TRIAXIAL "HOLLOW INCLUSION" GAUGES FOR

DETERMINATION OF ROCK STRESSES IN SITU

BY

G. WOROTNICKI &R. WALTON

Research Paper No. 275 of the Division of Applied Geomechanics

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Reprinted from SYMPOSIUM ON INVESTIGATION OF STRESS IN ROCK

- ADVANCES IN STRESS MEASUREMENT
The Institution of Engineers, Australia
Nat i onal Conference Publ i cation No. 76/4, pp 1-8
ISBN 0 85825 061 6
 TRIAXIAL' HOLLOW INCLUSION' GAUGES FOR DETERMINATION OF

ROCI': STRESSES INS ITU

G. WOROTNICKI AND R.J. WALTON

S~Y. New triaxial stress gauges have been developed for the determination of the three dimensional
stress field at a point in rock during a single overcoring operation. The strain sensor consists of nine
or more electrical resistance wire strain gauges embedded in a thin-walled epoxy pipe. TWo variants are
used. one for horizontal and down holes and one for up holes. The stress gauges are cemented in an EX size
pilot hole with epoxy adhensive stored in the inner space of the strain sensor pipe. and from which it is
extruded into the space between the gauge and rock by means of a plunger. The gauges permit continuous
observation of strains during overcoring. are fully isolated from drilling water. and operate satisfactorily
at low bond stI'ength with rock. They have been used under a variety of rock conditions to measure stresses
varying from 1.5 to 100 MPa and at temperatures from 15° to 45°C. The theoretical and experimental verifi­
cation of the method and the in situ test procedures are presented.

1 INTRODUCTION 2 NOTATION

In 1972 development was vegun of a rock stress
measurement capability based on parallel application
of two different borehole overcoring methods. the
USBM borehole deformeter (Ref. 1) and the LNEC tri­
axial stress tensor gauge (Ref. 2). The latter was
chosen in preference to the CSIR triaxial stress
gauge (Ref. 3) because it provided full protection
of electrical circuitry from drilling water. and
allowed strain observations to be made during the
progress of overcoring.
A number of LNEC gauges were built and tested
in the laboratory with a strain gauged area 50 mm
long and a total length of about 100 mm to permit
their use in more closely jointed rock than was
possible with the original LNEC gauges . An epoxy
cement developed for cementing the gauges into pilot
boreholes gave bond strength to wet rock (modulus
of rupture) of over 7 MPa. As in the original
design the gauges were for use in down holes with
the cement stored in plastic bags attached to the
front end of the gauge.
A mathematical analysis carried out using
Muschelishvilli's method of complex potentials (Ref.
4) showed however. that because of the high Poisson's
ratio of the plastic from which the gauges were made,
they would behave as rigid inclusions when cemented
into boreholes and would often require a bond
strength in excess of that of available cements.
This was confirmed by field tests.
In view of this. a 'hollow inclusion gauge' was
developed in which the solid cylinder used in the
LNEC cell was replaced by a short thin-walled epoxy
resin pipe in which three strain gauge rosettes were
encapsulated. The latter measure strains on the
surface of the pilot hole during overcoring as in a
CSIR triaxial cell. This design reduced the requirec
strength of bond to the rock to usually less than 1
MFa; an alternative method of storing the cement wa~;
also developed. which allowed the use of the gauges
in holes of any direction.
radial poSition of strain gauges in the
EX size borehole
a radius of the EX size borehole
c:c axial strain on the surface of the EX size
borehole
circumferential strain on the surface of
the EX size borehole
strain on the surface of the EX size bore­
hole at an angle of :t45° to the borehole
axis
y6z shear strain component
Kl.K2,K3'~ = strain correction factors
OZ.Oy,Oiil = normal stress components in "local'
coordinate system
Try. TYiil' T= .. shear stress components in ' local'
coordinate system
Er Young's modulus of rock
v Poisson's ratio of rock
Young's modulus of epoxy resin
Young's modulus of rock determined from
biaxial tests of cores with hollow inclu­
sion gauges
0 1 . 02. 0 3 principal stresses
Bl.B2. B3 bearing. east of north
El,E2,E3 Up from hor'izon. positive
3 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
(a) Prototype
Fig. 1 shows a prototype gauge developed in
1973 for use in both horizontal and down holes. An
epoxy resin shell with strain gauges was mounted on
a steel pipe which served as a cement container
with 1 mm air gap between the plastic and steel'
pipes. All electrical connections were potted with
a cable emerging through the steel rear end.
After filling the container with cement, a
steel plunger was inserted into the front end for
about 2 cm and held in place by lead shear pins; a
wooden spacer rod was inserted into the front end
of the plunger to position the gauge at a required
distance from the, end of the EX hole. e.g. to avoid

