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Software Tutorials

MINEDW Tutorial (Part 1: Menu Options)

In this tutorial we will briefly cover the MINEDW user interface, its components, and the MINEDW Menu with the different options and tools it provides to build numerical models.

FLAC3D 6.0 PFC Plugin Punch
PFC 7 Balls in a Box

This tutorial will guide you through the main steps required to build a simple PFC model with 30 interacting balls in a box using the linear contact model.

Technical Papers

Connectivity, permeability, and channeling in randomly distributed and kinematically defined discrete fracture network models

A major use of DFN models for industrial applications is to evaluate permeability and flow structure in hardrock aquifers from geological observations of fracture networks. The relationship between the statistical fracture density distributions and permeability has been extensively studied, but there has been little interest in the spatial structure of DFN models, which is generally assumed to be spatially random (i.e., Poisson). In this paper, we compare the predictions of Poisson DFNs to new DFN models where fractures result from a growth process defined by simplified kinematic rules for nucleation, growth, and fracture arrest.

Application of InSAR for Monitoring Deformations at the Kiirunavaara Mine

Assess the use InSAR technology for LKAB's purposes - as a replacement and/or complement to current GPS measurements.

The role of rock mass heterogeneity and buckling mechanisms in excavation performance in foliated ground at Westwood Mine, Quebec

Operations at Westwood mine in Quebec, Canada were temporarily halted in May 2015 after three large-magnitude seismic events occurred over two days. The mechanisms leading to these events, which caused severe damage to several accesses, were not well understood at first. This paper presents the key aspects of FLAC3D back-analysis modelling, which include (1) an anisotropic rock mass strength model with properties derived from field and laboratory strength testing, and (2) a scheme to account implicitly for the deconfinement that accompanies buckling around excavations.

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