Factor B

The joint orientation factor (B) accounts for the influence of joints on the stability of stope faces and looks at the orientation of the critical joint with respect to the stope surface. The value of joint orientation factor ranges from 0.3 to 1.0.

Figure 1: Joint Orientation Factor B. Comparison between Mathews et al. (1980) [1] and Potvin (1988) [2].

Figure 2: Joint Orientation Factor B (Potvin, 1988) [2] for Stability Graph analysis.

Figure 3: Joint Orientation Factor B (Villaescusa, 2014) [3] for Stability Graph analysis.

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References

[1]

K. E. Mathews, E. Hoek, D. C. Wyllie, and S. B. V. Stewart. Prediction of stable excavation spans for mining at depths below 1,000 metres in hard rock. Report, Golder Associates, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 1980. Report to Canada Centre for Mining and Energy Technology (CANMET), Department of Energy and Resources.

[2] (1,2)

Yves Potvin. Empirical Open Stope Design in Canada. PhD thesis, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 1988. Available online at the UBC Open Collections. URL: https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0051179.

[3]

Ernesto Villaescusa. Geotechnical Design for Sublevel Open Stoping. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1st edition, 2014. ISBN 9781482211887. doi:10.1201/b16702.