1
 WOODEN
OUTLET HOLES fOIl EPOXY
Fig. 1.
a joint in the rock. The gauge was then pushed into
the end of the EX hole, shearing the lead pins and
extruding the cement through the holes in the plunger.
The cement was forced into the annulus between the
plastic pipe and rock, and held in position by neo­
prene rubber seals. (In an up-hole version of the
gauge the plunger was made solid, and the cement
was extruded through the openings at the rear of
the steel pipe between the plastic shell and the
rubber seals.)
The three 45°/90° strain gauge rosettes were
spaced at 120° along the circumference as shown in
Fig. 2. There were three circumferential and two
axial gauges and four gauges at ±45° to the axis of
the hole. The layout was chosen to give approxima­
tely evely balanced sensitivity to different compo­
nents of the stress tensor and to provide for some
duplication of gauges so that in the event of a
malfunction of one gauge of any of these three
groups, it would still be possible to obtain the
full stress tensor with reasonable accuracy.
The strain gauges were 10 mm long; from a mathe­
matical analysis of the relationship between length
and sensitivity, 10 mm was considered to be the most
suitable length for EX holes; it was expected that
satisfactory results would be obtained with a rock
grain size of up to 4 mm.
The strain gauge circuit was of three wires
quarter-bridge type and utilized the internal dummy
of the strain indicator. .
(b) Modification of Prototype
The init.i al intention was to recover the stress
gauges and re-use then for stress monitoring or to
recover the steel pipes and end pieces and replace
the epoxy resin shell and make up a new gauge.
y
A B
9 30' l70'
f3 O' 90' 45' 45' 90' 135'
Fig. 2. Orientation of strain gauges in the epoxy
pipe.
RESIN SIIE LL WITH STRAIN GAUGES CABLE
LEAD SHEAR PIN POTTING COMPOUND Uti
Prototype gauge developed in 1973.
The recovery of gauges was difficult and time­
consuming. The design was therefore modified in
1974-75 to reduce the cost of manufacture. The
steel plunger and pipe were replaced by a hollow
acrylic resin plunger. sliding directly into the
epoxy resin pipe and the whole body of the gauge,
including the rear end, was made of epoxy plastic
using extrusion moulding techniques. The external
diameter of the strain sensor pipe was increased to
36 mm and the strain gauges were placed closer to
the pipe's surface so that when cemented into the
borehole in the rock they were at an average dis­
tance of 1. 5 mm from the rock surface (rsg ~ 17.5 nun,
wi th radius of borehole a = 19.0 mm). The design of
the horizontal and down-hole stress gauge is shown
in Fig. 3 and that for up-hOle gauge in Fig. 4.
A breakable resistance wire is stretched across
the cement reservoir near its rear end. The wire is
connected to a battery and a warning light which is
extinguished when the plunger is pushed fully in,
thus breaking the resistance wire. In the up-hole
type the plunger can be activated by a pull wire
passing through the rear of the gauge as an a~ter­
native to pushing the body of the gauge over the
plunger.
(c) Fabrication of Gauges
A thin-walled pipe 32 mm i.d., 35 nun o.d. is
cast from Araldite 0 using an RTV rubber mould. The
strain gauge rosettes (T.M.L. PRS-IO-ll) are then
glued to the pipe using an epoxy strain gauge cement.
Very thin copper strip is stuck to the pipe in the
appropriate poSitions to act as lead wires for the
strain gauges. The breakable resistance wire is
soldered in position. Connections are then made to
the separate conductors of 12 core, 14 x 0076 cable.
Finally, the strain gauges and lead wires are cover­
ed with a thin coating of Araldite D to make the
pipe 36nuno.d. At the same time a 22 mmdia. instal­
lation end piece is moultled over the cable.
The above moulding technique is made possible
by the use of RTV rubber moulds. These moulds
x
enable dimensions to be maintained, while still
allOWing easy release of the cast part. TwO types
of moulds are required - one to produce the inner
pipe and one to produce the outer surface/instal­
lation end piece. The rubber moulds themselves are
produced by moulding arOund masters turned from
aluminium. The rubber moulds deteriorate with use,
but experience has shown that they are capable of
producing six to twelve components.
Completion of the gauge requires the position­
ing and fixing of the neoprene rubber seals and the
manufacture of the plunger which is produced from
c 32 mm o. d. acrylic tubing with a 2 mm wall thickness.
ISO' The gauges are then given an oven cure fOr 24 hours
O' 90' 45' at 55°C to complete the polymerisation of plastic
and ensure the stability of mechanical properties.
Tests of the completed strain sensor pipes gave a
Young's modulus of 2.8 - 3.5 GPa and Poisson's
ratio between 0.35 and 0.40.
2
 ,/

