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Performance of D-bolts Under Static Loading

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Abstract

D-bolt is a type of energy-absorbing rock bolt. It is made of a smooth steel bar with anchors spaced along the bolt length. A typical section between adjacent anchors is approximately 1-m long, but it can be adjusted to adapt to the rock conditions. The bolt is fully encapsulated with either cement or resin grout in a borehole. The anchors are firmly fixed into the grout, while the smooth bolt sections can freely deform to absorb deformation energy. Full-scale static pull tests were carried out at different testing facilities in two laboratories. The tests show that a smooth bolt section between anchors may elongate by 110–167 mm depending on the section length. Field trials of the D-bolt were conducted in deep metal mines. The measurements showed that the D-bolts were equally loaded within every anchor-between section, avoiding load peaks and premature bolt failure due to stress concentrations caused by fracture/joint opening. The field trials of rebar and D-bolts in a largely deformed mine tunnel showed that the D-bolts behaved satisfactorily, with only a few failed bolts, while a number of the rebar bolts failed at the thread.

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Mr. Ted Anderson and Ms. Chantale Doucet, CANMET, Ottawa, Canada, for their co-operation in the course of the laboratory tests. The author is grateful to Boliden Mineral AB, Sweden, for its permission to use its field test data.

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  1. Department of Geology and Mineral Resources Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

    Charlie C. Li

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  1. Charlie C. Li
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Correspondence to Charlie C. Li.

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Li, C.C. Performance of D-bolts Under Static Loading. Rock Mech Rock Eng 45, 183–192 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-011-0198-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-011-0198-6

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