Load-bearing capacity criterion for frozen wall based on temperature monitoring

The article analyzes the thermotechnical calculation results of artificial ground freezing in an abuilding shaft of a potash mine in the Republic of Belarus. The model of thermal processes in rocks during freezing was validated using the in-situ data of temperature monitoring in thermal control wells arranged close to the ring of freeze pipe. It is found that the parameter of thickness of frozen wall in its load-bearing capacity evaluation at different times is ambiguous. A reliable estimate of load-bearing capacity of frozen wall needs additional criteria to be included, for example, the average temperature of frozen wall. This study shows that the frozen wall thickness and average temperature vary greatly in transition from active to passive freezing, as well as in subsequent transition to thawing of rocks. The use of two time-variable criteria in the frozen wall analysis appears to be inconvenient, and, therefore, this study proposes a new criterion which consists in direct calculation of the ultimate bearing capacity of frozen wall based on the actual field of temperatures in frozen rocks and using empirical temperature dependences of strength and deformation properties of frozen rocks.

Semin M. A., Golovaty I. I., Levin L. Yu., Bogomyagkov A. V. Load-bearing capacity criterion for frozen wall based on temperature monitoring. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2024;(11):111-125. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2024_11_0_111.

The research was carried out with financial support from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation within the framework of the project (grant number: 122030100425-6).

M.A. Semin¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Head of Laboratory, e-mail: seminma@inbox.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5200-7931,
I.I. Golovaty, Director, OJSC «Belaruskali», Soligorsk, Belarus, e-mail: iwan15@yandex.by,
L.Yu. Levin¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Corresponding Member of Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of Department,  Deputy Director for Scientific Work, e-mail: aerolog_lev@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-0767-9207,
A.V. Bogomyagkov¹, Junior Researcher, e-mail: bavaerolog@gmail.com,
¹ Mining Institute of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Perm, Russia.

M.A. Semin, e-mail: seminma@inbox.ru.

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