WOOOE N SPACER HOLLOW PL UNGER

/
OUTLET HOLES fOR EPOXY CEMUT EPOXY CEMEIIT

Fig. 3. Gauge for use in horizontal and down-holes.

wooe£N SPACER HOLLOW PLUNGER ACTUATING CABLE

/
I
SET INOICATING SHEAR WIRE EPOXY CEMENT ---OUTlET HOLES fOR EPOXY CEMENT )Z••

Fig. 4. Gauge for use in up-holes.

4 THEORETICAL BASIS AND EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION assumed to be the same as that of plastic).

(a) Relationship between Rock Stresses and Measured TABU: I

Strains
K FACTORS
The strains measured by the hollow inclusion Aver. for
gauges are the axial. Ex and the circumferential Ee Ep:EpZ rsg.DmI Kl K2 K3 ~ Kl & K2
strains. and the strains at ±45° to the borehole
axis (see Fig. 2). 20 17 1.18 1.20 1.11 0.88 1.20
20 17.5 1.12 1.13 1.08 0.91 1.12
The relationships between the stresses in the 20 18.0 1.07 1.07 1.05 0.95 1.07
rock and the strains at the surface of the pilot 10 17.5 1.10 1.08 1.08 1.09
hole were given by Leeman (Ref. 3). However. in 5 17.5 1.08 1.02 1.08 1.05
hollow inclusion cells. the strain gauges are 3 17.5 1.04 1.00 1.02
situated about 1.5 IlDII from the rock surface. This
does not affect the measured value of the axial
strain. but the circumferential and the inclined K factors for the roc~s in which the gauges have
strains are slightly higher than if the strain been used are given in Table I. Poisson's ratio was
gauges were glued directly to the rock surface. taken as 0.25 for rock and 0.4 for epoxy resin and
cement; the effect of variation of position of the
Introducing the correction factors. Kl to K4
strain gauges relative to rock surface is also shown;
for the effect of the gap between the strain gauges
in practice it varies within 0.3 mm from the average
and the rock surface the relationships between the
position.
stresses in the rock and the measured strains can
be presented as shown in Eqs. 1 to 4. The relationship between the "measured circumfer­
ential strains and the rock stresses perpendicular
The coordinate system is as in Fig. 2. The co­
to the borehole was evaluated using Savin's solution
ordinates are based on the direction of the borehole,
(Ref. 5) for an elastic ring welded into a circular
and can be called "local" coordinates, to distin­
hole in a ~late. This enabled computation of co­
guiSh from "global" coordinates which are usually
taken in the vertical, north-south and east-west efficients Kl and K2 ' The coefficient K3 was esti­
mated from known solution for a cylindrical hole in
directions. The rock is assumed to be linearly
a body with shear stresses parallel to the axis of
elastic and isotropic.
the hole (Ref. 3); continuity of gradients of defor­
EpEe = (Oy+Oz) Kl+2 (1-\12) [(Oz-Oy) cos28-2'yzsin28]K 2 mations across the transition from rock to plastic
was assumed, and the shear strain extrapolated
- \lOxK4 (1)
(assuming negligible effect of plastic pipe on rock
EpEx= Ox - \I(Oy+Oz) (2) deformations) into the adjacent plastic. The co­
efficient K4 was computed assuming plane strain
EYex = 4 (1+\1) ('zxcose - 'xysine)K 3 (3)
conditions in the rock-plastic pipe composite.
E±45 0 = 0.5 (Ex + Ee ± Yex) (4)

