Mining Institute, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russia

I. E. Semenova, Head of Geomechanics Department, Candidate of Engineering Sciences
I. Yu. Rozanov, Researcher at Geomechanics Department
M. S. Kulkova, Researcher at Geomechanics Department, m.kulkova@ksc.ru

The key points in underground mining with caving of ore and enclosing rock mass are the assessment, prediction and control of deformation processes in overlying strata. One of the ore deposits, which is developed using the mentioned mining system, is Zhadnovskoe copper–nickel ore field. The ore field occurs in the Murmansk Region and is a part of mineral resources and mineral supplies of Norilsk Nickel. The integrated research of undermined rock mass failure in Zhdanovskoe ore field, including full-scale study and numerical methods, began in 2022. The full-scale technique was the ground-based laser scanning method. It enables creation of a numerical model of a research subject by representing it as a set of hundreds of thousands to a few millions of points with spatial coordinates. This model is a basis for determining caving steps, angles of displacement, potential planes of fracture and volumes of undermined rock mass failure. The resultant model of manmade terrain was introduced into a software program to amend the numerical geomechanical model of the test ore field. This study Sigma GT software package which enables the 3D FEM-based stress–strain analysis of rock mass. Using the data of ground-based laser scanning and the numerical geomechanical modeling interpretations, the probable angle of failure of undermined rock strata was determined for the conditions of Zhdanovskoe copper–nickel ore field.

The study has been supported by the Russian Science Foundation (Grant No. 22-17-00248), http//rsf.ru/project/22-17-00248.
The authors expresses a sincere gratitude to the governing body and employees of JSC Kola MMC or the assistance in conducting research.

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