Abstract
Structures present in rock masses have a significant importance on strength and
deformation of the rock mass that govern the rock mass’ performance in underground mining.
Although important progress has been made in these last decades, data on their geomechanical properties is still limited. Furthermore, the majority of studies on joints characterization are connected to rock slopes, open structures and / or with soft infilling material, and low confinement stress conditions; while in underground hypogene rock mass, minor structures are generally sealed, with fillings not necessarily categorized as soft, and variable magnitude and orientation of the major stresses defined by the mining excavations sequences.
This paper presents a practical approach to estimate the veinlets shear strength properties on hypogene rock mass based on rock mechanics tests results and Barton Bandis criterion, corresponding mainly to sealed veinlets with fillings with higher strength than those usually found in open pit mining.
