19th U.S. Symposium on Rock Mechanics, Reno, Nevada, 1–3 May 1978
Authors: M. P. Hardy and J. F. T. Agapito (AAI), and J. Page (Atlantic Richfield Company)
The results of overcore stress determinations and stratascope observations in the roof of the Colony Pilot Mine are presented and compared with results from numerical calculations. These results show compressive stresses in all horizontal directions and imply that movement has occurred on one or more bedding separations. Numerical modeling was used to simulate the roof behavior at the Colony Mine; the primary modeling technique used was a displacement discontinuity model developed by Crouch. To match the analytical results with the field measurements, the structural model of the roof was perfected by varying the location and properties of the bedding separations as well as the regional stress field. Reasonable agreement between field and analytical results were obtained, using five bedding separations. A comparison with elemental beam theory is made, and the implications of applying the numerical analysis with the selected structural model to the design of roof spans in a prototype oil shale mine are discussed.
