ABSTRACT
A model study was undertaken using centrifuge modelling to investigate the mechanism of cave propagation occurring in cave mines. Cave mining involves controlled undercutting of ore bodies in deep mines, allowing the rock mass to fracture under in situ stress. The paper describes a weak artificial rock mass that was developed and presents results from tests in which caving was observed under conditions of high and low horizontal stress. Comments on appropriate scaling relations is presented. It was found that rock fracture occurred by means of extensional fracture banding, which differs from the Duplancic conceptual model, commonly accepted to describe processes associated with cave advancement.
