Thin spray-on liner support and implementation in the hardrock mining industr

The objective of this thesis project is to investigate thin coatings and spray-on liner products for use as ground support in the hardrock mining environment. The initial research work was undertaken by the Mining Industry Research Organization of Canada (MIROC) in the late 1980's. An enormous amount of chemical testing was completed by MIROC to provide the mining industry with a prototype spray-on coating, MineguardTM.;MineguardTM is an innovative, polyurethane-based, spray-on rock lining material that is intended primarily for use in underground hard rock mines and for other geotechnical sites in order to provide rapidly-deployable area support coverage. A series of laboratory and in-situ mine assessment trials have been undertaken through MIROC and INCO's Mines Research Department to determine support and other physical response capabilities of Mineguard TM for various mining and geotechnical applications.;The majority of the research within this thesis is based on testing with the MineguardTM coating, although it is clear that other new products will likely also prove to be viable materials for support of rock.;This thesis presents a review of practical considerations concerning spray-on liners, as well as the results of several field case histories that illustrate various mining applications of this innovative support technique. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).