March 2005

Many open-stoping mine operations are forced to adopt complex and irregular stope shapes in order to efficiently extract the orebody. For the analysis of regional mining conditions, complex mining excavations usually can be represented as a sequence of simplified rectangular blocks. However, more detailed analysis of local stability around irregular volumes requires representation of the actual mining geometry. Such detailed analyses include the stability of irregular pillar shapes, drift intersections and backfill exposures.

The figure below illustrates two separate open-stope sequences modeled at Itasca Consulting Group, Inc.; they have been generated in FLAC3D using the 3DShop option. These sequences were created from actual CMS surveys (surrounding rock mass hidden).

FLAC Release Alert: FLAC Version 5.0 will be ready for distribution in mid-April!!

PFC3D Release Note: With the release of PFC3D 3.1 scheduled for May 30, 2005, PFC3D version 3.0 is no longer being sold. Pre-purchasing now will save you money – see details as follows.

Current version 3.0 users have until May 15, 2005 to pre-purchase at a 45% discounted rate over the price of upgrading after release.
New users who purchase PFC3D Version 3.1 will immediately receive version 3.0 at the time of purchase and will receive version 3.1 when it is released officially.

UpdateAlert:

Updated since
January 6, 2005:

CD-ROMs from the 1st International UDEC/3DEC Symposium and 2nd International PFC Symposium are available on request. These CD-ROMs contain presentation materials (mostly Powerpoint presentations) and photographs of the events and participants at the symposia, a listing of the complete program, and more. If you would like to obtain either CD, please contact Itasca for your free copy.

NEW!! A fixed schedule of introductory code-training courses has been established. The courses are offered at the offices of Itasca Consulting Group, Inc. in Minneapolis and are open to all on a first-come, first-served basis. Class size is limited to 20. Individual courses are available for each code; PFC2D and PFC3D are taught as one course. To see the complete schedule and detailed information on format, materials, and registration, please see the Software Training page on the HCItasca web site. Act now. Registration for the upcoming courses closes March 31, 2005.

Upcoming Courses:
FLAC3D: April 11, 12, 13
UDEC: April 18, 19
3DEC: April 20, 21
FLAC: April 25, 26, 27
PFC2D/PFC3D: May 2, 3, 4

Q: How do I modify the amount of memory used by FLAC or UDEC?

A: You can add an integer (representing Megabytes to be used) to the command line that starts the code. So, if you are using a shorcut to start the code, right-click the shorcut, select "Properties" and modify the "Target" entry to include the desired memory. For double-precision FLAC with 128 megabytes, for instance, this would be: "C:\program files\flac500\exe\flacv_dp.exe" 128. Also, the line as above could be entered into the "Start-->Run" command line.

Billaux, D., F. Dedecker and P. Cundall. (2004) "A Novel Approach to Studying Rock Damage: The Three Dimensional Adaptive Continuum/Discontinuum Code," in Rock Engineering: Theory and Practice (Proceedings of ISRM Regional Symposium EUROCK 2004 & 53rd Geomechanics Colloquy, Salzburg, Austria, October 2004), pp. 723-728, W. Schubert, Ed. Essen: Verlag Glückauf.

Blümling, P., Konietzky, H. "Calibration and verification of a constitutive law for Opalinus Clay – Results from laboratory and in-situ tests," 2nd Colloquium Rock Mechanics – Theory and Practice, Publications of the Institute for Applied Geology and Geomechanics of the Technical University Vienna, Volume 6, Band 6, p.88-95, 2004.

Brandshaug, T., L. Rosengren, J. Sjöberg and P. Lundman. "Jämförelse av Strategier för Analys av Bergförstärkning med Numeriska Modeller (Comparison of Strategies for Analysis of Ground Support Using Numerical Models)," in Bergmekanikdag 2004 (Presentations from Rock Mechanics Day, March 17, 2004), pp. 53-66. Stockholm: SveBeFo, 2004.

Hart, R. D., and C. Detournay. "Geotechnical Constitutive Models in an Explicit, Dynamic Solution Scheme," in Soil Constitutive Models: Evaluation, Selection and Calibration (Proceedings of Geo-Frontiers 2005, Austin, Texas, January 2005), ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication No. 128, pp. 185-203. J. A. Yamamuro and V. N. Kaliakin, Eds. Reston, Virginia: ASCE, 2005.

Konietzky, H., Rummel, F. "In situ stress field measurements and stress field modelling," 2nd Colloquium Rock Mechanics – Theory and Practice, Publications of the Institute for Applied Geology and Geomechanics of the Technical University Vienna, Volume 6, p. 46-54, 2004.

Martin, L., D. Milne, M. Ruest and R. Pakalnis. Evaluation of Instrumented Cable Bolts in Cement Grout to Determine Physical and Numerical Modeling Properties, U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Report of Investigations 9662, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-140, 2004.

Potyondy, D. O., and P. A. Cundall. "A Bonded-Particle Model for Rock," Int. J. Rock Mech. & Min. Sci., 41(8), 1329-1364 (2004).

Selldén, H., and M. Pierce. "PFC3D Modelling of Flow Behaviour in Sublevel Caving," in Proud to Be Miners (Proceedings of MassMin 2004, Santiago, August 2004), pp. 201-214, A. Karzulovic and M. A. Alfaro, Eds. Santiago: Mineria Chilena, 2004.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of these articles, we invite you to contact HCItasca for assistance.

   ©2005 HCItasca, Inc.

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