influence of stope geometry, backfill properties, and filling sequence on the stress distribution in the backfill. Results indicate that for a given stope geometry, the most influential factors are the backfill shear strength parameters (cohesion