An improved analytical solution to estimate the stress state in subvertical backfilled stopes

Abstract

The increasing use of backfill in underground mines requires a better understanding of the interaction between the relatively soft fill material and the surrounding rock mass. In recent years, it has been shown that stresses in backfilled stopes can be estimated using an approach based on Marston’s arching formulation developed initially for buried conduits in trenches. However, despite its advantages, this approach has some shortcomings. For instance, it postulates that both the vertical and horizontal normal stresses are uniformly distributed across the opening width. Numerical investigations conducted by the authors have shown that this assumption is not always valid. This paper presents a modification to the Marston-based solution, which leads to a nonuniform vertical stress distribution across the opening. This modification of the analytical solution involves parameters that have been calibrated against some numerical modelling results. The same equations and parameters are then shown to provide a good representation of additional modelling cases for which the stress state is correctly predicted.