The values of the K factors depend on the posi­

tion of the strain gauges relative to the rock Fig. 5 shows a comparison of circumferential
surface (rSg),on the dimensions of the stress gauge strains at the rock surface with strains at the
and on the ~oung's moduli and Poisson's ratio of location of the strain gauges under stresses trans­
rock and plastic (the properties of the cement are verse to the borehole.

3

Uy=U-r 6'89HPa o G'z=6 ' 89HPa
...,
o
ay=O
y~--~r--+--- ~- ~-+---+---~--~~~y
---­
~
- - - Strain on SIrlact of borthoIt
t2
--Strain at position rsg=17'SIIIIII
z and thus determination of modulus in the biaxial test
Fig. 5. Circumferential strain on the surface of the
EX size borehole compared with the circumfe­
rential strain at rsg = 17.5 nun, EI' = 69 GPa,
VI' = 0.25, Epl = 3.5 GPa, Vpl = 0.4.
(bl Computation of Rock Stresses from Measured
Strains
While coefficients such as Kl and K2 are signi­
ficant, in practice more important errors are
associated with variations in rock properties, with
scatter and variations in the magnitudes and direc­
tions of rock stresses, and with the limited oppor­
tunity to carry out sufficient number of tests over
large areas.
Assuming that errors of 5-10\ can be tolerated,
the following procedure has been adopted for the
analysis of test results. After overcoring, each
core with the stress cell glued in place, is tested
in biaxial compression to check the behaviour of
the strain gauges and of the rock, and to determine
the relationship between the stress in the rock and
the strains shown by individual strain gauges. The
effective Young's modulus and the Poisson's ratio
of rock are thus obtained as though the strain
gauges were located at the rock surface. A check
is made of the degree of anisotropy of rock, and of
the relationship between E45, EO and Ex. All rocks
tested were isotropic within 10%. When biaxial
testing is completed, the cores are cut across the
strain gauged area with a diamond saw to provide an
additional check of the bond with the rock and to
verify that the distance between the strain gauges
and the rock is normal. If so, the strain results
are analysed using the effective Young's modulus and
Poisson's ratio of rock obtained in biaxial tests.
The modulus is theoretically about 12% lower
value of applied load as sensed by the cell was
than the "true" modulus of rock, and if used in
within 4% of that actually applied, with the standard
stress computations it automatically compensates
deviation being les than 2%. The computed principal
for the coefficients Kl and K2' and for variations
s tress direction was 87° from horizontal as compared
of rock prope~ti e s .
The computation o f the stresses is carried out
using a program for' the a nalysis of observations
with the CSIR tria xial cell (Refs. 7,8). It uses
the least s q uares method to compute the most probable
values of stre ss compone n ts, th e principal stresses
~nd the standard e rror of s tres s components as
proposed by Pane k (Ref. 6).
The prog ram was mo dif ied to proces s bo th the
cylinder of aluminium containing a co-axial EX hole.
hollow inc lusion and th e USBM bo r e ho le gauge ob se r­
vations. If, as usual, the Young's modulus of rock
is determined in a biaxial test of the rock core with
the stress gauge, use can be made of an option in
the program for adjusting the stress-strain coeffi­
cients for the axial Ox and shear stresses, TZX and
Tyx to compensate for the 'smaller effect of the 'gap'
between the strain gauges and rock on the axial and
shear strains and stresses as compared with its
effect on the circumferential strains due to stresses
0Y' 0z and T yz • The equations 1-4 are modified by
d~viding both sides of the equation by the average
of Kl and K2 factors
Eef Ee (Oy+Oz)+I1-V 2 ) [(Oz-Oy)cos2e
- 2Tyz sin28] - VK40x/Kl'2 (5)
(6)
Eef Yex = 4(1+v) (TzxCOSe - Tyx sine)K3/Kl'2 (7)
E±45 0 = 0.5 (Ex+Ee±Yex) (8)
(0=19I11III1
If, for some reason, e.g. the core is too short
is impossible, another option permits computation of
stresses in accordance with eqs. 1 to 4 using the
"true" modulus of rock as determined by other means.
In practice, these options give very similar
results (usually up to 5\ higher), to those obtained
using the effective modulus of rock from biaxial
tests without K factor corrections.
(c) Experimental Verification
(i) Laboratory tests
The theoretical validity of the method was
verified in laboratory tests of rectangular blocks
of aluminium subjected to uniaxial load, and in tests
of 150 nun o.d. aluminium cylinders subjected to
biaxial hydrostatic loads. Results of two such tests
are presented below.
Test 1
A 508 x 254 x 203 mm prismatic block of alumi­
nium containing an EX size hole oriented at 45 0 to
the 254 x 203 mm faces was prepared (Fig. 6). Strain
gauges were affixed to the outer surfaces of the
block to check the manner of loading of the prism
and the Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of the
material. These were computed as 71 GPa and 0.35
respectively, close to expected values for the
material. A gauge was installed in the hole, and
after allowing time for the glue to cure, the block
was loaded to 20.7 MFa in five steps. Fig. 6 depicts
the output of the CSIRO gauge versus applied stress.
Values of strain for each strain gauge at the
20.7 stress level were obtained from Fig. 6. Using
an elastic modulus of 71 GPa and a Poisson's ratio
of 0 . 35 for the aluminium, the output was analysed
using the K factor option. The computed stress
components are shown in Table II. The computed
with a "theoretical" value of 90°. These deviations
are well within the accuracy of loading and stress
distribution in the aluminium block and within the
accuracy of the de termination of Young's modulus of
material.
Test 2
A stz'ess gauge was glued into a 150 mm dia.
r. i a:; i a l pressure was applied to the cylinder by means
4
 TABLE I I

