A laboratory model to study arching within a hydraulic fill stope

Abstract

A simple laboratory apparatus, to study the effects of arching within a hydraulic fill mine stope, was developed. Four different model stopes, two circular and two square, made from Perspex, were used in the study. A dry hydraulic fill obtained from a local mine was used in the study. The model was filled in 100-mm layers, and the fractions of the fill weight, carried by the bottom and the wall of the stope, were separately measured. From these measurements, the variation of average vertical stress with depth could be computed. These experimental values were compared against those obtained from numerical modeling using FLAC and FLAC3D, and the agreement was excellent, thus validating the numerical model.