Remote Roof Stability Monitoring for Underground Nonmetal Mines

This research is intended to serve as a catalyst to develop better engineering tools and strategies that will improve safety by better understanding roof behavior. To help address these problems and to provide a better means of collecting and sharing roof deflection data NIOSH has developed the Remote Monitoring Safety System (RMSS). The RMSS has the following advantages: 1) local fabrication, 2) inexpensive, 3) placed in boreholes protected from blast damage, 4) read remotely, 5) compatible with many kinds of data acquisition systems, and 6) both the single- and multiple-point RMSS can be incorporated into a mine-wide monitoring system. Because hazardous roof beam deflection is dependent on site-specific geologic, stress, and mining characteristics, any roof monitoring technique must be calibrated for local conditions. The use of the RMSS, as well as other observational and monitoring techniques by the underground stone mines, is expected to enhance miners' understanding of roof behavior and provide a tool for proactive intervention when hazardous ground conditions exist.