LABORATORY TESTS FOR VERIFICATION OF HOLLOW INCLUSION METHOD

Streso Components, MFa Principal Stresses, MPa; Bearing and Elevations

ax 0y a. Txy Tyz Tzx 01 Bl El 02 B2 E2 03 % E3
(a) Aluminium prilm in uniaxial
comfr_ion; rtreu cell at 45"
to applied load
Applied rtrea 0 0 20.68 0 0 0 20.7 SO· 0 0

Test resula using 0.20 -0.11 20.00 0.09 -0.44 -0.89 20.0 154· 87· 0. 1 78· -0.7· -0.2 168· -3·
K faclm o~on;
Et=71.0 Pa Std. error 0.40 0. 22 0 . 36 0,17 0.14 0.22

(b) Biaxial comfr.aon testa

of alllmlnium cylinder COD­
taiDiDg a _ gauge

Theoretical,
Infinitely loug 0 23.44 23.44 0 0 0 23.44 270" 23.44 270" 0 0 180" 0"
cylinder

Test .esula Uling -1.57 22.78 23.21 -0.32 -0.04 0.31 23.24 262 0 -84 0 22.8 269 0 5.7 -1,6 1790 0.7 0
leff =65.4 GPa and
adjuRing K faCka Std. error 1.07 0.48 O. &l 0.38 0.32 0.47

of the biaxial pressure jacket (Ref. 1) while the Table II shows the six stress components and the
output of the gauge was monitored (Fig. 7). principal stresses computed from the test results at
the applied pressure of 23.4 MPa. The X direction
Values for the elastic modulus and Poisson's is coincident wi th the axis of the EX hole. The
ratio of the aluminium calculated from the trJee modulus of 65.4 GPa was used, and the stress-strain
circumferential and two axial strain gauges were coefficients at the axial a~ and shear stresses Tzx
E = 65.4 MPa and v = 0.36. The high value of the and Txy adjusted as discussed above.
Poisson's ratio could possibly be attributed to an
axial tensile stress which develops in cores pres­ (ii) verification of the method in situ
surised over a part of their length only. The
Young's modulus value of 65.4 GPa was about S% lower Verification of the method in situ was obtained
than the "true" value of 71 MPa for the material, by carrying out parallel tests using CSIRO and USBM
due to the gap between the strain gauges and the borehole deformeter gauges and by assessing and com­
surface of the EX hole. paring the results obtained in the same area by
different CSIRO gauges.

