Empirical approaches for rock burst prediction: A comprehensive review and application to the new level of El Teniente Mine, Chile

Abstract

Rockburst phenomena pose significant challenges in the mining industry, particularly with increased underground activities at greater depths. These sudden failures not only jeopardize personnel safety but also impact mining investments. Consequently, it becomes crucial to assess the reliability and effectiveness of empirical methods employed for predicting rock burst occurrences and their severity, an ongoing subject of debate within the scientific community. This research presents a comprehensive review of empirical approaches for rock burst prediction. Subsequently, these approaches are applied to predict rock burst occurrences and its intensity within sections of a tunnel at the new level of El Teniente mine in Chile. Most of these methods rely on single-factor criteria to predict the likelihood and severity of rock bursts. However, inconsistencies are observed in the results obtained from these approaches in numerous cases. This discrepancy highlights the influence of various input parameters on rock burst estimations and emphasizes that single-index criteria may not encompass all the pertinent factors that contribute to this phenomenon. Consequently, such criteria may inadequately estimate or reflect the probability of rock burst occurrences. Given the multifaceted nature of rock burst phenomena, which depend on multiple factors, it becomes imperative to explore new approaches that consider a broader range of influencing factors, thereby yielding more realistic results. Hence, continued research is essential to develop new methods that address this issue comprehensively and ensure the safety of the mining industry.