Effectiveness of shotcrete and mesh support in low energy rockburst conditions at
INCO's Creighton Mine
C.C. Langille & M.W. Burtney
Inco Limited, Creighton Mine, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
ABSTRACT: The narrow sill pillars on 7200 level were heavily destress blasted and
the resulting yielded pillars were contained by a support system consisting of Split Set
bolts and #4 gauge welded wire mesh. The broken nature of the pillars accentuates the
effect of low to moderate energy release on the current support system maintaining
these broken pillars. A 2-3 inch layer of shotcrete was applied in two bottomsill drifts
prior to beginning VRM blasting. The effects of VRM blasting were monitored and
evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the support.
The results show that the shotcrete acts to hold the VRM brow and walls adjacent to
the VRM block together and shows little if any effect from the VRM blasting occurring
less than ten feet away. As a result of this trial, the use of shotcrete as a major
component to the support system in the 7200 level bottomsills has been adopted.