Stress change monitoring using LiDAR-based deformation

Project overview

LiDAR imaging of drift walls in underground mines has been established as a method of creating a detailed digital image of the rock surface. Repeated scans are able to detect deformations induced by mining-induced changes to the stress field. This project aims to relate these deformations to geological characteristics of the rock mass. In addition, deformations are related to the local stress conditions, which are typically unknown. Used in conjunction with numerical models, the measured deformations can be used to compute the change in stresses, which can be used to constrain or calibrate the far-field stress conditions that are relevant to that location in the mine. This project is part of the SUMIT project, sponsored by Ontario Research Fund, Vale, and Glencore.