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IMPROVING GROUND SUPPORT DESIGN WITH DISTRIBUTED STRAIN MONITORING

Session: Rock Mechanics and Engineering Geology II / Mécanique des roches et ingénierie géologique II

Bradley Forbes, Queen's University (Canada)
Nicholas Vlachopoulos, Queen's University (Canada)
Mark Diederichs, Queen's University (Canada)

An experimental application of a distributed optical strain sensing technique is presented with forepole support members of the umbrella arch tunnel support system. A laboratory testing scheme was conducted to verify the capability of the optical technique to capture expected support behaviour throughout all stages of construction as well as to demonstrate the potential to be used a novel geotechnical tool for optimizing support design in response to future ground conditions.