Fibre Optics-based Distributed Strain Monitoring in Mines

THE ISSUE

To develop monitoring capabilities that allow the mining industry to better understand and address problems associated with mining stress-induced failure and its potential negative impact on underground infrastructure design and integrity. Current deformation monitoring capability allows for largely point source measurement and is expensive to deploy. Broader coverage is needed to understand the changes which can occur to the mine “system” brought about by stress rotation and re-distribution.

THE SOLUTION

CEMI, in conjunction with Roctest in Montreal, its subsidiary Smartec in Switzerland, MIRARCO and Vale’s Coleman mine in Sudbury, and the National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) are collaborating to develop in-mine fibre optics-based distributed array deformation monitoring capabilities. It is hoped that stiffness variations in response to mining can be better understood and tracked using this approach and that greater flexibility can consequently be built into mine design approaches to help mitigate risks.