One of the main tools used by mining operations to mitigate the risk of rock burst is the installation of a so-called dynamic resistant' support system._x000D_
Such systems are designed to absorb the impact of shockwaves created by mine-induced seismic events. Dynamic support must be strong and capable of sustaining high loads and, at the same time, they have to be flexible and accommodate large deformation. A dynamic support system is therefore a system capable of absorbing a high quantity of energy._x000D_
Ground support systems are composed of rock reinforcement (rock bolts or cable bolts) and surface support (mesh or shotcrete). In terms of surface support, fibre-reinforced shotcrete is increasingly seen as the industry preferred solution when difficult ground conditions are experienced, including areas of high seismic hazard. A thick layer of shotcrete is certainly strong but it is by no means flexible. Normal weld-mesh has some flexibility, but it is not very strong._x000D_
The Australian Centre for Geomechanics (ACG), in collaboration with Onesteel Reinforcing Pty Ltd, is currently working on a new high-energy absorption mesh that combines strength and flexibility. The new mesh can be installed with a jumbo, in a similar way as the widely used sheet of weld-mesh. This paper describes the development of this new mesh system._x000D_
FORMAL CITATION:Potvin, Y and Giles, G, 2008. The development of a new high-energy absorption mesh, in Proceedings Tenth Underground Operators' Conference 2008, pp 89-94 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).