Modelling in geomechanics / Моделирование в геомеханике

During mining for mineral resources and the erection of subterranean constructions one has to deal with a medium that is extremely complex in composition and has diverse mechanical properties and laws of deformation. To achieve these objectives one is compelled to utilise a large set of technological schemes and types of mine workings. In spite of the vast scale on which mining work and related scientific investigations are carried out, the development of mineral resources is such a complex problem that no unique laws have been defined to date to describe the behaviour of rock massifs which might be disturbed during mining operations or when they interact with engineering structures. These processes are being studied throughout the world by various methods— from full-scale observations to theoretical interpretations and analytical descriptions. Amongst them physical modelling on equivalent materials (EM) holds a particularly significant place. This method, proposed and developed by G.N. Kuznetsov in 1936, received considerable impetus in the post-war years. Essentially it consists of preparing a model from a portion of the rock mass obtained from mine workings to investigate the processes described earlier. The models are developed from such equivalent materials as satisfy similarity criteria in reflecting the mechanical properties of rocks under natural conditions. <...>