On managing the state of ore-bearing massifs by controlling the stresses during underground mining of ores

Man-made intervention in the subsurface during mining is accompanied by the development of existing stresses in the ore-bearing rock masses. Insufficient consideration of geomechanical conditions of mining is accompanied by high losses and dilution of ores. Environmental and economic performance of mining facilities can be improved by controlling natural and man-made stresses through introducing the rock masses into the triaxial compression state. Details of the theoretical and practical aspects of stress management in the rock mass are provided by the data obtained in the research. Determination of the structural weakening of rocks, defining regularities in tectonic fracture distribution and confinement to tectonic structures, creation of the engineering-geological model of the rock mass. Modeling of the rock mass state was performed on the equivalent materials based on the geomechanical hazard criterion. Prediction of the geological and structural factors of facilities failure was made through calculation of the rock mass deformations. Regularities in behavior of natural and man-made rock mases have been identified depending on changes in the stress redistribution within the rock mass. A mathematical model has been refined that describes the strength loss processes in the rock structures under the impact of critical stresses. A methodology of environmental assessment as a function of the total of natural and man-made factors has been developed. The rock mass consolidation parameters that are optimized by the factor of resistance to the stress redistribution in the rock massif have been justified. A method to calculate environmentally correct and economically feasible parameters for managing the state of mining facilities is proposed and examples of its implementation are provided. The task of assuring the quality of the mined mineral raw materials is addressed by controlling the stress state of the rock masses and can be solved based on further research. The results of the study can be relevant in the underground development of solid minerals.