Rio Tinto Centre for Underground Mine Construction

The Rio Tinto Centre for Underground Mine Construction (RTC-UMC) was a 6 year, $10 million, state-of-the-art research and knowledge centre, tasked to play a leading role in the development and implementation of innovative step-change research and technology development for deep underground mines, designed to minimize delays and create value through speed and geo-risk mitigation. UBC-led research included the development of a next-generation numerical design tool (3-D distinct-element bonded block model) to explicitly model stress-induced brittle failure and rock/support interactions for improved design of highly stressed mine pillars.