Grant: Alliance Grants

Canada is a leading mining country and one of the world's largest producers of minerals and metals. This sector accounted for 21% of Canadian exports, valued at $102B in 2020. Most of the shallow mineral deposits are developed and will be exhausted in the near future. In addition to economic drawbacks, reducing mineral resources inventory will result in mine closures. It can negatively affect the community's overall well-being as it can cause sudden unemployment, loss of income, and social problems. In order to make the mineral industry sustainable, mines at deeper levels have to be developed. However, deep mining occurs in a very technical and challenging environment, where practical and innovative solutions and specialized experimental research methodologies are required to understand ground behavior in a deep underground environment. The proposal centers on developing innovative solutions for enhancing safety and sustainability in underground mining operations, mainly focusing on rock behavior analysis and simulation of underground excavations. The project involves creating advanced constitutive models tailored for simulating and predicting rock bursts in deep mining environments. This endeavor is bolstered by Mining One's expertise, providing essential resources, technical support, and real-world insights. The research project encompasses various training goals, including experimental studies and advanced data analysis techniques. HQP will gain valuable skills in experimental research, computer modeling, critical result assessment, and ethical research practices. The project will train 3 PhD students. By improving our understanding of the mechanical behavior of rocks and how they respond to different types of loading, this study aims to address the challenges faced in deep underground mining.