Numerical modeling of seismic wave propagation in mimicked underground mine models

Underground mines are going deeper worldwide with increasing production of mineral resources and decreasing ore grade, and this fact is creating challenging conditions. This fact makes the research into mine seismicity problem paramount. This manuscript focuses on the study of seismic wave propagation in a single material medium imitating the conditions found in underground mines. Understanding how waves propagate in a medium is fundamental to better interpret real-time information for accurate rockburst prediction. For this purpose, a numerical model is developed to represent results from laboratory experiments in which a signal of AE is transmitted through the material to measure the arrival time at different sensors located in the sample. The objective of the model is to better understand the physics of wave propagation and attenuation in the medium, which cannot be directly observed in a laboratory experiment. The model will be further used for other materials and geometries to study seismic wave propagation. The study considers two configurations: the first is a solid granite cube and the second is a solid granite cube with an empty hole in the middle. These configurations are modeled in FLAC^3D. The main assumptions are that materials are elastic, and the signal's waveform is sinusoidal. The study results showed wave propagation within a sample and quantified differences between modeled configurations. The model will be further used for other materials and geometries to study seismic wave propagation.