Rock mass mechanical characteristics in an opencut at bor copper mine

SummaryRock Mass Mechanical Characteristics in an Opencut at Bor Copper Mine Preliminary testing for the design of the new opencut, which will go to a depth of about 300 m, included testing rock mechanical characteristics. The character of the preliminary testing demanded by an engineering undertaking of this scale and the fundamental structural and physical properties of rock masses (fissuring, anisotropy, heterogeneity, natural stresses) are discussed and it is emphatically concluded that priority should go to in situ testing. Results are presented of determinations of the velocity of propagation of longitudinal elastic waves, elasticity modulus, coefficient of damage and shear strength parameters.With 7 Figures