Rockbursts are a major geotechnical hazard in deep underground mining, where high stress conditions can lead to sudden and violent failure of the surrounding rock mass. As mining progresses to greater depths, reliable assessment of rockburst risk is becoming increasingly important for mine safety and design. However, practical methods for analysing and predicting rockburst risk remain limited.
This project aims to develop a rockburst risk assessment model for deep mines, building on an existing approach developed for coal burst analysis and incorporating statistical methods for evaluating rockburst likelihood. The project will investigate how key mining and geotechnical factors, such as mining depth, excavation geometry, stress conditions and rock properties, influence rockburst potential.
More specifically, the project aims to:
1. Review existing rockburst and coal burst assessment methods and identify the major factors controlling rockburst occurrence. 2. Adapt an existing coal burst analysis framework for application to rockbursts in deep hard-rock mines. 3. Investigate statistical approaches for quantifying the influence and uncertainty of key rockburst-related parameters. 4. Conduct preliminary testing of the proposed approach using available mine data and published rockburst case histories.
School
Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering
Research Area
Mining engineering | Rock mechanics | Rockburst | Geomechanics | Risk assessment
Suitable for recognition of Work Integrated Learning (industrial training)?
Yes
- Research environment
- Expected outcomes
- Supervisory team
- Reference material/links
The project will be conducted within the School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering at UNSW. The student will work with academic researchers experienced in rock mechanics, coal burst assessment, geomechanical modelling and statistical analysis. The project will provide exposure to practical rock mechanics problems and the application of computational and statistical methods to mining geotechnical engineering.
- The project is expected to:
- Develop a preliminary framework for assessing rockburst risk in deep mines.
- Identify the key geological, geomechanical and mining parameters controlling rockburst potential.
- Provide a basis for future development and validation of a more comprehensive probabilistic rockburst assessment model.
- ACARP Project C25004, Review of Australian and International Coal Burst Experience and Control Strategies
- Wagner, H. Deep Mining: A Rock Engineering Challenge. Rock Mech Rock Eng 52, 1417–1446 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-019-01799-4
- Watson, J., Canbulat, I., Zhang, C. et al. Energies Within Rock Mass and the Associated Dynamic Rock Failures. Rock Mech Rock Eng 58, 4935–4958 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-024-04368-6