Creep closure of an opening in a deep potash mine

The creep closure of an isolated opening in a deep potash mine at Esterhazy, Canada, has been simulated with finite element calculations. These were done to assess the plausibility of a creep model, developed from laboratory data, for natural rock salt. Since it is difficult to generate and interpret creep data at the low stresses likely to be encountered around underground excavations, the comparison of field measurements with model predictions is valuable in establishing the plausibility of constitutive models for creep over a long time at low stresses. The favorable comparison obtained in this study, between predicted wall convergences, and those measured over a period of eight years in the opening at Esterhazy, helps verify the creep model used. 2 figures