ABSTRACT
Finite-element calculations have been made to analyse the stability of large old mining rooms and the integrity of the salt barrier in the Bartensleben salt mine. The recent state of stress and deformation around the rooms as well as dilatancy in the salt rock has been investigated. Several finite-element codes and two- and three-dimensional models were used taking two different dilatancy models into account. Roofs and pillars of the rooms are subjected to high creep deformations and partly to tensile stresses. Extended zones of dilatancy occur in the vicinity of the rooms and in the salt rock between rooms and anhydrite layers. As expected, the 3-D modelling yields lower stresses and deformations as well as reduced dilatant salt rock zones compared to the 2-D models.
