An approach to stope stability assessment in open stope mining environment

Assessing the stability of mine stope in open stope mining is essential, as unstable hangingwalls and footwalls lead to dilution and safety concerns compromising the profitability of the mine. In the past, several tools have been proposed to assess the stability of a stope, such as the stability graph methods. However, one of the main challenges of the stability graph method is to objectively determine the boundary of the stability zones. To overcome this issue, this paper aims to quantitatively estimate the stability of a stope and the probability of stability. Hence, in order reduce subjectivities associated with the stability chart, the Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR) were implemented to establish new stability graphs that use a probabilistic approach. A comprehensive database was established for the research based on available data including design and planning, surveying, geological and geotechnical data. The resulting probabilistic maps provided a better interpretation of the stope stability. The findings of this study could significantly assist mining engineers to design more reliable open stopes in connection with the reduction of stope sloughing and instabilities in underground mines.