In - most tests the vertical stresses as deter­

mined by hollow inClusion gauges were close to over­
burden pressure, as would be expected in these areas.

-§~.--------------------------------.
jg

o
0 -
z ...
;;;:
a:
.... 0
"'0 ­
~pt\
z: :Eo
C
...'"
<It
2
~
<.>
%
~

~
g
~ 8"'"
-Vi
c:
.!c: !8':----~
.... ....0 S
. 10
BIAXIAL
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
STRESS (HPa) ....
Fig. 6. Test 1: Strain as sensed by gauge v. uniaxial Fig. 7. Test 2: Strain as sensed by gauge v. biaxial
pressure applied to aluminium block pressure applied to aluminium cylinder

5
 TABLE III The following composition was found satisfactory -
STRESS COMFONENTS AND STANDARD ERRORS ASSOCIATED WITH
Araldite resin LC230/Hardener LC230/Araldite 0
PRINCIPAL STRESSES SHOWN IN FIGS. 8 and 9 resin/Hardener HY956 in proportions by weight
100:60:68 :1 2 .
Stress Components (MPa)
Method an Ow av Tnw Twv Tvn
This mix gives a bond strength to wet rock of
Hollow inclusion gauge 03 22 45 17 5 -11 -12 8 - 20 MFa; has a pot life of about 25 min. at 25°C,
05 29 47 14 5 -11 -3
reducing to 10 mins. at 40 o C; extrudes through
06 31 38 8 11 -9 -2
03, OS, 06 combined 29 43 16 7 -9 -7 thin sections without being excessively fluid, and
USBM 23 58 14 -8 -6 -2 polymerises within 12 hours.
USBM and hollow inclusion 21 41 15 3 -8 -4
gaUl_ 03, OS, 06 combined

Standard Enon (MPa)

Holl_ iDcluaion gauge 03 2 1 1 1 1 1

05 2 1 2 1 1 1
06 1 1 1 1 1 1
03, OS, 06 combined 3 3 2 2 1 2
USBM 4 8 3 5 2 2
USBM, 03, OS, 06 combined 3 3 2 2 2 1

Fig. ~ shows an example of stress results ob­

tained from the same area by different hollow inclu­
sion gauges. In Fig. 9 these results are compared
with USBM borehole deformeter measurements. Table
III gives the stress components and standard errors
associated with Figs. 8 & 9. The scatter is greater w4---4---~-+--+-+--+-+~~~~~~+-~~--~--,---~
than average; the rock was chloritic slate with
close cleavage and jointing, which caused problems
in obtaining intact core. As a comparison, Fig. 10
shows stress results obtained from different hollow
inclusion gauges at another mine at which the rock
was massive.

5 TEST PKlCEDURE AND EQUIPMENT

(a) Adhesives
About 15 different epoxy and polyester adhesive
.ystems were tested. The best results for bond
strength to wet rock, viscosity, pot life and the
ability to polymerise in thin sections, were obtained
by combining the filled epoxy resin, Araldite LC230 Fig. 9. Comparison of principal stresses obtained
(which cures at room temperature) with Araldite 0 from gauges 03,05 & 06 combined (SI) , USBM
resin (manufactured by CIBA-Geigy Australia Ltd.). tests in holes A, B & C (US) and the
results from the three gauges and USBM
tests combined (US & SI) •

w4---+--+--+-~~-+-+~

Fig. 8. Comparison of principal stresses obtained Fig. 10 . Comparison of principal stresses obtained
from gauges 03,05 & 06. Gauges 05 & 06 from gauges 08,11,14 & 16. Gauges 08,11 &
installed in hole B, gauge 03 in hole C. 16 installed in hole A, gauge 14 in hole B.

