Contributions to Rock Fracture Induced by High Ground Stress in Deep Mining: A Review

With the shallow resources dwindling, many countries have entered into deep mining one after another. Rock fracture caused by high stress mining disturbances is a significant concern. Destabilization caused by rock fracture not only diminishes productivity, but can also poses the risk of injuries and property damage. Therefore, it is of great significance to investigate the rock fracture mechanism of deep mining to ensure mining safety and improve production efficiency. This paper begins by summarizing key challenges associated with deep mining. Subsequently, it categorizes the outcomes of previous research on this issue into various themes, encompassing laboratory tests, theoretical analyses, numerical simulations and field measurement. This paper provides an overview of a number of representative studies that the growing scenarios and an increase in our understanding of this issue. A summary of the limitations of each contribution is presented, as well as the expected aspects that need to be optimized in the future research. It is found that our knowledge is far from complete, and there are still gaps to be narrowed, particularly concerning the theory of deep rock mechanics, identification of deformation and fracture in deep rock, establishment of three-dimension strength criterion, accuracy of numerical modelling and accuracy of field measurement. The review aims at providing researchers and engineers with a comprehensive understanding of the pertinent issue and guiding them for more in-depth exploration and research.