Rating system for coal mine roofs

Abstract

It is standard practice in the majority of rock engineering applications to use a rock mass classification method to evaluate the condition of rock, i.e. to quantify, in an objective manner, the characteristics of good or bad roof. These rockmass classification methods are routinely used in civil engineering and in tunnel excavations. Although many rock engineering departments in South Africa use locally developed classification systems, these are sometimes descriptive in nature and undocumented and in most cases restricted in use to the mine on which they were developed. This project attempted to overcome the problem by evaluating and documenting all the existing systems that are used in South Africa and others that have been developed in other countries, and proposing the way forward for the development of a system that could be used universally on South African collieries