A critical review on the developments of rock support systems in high stress ground conditions

Extreme ground behaviour in high-stress rock masses such as rockburst prone and squeezing ground conditions are encountered in a range of underground projects both in civil and mining applications. The occurrence of such ground behaviour types are difficult to predict and special design and construction measures must be taken to control them. Determining the most appropriate support system in such grounds is one of the major challenges for ground control engineers because there are many contributing factors to be considered, such as the rock mass parameters, the stress condition, the type and performance of the support systems, the condition of major geological structures and the size and geometry of the underground excavation. The main characteristics and support requirements of rockburst-prone and squeezing ground conditions are herein critically reviewed and characteristics of support functions are discussed. Different types of energy-absorbing rockbolts and other support elements applicable for ground support in burst-prone and squeezing grounds are introduced. Important differences in the choice and economics of ground support strategies in high-stress ground conditions between civil tunnels and mining excavations are discussed. Ground support benchmarking data and mitigation measures for mines and civil tunnels in burst-prone, squeezing and heavily swelling grounds conditions are briefly presented by some examples in practice.