Kina - Underground excavation in highly stressed rock

Construction of tunnels and utilisation of the underground space has been and will continue to be an utmost important industry in Norway because of its mountainous topography and the cost effective solutions achieved in this country on underground technol ogy. One of the engineering problems in underground excavation is the stress-induced instability in hard rock, that is, rock burst. Rock burst is not only an issue of safety to underground workers, but also an economic issue since it can lead to time dela y during construction and an increased maintenance cost during operation. Our understanding of rock burst is quite limited today. A better understanding of it and moreover developing new technologies for predicting and combating it is needed for safe and effective underground excavation in this country. Rock burst is considered a world-wide problem in rock engineering. A bilateral cooperation programme on this topic, between Norway and China, would be particularly suitable. On the one hand, the Norwegia n technology in constructing large underground openings can be useful for similar Chinese projects. On the other hand, the Chinese experience in mining at depth and tunnelling under various rock conditions is a valuable competence for underground excavati on in Norway. Such a joint research programme would strengthen the connection between the two countries. The proposed project is limited to one year. The scope of the project is to establish a Norwegian-Chinese network in rock mechanics and to identify the key issues on tunnelling in highly stressed rock for further detailed studies. The outcome of the work is to formulate a joint research programme which will include work of Ph.D. students. The partners will submit the application to their own research councils or other units, seeking locally for financial support.