The ability to describe and predict the stability of a borehole and to have a possibility to assess the in situ stress state is relevant for a large number of applications. These include but are not limited to tunneling, the storage of nuclear waste, energy applications, such as gas production and hydrothermal energy and mining.
The semi-analytical tool that is presented in this report has been shown to agree well with experimental results and is significantly faster than the more precise but unsuitable for brittle rock finite element simulations of the same problem. It is therefore hoped that it will provide a simple and easy to use tool for applications involving excavations in rock, with emphasis on the field of civil engineering and energy production.
The work has mainly been carried out by Eleni Gerolymatou, Chalmers University of Technology, in collaboration with Åsa Fransson, Golder Associates and University of Gothenburg (focusing on the concluding part where data from a previously conducted field test has been used). The project’s reference group consisted of Diego Mas Ivars, SKB, Jonny Sjöberg, Itasca, Thomas Wettainen, LKAB and Per Tengborg, BeFo. In addition, the report was reviewed by Lars-Olof Dahlström, Golder Associates. The project was funded by BeFo, Rock Engineering Research Foundation.
Stockholm, 2020
Per Tengborg