Norilsk Nickel, Moscow, Russia:

G. V. Sabyanin, Head of Mining and Processing Office, Industrial Engineering Department, Candidate of Engineering Sciences

Norilsk Nickel’s Polar Branch, Norilsk, Russia:
V. V. Balandin, Director of Oktyabrsky mine

Gipronickel Institute, Saint-Petersburg, Russia:
A. V. Trofimov, Head of Physical and Mechanical Research Center, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, TrofimovAV@nornik.ru

Norilskgeologiya, Saint-Petersburg, Russia:
S. V. Kuzmin, Chief Geomechanical Engineer, Candidate of Engineering Sciences

The article describes the procedure and outputs of the geomechanical survey of enclosing rock mass in the Oktyabrsky mine field of Norilsk Nickel’s Polar Division. The stages of geotechnical information gathering are described. The mine mapping is accomplished in 46 underground excavations in compliance with the Rock Mass Quality Assessment Procedure adopted at Norilsk Nickel’s Polar Division. The estimates of rock mass quality were obtained using Q-system, Q-prime, GSI and RMR approaches. The RQD estimates were compared with fracture logs from 38 boreholes drilled in 2017–2018 in the west of the Oktyabrsky deposit to determine feasibility of indirect rock mass quality assessment by the characteristic of rock jointing. Geomechanical survey of 21 boreholes was performed in accordance with Code STO 00.12-11-2016 Detailed Geotechnical Core Description. The physical and mechanical test procedure of core samples from geomechanical boreholes is presented. All in all, 1400 core samples were tested. The in-situ physical and mechanical testing procedure of irregular shape samples of rocks taken in the areas of mine mapping is described. The rock mass jointing stereogram is presented as a case study of mine site No. 5 mapping data processing in Dips 7 Rocsciense. An approach to database generation with subsequent geomechanical modeling of Oktyabrsky mine in Micromine environment is introduced.
The authors appreciate participations of experts D. V. Lyalinov, A. E. Rumyantsev, T. K. Burdukov, S. G. Kokoev and I. S. Nevolin in this study.

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