ABSTRACT
It is generally said that optimum stope dimensions in bench stoping make it possible to achieve lower production cost as results of higher productivity and lower dilution. The Hishikari has also had a challenge to apply an appropriate analysis for the optimum stope. On the optimization of stope, some empirical approaches have prevailed in underground mines, but they are not always applicable where already mined areas or weak planes exist in the vicinity of stopes. In such situations, numerical analyses can be a powerful alternative to overcome the shortcomings of empirical approaches.So the authors have proposedanumerical approachtoanalyze bench stope stability based on 2D FEM, taking pros and cons of the empirical methods into consideration. By using this, one will be able not only to solve more complicated stope situations but also to calibrate rock mass properties more reasonably. In this paper, the authors mention the concepts of the approach and introduce an example of application.
