Design of underground plugs

The design of underground plugs is well documented for the gold mines of South Africa where reasonably hard rock and relatively high water pressures are experienced at deep levels. However, very little new information has been forthcoming in the last two decades, and published design data concerning other situations in softer rocks and with lower imposed hydrostatic pressures is virtually non-existent. This paper therefore sets out to review underground plug design with the object of bringing the subject to prominence and more up to date. An attempt has also been made to rationalize the design process in relation to current practice.