One of the most significant challenges to the future of the mineral industry is the reduction in the mineral resources inventory due to high production rates and difficulties in extracting deep-earth resources. Many of Canada’s known mineral assets will be nearly exhausted within the next decade. To sustain the contribution of the mineral industry to Canada’s economy, in the longer term, the nation urgently needs additional high-quality resources to be discovered and developed. Deep mining and energy extraction are associated with high in-situ stress and water pressure, which can cause complex and difficult to forecast-and control disasters. Prof Taheri will develop an advanced high-pressure triaxial compression test system and an extensive direct shear test system capable of applying complex stress histories to rock and discontinuities and measuring properties. The proposed material testing systems will provide scientific insights and quantitative studies of the elemental characterization of rock mass linked with the mechanical behavior of rocks in underground environments.