6
 To facil i tate h andling in the field, the two
monomer resins, LC230 and Araldite D a re premixed
in the laboratory , as are a lso both hardeners, and
transported in two sealed cont aine rs. When needed,
the resins are poured into the hardene rs and
stirred vigorously for 3 - 5 minutes before pouring
into the cement chamber of the stress gauge.
(b) Installation Procedure and Equipment
The installation procedure and equipment are
for the most part the same as for the USBM borehole
deformeter, and in most respects follow USBM
practice for the latter gauge (Ref. 1).
AlSO mm dia. hole is drilled to the location
at which it is desired to measure stresses, using ,
thin walled core barrels of length 600 mm. A
38 mm dia. pilot hole (usually 450 mm long) is
drilled on through the test position. The gauge
is installed normally at 200 to 300 mm from the
kerf of the 150 mm dia. hole in an area free of
jointing.
After the pilot hole is thoroughly cleaned and
dried, the cement chamber of the gauge is filled,
the gauge clipped in a placing tool and then
inserted into position in the pilot hole. A pres­
sure is applied against the end of the installation
rods, which breaks the shear pins, and allows the
cement to be extruded around the gauge. A mercury
switch situated in the installation rod permits the
gauge to be accurately orientated.
OVercoring is carried out using alSO mm dia .
thin walled coring bit at a rate of advance of
about 20 mm/min. A digital strain indicator is
used with a ten channel swith and balance box, a
reading being taken every 5 l11li\ of advance so that
a single channel is read every 45 mm. This provides
sufficient data for plotting graphs which indicate
whether the gauges have responded in the normal
manner (Fig. 11).
After retrieval of the core containing the
gauge it is tested in a biaxial cell to determine
the Young I s modulus of the rock. This test provides
another cheCk on the response of individual gauges.
The core is cut radially through the strain
gauge area to check the bonding of the gauge and
the rock quality; and through the cement overflow
area to check the gauge orientation.
OVERCORING DISTANCE hIli'
~cO____~5~O~__~IOrO~__~ISOr-__~~~___~~~~3~OO~__~3,SO~__~~~__~4SO
~~r
[ parallel stress estimates by USBM and by
I hollow inclusion methods. Two of the holes
~o
45
45
8,
§,
j 1190
20
~~r~--------~~----------------------------------------~
Fig.• 11. Typical output of a gauge during overcoring
7
(c) Manpowe r and time
Four men are required on-site to install and
overcore a gauge; a driller and assistant plus a
two-man crew to prepare, install and r ead the gauge,
and to carry out the biaxial test. Experience has
shown that in good rock, it is possible to install
and overcore the USBM borehole deformeter in the
first half of a shift, then install a CSlRO gauge in
the second half. The CSlRO gauge can then be over­
cored the following morning and another USBM test
carried out and/or a second CSIRO cell installed
towards the end of that shift. As another example,
with the help of a competent drilling crew, six
CSIRO gauges were installed (in two holes) and over­
cored in five, eight-hour shifts. All installations
were successful . No USBM gauges were used at this
site.
Parallel use of USBM and hollow inclusion gauges
in the same hole permits twice as much information
to be obtained with less than 50% increase in time
and cost compared with one method only.
6 COMMENTS ON APPLICATION
A summary of the conditions under which the
method has been used is shown in Table IV. The over­
all success rate has been about 66%. Half of the
failures were due to core fracturing because of
jointing or discing, and one half due to construction
or operator defects. The highest success rate was
with the horizontal holes (over 80\ successful), and
the worst with down-holes (less than 50% successful).
Tests at temperatures outside the range shown in
Table III would be difficult with the adhesives used.
As regards closeness of jointing, satisfactory
results were obtained with cores as short as 200 l11li\,
but cores over 250 mm long are normally required.
The selection of a test site with sufficiently
sound rock, and ~rientation of holes to give opti­
mum core recovery as well as optimum sensitivity to
the stress components of maximum interest for the
particular problem can be decisive for the success
of measurements.
Normally, the aim is to obtain over fifty strain
observations at a site, the majority of them coming
from hollow inclusion gauges. Tests are carried out
in at least two holes per site, but preferably in
three holes per site. This permits stresses to be
measured in a volwne of rock of 100 - 200 m3 to assess
a possible bias in stress distribution asso­
ciated with the rock structure; if three
holes are used, it becomes possible to obtain
are usually oriented to determine the stres­
ses required for the design problem, e.g.
stresses perpendicular to the long axis of
a stope or underground machine hall, or
along a pillar. Wherever possible several
sites are tested, spread horizontally and
over a range of depths.
Because the strain gauges are well
protected from drilling water ther,e is no
need for the incorporation of a dummy gauge
into the cell. At high temperatures, such
as those experienced at Mt. Isa Mine,
presence of internal dummy gauges would be
desirable.
 TABLE IV

