Stress Calibration at Cuiabá Mine, Brazil

Resumen

The construction of any numerical model requires several input parameters such as rock mass properties or geometry of the mine, to be representative. One of these inputs is the in-situ stress condition obtained from stress measurements, which in some cases are rather difficult to locate far enough of the excavation to obtain reliable in situ data. This study used the methodology proposed by McKinnon (2001), assuming that in every location of the model the stress tensor was the result of the superposition of gravitational, tectonic and induced stresses. Thus, applying a linear regression using least squares method the in-situ stress condition was determined, obtaining an acceptable average error and validating that the location of the stress measurements was acceptably located. Posteriorly, two mining sectors of interest were calibrated using more detailed 3DEC models, replicating consistently the behavior observed by AngloGold Ashanti