ABSTRACT

In the Morsleben Radioactive Waste Repository (ERAM) 22 huge salt mine caverns have been backfilled with a hydraulic transportable salt concrete since October 2003. These backfilling activities are necessary to maintain the mine in a stable condition and to keep the salt barrier intact. The rock behaviour before, during and after the stabilising activities is systematically registered by an extensive geotechnical measurement and monitoring system. It was designed on the basis of preliminary calculations to predict the probable behaviour of the rock salt. The TM (thermal, mechanical) calculations should be calibrated by the measurement results to guarantee the operational safety during backfilling activities.