DEVELOPMENT OF WEIGHTING PROCEDURE FOR GEOMECHANICAL PARAMETERS AS APPROPRIATE TO GEOMECHANICAL RISK ASSESSMENT

Abstract

Underground mining is one of the riskiest industries. It is well established that the investigation of geomechanical parameters at the design stage of an underground mine provides the approximate rock mass characteristics, which will be associated with some risks in the design. From a realistic risk assessment point of view, it is essential to define risky parameters and risk groups and determine a suitable weighting strategy for geomechanical assessment as appropriate in selecting a particular underground mining method. In addition, a realistic weighting procedure is an essential tool in making long-term design decisions to increase the physical safety of mining and its economic vitality. This study aims to develop a realistic weighting procedure to assess and compare various geomechanical parameters that pose a risk. Specifically, the study focuses on the sub-level stoping mining methods mainly used within the Kazakhstan mining industry. In this study, we defined risk-prone geomechanical parameters for the chosen mining method and used the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to test the weighting strategy's applicability. The obtained preliminary results show that the FAHP method is a reliable method for weighting of geomechanical parameters which can be used as input in geomechanical risk assessments.