SUMMARY OF APPLICATIONS 1973-76

Rock li:° av Ii: tav

Depth below Rock Type RockQuallty tempera- °1 ---y­ ---y­
Year LocatiOll Site Surface (m) tIlI'e(0C) (MPa) 10- 6 1(),,"6
1973 CSA Mine, Cob...., 4 level 455 Chloritic alate CIOlely joiDted 23 26
N.S.W.
1973 Warrego Mine, N. T. 4 level 240 Magnetite ore MUlive 27 20 30 18
4 level (at contact
with Magnetite) 240 Slate (Country rock) CIOlely jolDted 27 16 35 21
6 level 320 Magnetite 0I"e MUlive 28 22
1974 CSA Mine, Cabar, 4 level 245 Highly cleaved ClOlely joiDted 23 27
N.S.W. 7 level 625 chloride date 25 40 33 22
1974 NJlHC Mine. N. S. w. 14 level 5SO Quartz gamet Mudve 25 32 15 11
Development drive
1975

1975
Dolpb1n Mine, King
Wand, Tumania
1975 Mt. lIa Mine,
Queendand
Mt. I'a Mine,
Queendand
75 level
Development drive
CroWD pillar of cut-
and-fill nope
19 level
Development drive
75
75
495

975
Pyaxan gamet _
akarn & marble

Argilllte

Argilllte
1_
CIOlely jointed
Severe diacing due
to blgb

Moderate.!y jointed
16
16
30

48
3
5
100

28
3

29 23
2

7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4. MUSCHELISHVILI, N. Some Basic Problems of the

Thanks are expressed to the Cobar Mines Pty.
Limited and Peko Wallsend Ltd. at whose mines field
testing of the prototype "hollow inclusion" gauges
was carried out. The assistance of Messrs. O. Whittley
and A. Dean in development of the manufacturing pro­
cedures, and of D. Maslin, G. Cadby and R. Thompson
in development of field testing procedures is grate­
fully -acknowledged. The use of the gauges in
various mines has been carried out as part of a co­
operative research project sponsored by Australian
Mineral Industries Research Association Ltd.
8 REFERENCES
1 . HOOKER, V.E. and BICKEL, D.L. Overcoring
equipment and techniques used in rock stress
determination. United Stated Bureau of Mines,
Information Circular 8618, 1974.
2. ROCHA, M. and SILVERIO, A. A new method for
complete determination of the state of stress
in rock masses. Proc. Int. Symp. on the Deter­
mination of Stresses in Rock Masses, Lisbon ,1969.
3. LEEMAN, E.R. The CSIR "Ooorstopper" and tria­
xial rock stress measuring instruments. Proc.
Int. Symp. on the Determination of Stress~n
Rock Masses, Lisbon, 1969.
Mathematical Theory of Elasticity: Fundamental­
Equations, Plane Theory of Elasticity, Torsion
and Bending. Fourth corrected and augmented
edition. Groningen, Noordhoff, 1963.
5. SAVIN, G.N. Stress Concentration Around Holes.
N.Y. Pergamon, Chapter 5, pp. 234-296.
6. PANEK, L.A. Calculation of the average ground­
stress components from measurements of diarnetral
deformation of a drill hole. Testing Techniques
for Rock Mechanics, A.S.T.M. STP No. 402, 1966,
pp. 106-132.
7. FRIDAY, R.G. Computer program NMPA. Made
available by North Broken Hill Pty. Ltd.
8. RADMANOVICK, M. and FRIDAY, R.G. Rock Stress
Measurement by a Borehole Strain Gauge Tech­
nique. Australasian Inst. Min. & Metall.,
Monograph Series 3 - Broken Hill Mines, 1968,
pp. 19-25.
9. WORDTNICKI, G. and DENHAM, D. The State of
Stress in the Upper Part of the Earth's Crust
in Australia according to Measurements in Mines
and Tunnels and from Seismic Observations. Proc.
Symp. on Investigation of Stress in Rock ­
Advances in Stress Measurement, Sydney, 1976.