Recent Works Rock Engineering and Mining Machinery Group
Kyushu University
Rock engineering as well as rock mechanics is a truly interdisciplinary subject, with applications in geology and geophysics, mining, petroleum, and civil engineering. It relates to energy recovery and development, construction of underground spaces for transportation, water resources and defense facilities, prediction of earthquakes, and many other activities of greatest importance. Practitioners in this field have made important contributions in mining and civil engineering possible by accumulated practical experience, engineering judgment and often by a trial-and-error approach. In essence, the rock engineering practice has traditionally been an art rather than an engineering science. Despite this fact, the rock engineering science has been advanced by the devoted efforts of many scientist, researchers and engineers. Today, many workers in the rock engineering field tend to use comprehensive numerical modeling to study and solve complex issues. Although these models are powerful, it is difficult and rather impossible to obtain the necessary input data. It should be emphasized that field observations and measurements could play an important role in solving the issues. It has been pointed out that there is a big gap between theories and practice.
Recent fields of Study by Kikuo Matsui, Hideki Shimada, Shiro Kubota and Masatomo Ichinose
1 Support system of underground openings under high stress and poor strata conditions.
2 Optimization of underground mining system in Indonesian coal.
3 Study of an optimal drivage system at Ombilin Coal.
4 Grouting system in rock masses and backfilling system in pipe-jacking.
5 Estimation of initial stress conditions using AE.
6 Study of stability of rock slopes in highwall.
7 Fully mechanized and automated rock excavation system in surface mines.
8 Stabilization of ground with mud slurry in pipe-jacking system.
9 Flow and solidification behaviors of fly-ash slurry in backfilling system.
10 Study of utilization of explosive energy.
11 Numerical simulation of shock wave propagation in explosion of explosives.