“Surface support in underground mine development has been a live issue in Australia in recent years, more particularly since the publication of the MOSHAB guidelines in 1999,” Dr Kevin Rosengren, of Kevin Rosengren & Associates, wrote in a review.

“This book is therefore a welcome addition to the literature on the subject. It is handsomely produced and its three editors have international eminence, appropriately in the three countries which have been at the forefront of developments, namely Australia, South Africa and Canada.”

The book covers:

Part 1 – Thin Spray–On Liners (TSLs) – A Quick Reference Guide

Part 2 – International Seminars on Surface Support – Proceedings

Part 1 summarises current knowledge on TSLs, including a brief history, the types of products available, occupational health and safety, testing methods, and field trials and applications. Rosengren said this was a concise state–of–the–art reference book that summarised a great deal of information that until now had only been available in a variety of technical papers in diverse locations.

Part 2 is a selection of technical papers from three previous seminars on surface support held in Perth, Johannesburg and Quebec City in 2001, 2002 and 2003, respectively. The bulk of these papers cover TSLs in four categories, namely design, testing, testing for rockburst conditions, field trials, and applications. The remaining papers are related to shotcrete, ore pass lining, and mesh.

TSLs are 3–4mm thick coatings, sprayed on to exposed rock surfaces to seal the surfaces and to provide some degree of structural support. TSL technology originated in Canada some 15 years ago and has since progressed in Canada, South Africa and Australia, in that order.

“To date, it has achieved only limited success in its original objective of replacing mesh for general surface support in underground development,” Rosengren said. “However, it has proved effective in certain specialised applications.”

Australian trials have been carried out at several mines, and the ACG has taken the initiative in organising the first surface support seminar and publishing this reference book.

Rosengren said mesh, as the mainstay of surface support in Australian mining, would continue to be used extensively in the future. Its main advantage is that no additional or specialised equipment is required for its application. Shotcrete has been used increasingly over the last decade, fuelled by developments in fibre reinforcement and cement additives. He said trials of boltless shotcrete had been carried out in Canada but it remained to be seen whether this would ever be a practical reality.

“This book will occupy a prominent place on my bookshelf and is highly recommended for any engineer or geologist with an interest in ground support,” Rosengren wrote.

For further information, contact Josephine Ruddle at the Australian Centre for Geomechanics, acg@acg.uwa.edu.au