Geomechanical Risk Analysis for the Historical Salt Cavern Saurau in Wieliczka Mine
arXiv:1907.13406
The paper uses three‑dimensional finite element simulations to model two historic rooms in the Saurau salt cavern of the Wieliczka mine, evaluating elastic‑viscous rock mass stability and identifying zones at higher risk of damage using safety‑margin criteria based on stress‑strain limits.
Abstract
Based on the finite element method formulated in three dimensions, a selected area of the salt mine has been modeled, embracing totally 2 separated, historically valuable mine rooms. The results of the computer simulations permitted elastic-viscous rock mass stability analyses identifying the areas being more susceptible to damage, presently and in a far future. The geomechanical risk assessment procedure utilized so called safety margins which were defined as a distance between the point characterized by the actual local strain/stress conditions and the instability (limit) surface(s) which location in the 3D stress/strain space could be determined using the well-known strength theories,