Behavior of stress sensors of a rigid inclusion type in salt rocks

Aimed at justification of downhole sensors of a rigid inclusion type for the stress measurement in salt rocks in the course of mining, the theoretical and lab-scale research was carried out. The theoretical research involved numerical modeling of the stress sensor behavior in rock mass using the finite element method, and the research produced an expression for the conversion coefficient of sensor readings to the values of the effective stresses in rocks. The conversion coefficient depends on the ratio of elastic properties of a rock and a sensor material, and on the geometrical parameters of the sensor. Verification of the numerical modeling results included laboratory tests of salt rock blocks with sensors with different parameters in the modes of conditionally instantaneous and staged loading. The relationship between the stresses calculated from the sensor readings and the actual stresses in the test block has a nonlinear behavior. This feature is governed by the nonlinear behavior of deformation of salt rocks. It is also shown that deformation of creep in salt rocks has influence on the readings of a sensor in the mode of long-term loading, which is to be taken into account in calculation of the effective stresses in rocks.

Baryakh A. A., Beltyukov N. L., Kuznetsov A. I. Behavior of stress sensors of a rigid inclusion type in salt rocks. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2025;(11):5-18. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2025_11_0_5.

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, Project No. 19-77-30008-П.

A.A. Baryakh¹, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Scientific Supervisor, e-mail: bar@mi-perm.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-2737-6166,
N.L. Beltyukov¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Senior Researcher, e-mail: bnl@mi-perm.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0716-998X,
A.I. Kuznetsov¹, Junior Researcher,
¹ Mining Institute of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 614007, Perm, Russia.

N.L. Beltyukov, e-mail: bnl@mi-perm.ru.

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