Design of optimum roof support systems in South African collieries using a probabilistic design approach

Abstract

When designing coal mine roof support, it is necessary to account for the uncertainties and variability that inherently exist within the rock mass and support elements. The performance of a support system is affected by these uncertainties, which are not taken into account in the current deterministic design methodologies used in South Africa. The key to the design of a roof support system is a better understanding of roof behaviour and uncertainties that can be encountered during extraction. This paper sets out to develop a method that takes all uncertainties that exist within the rock mass and the mining process into account and provides a quantitative risk-based design methodology.