Knowledge of the in-situ stress conditions in mining areas is very necessary for scientific mining design and effective disaster control measures. The object of this article is to systematically introduce the in-situ stress measurement method and its implications in mining engineering, including mining design optimization, rockburst mechanism and prediction, stability control of surrounding rock, fault stability assessment, exploration and development of coalbed methane, coal and gas outburst prediction, evaluation of water inrush from coal floor, and high-stress rock breaking. The research results are of great significance to realize the safe, economic, and efficient recovery of mineral resources.
The exploitation and utilization of mineral resources is the foundation of human survival and social development, and the mining industry has made important contributions to the development of human society. Mining engineering provides essential materials for human beings, but various engineering geological disasters occur frequently during mining due to artificial mining disturbance and complex hydrological and geological structural conditions, which seriously threatens the safe and efficient mining of mineral resources and the sustainable development of the mining industry.
In-situ stress is the natural stress that existed in the stratum before mining excavation and is the fundamental force causing deformation and failure of mining engineering [1,2]. The mining process involves a complex mechanical response process. In the process of mining excavation, the original equilibrium stress state of rock mass will be destroyed and a series of complex mechanical response behaviors related to stress redistribution will appear in the surrounding rock mass. All mining excavation activities and the corresponding mechanical responses, such as stress concentration of surrounding rock and deformation and movement of the rock mass, are carried out under the influence and control of the in-situ stress field [3]. To ensure the safety and efficiency of mining excavation and realize the optimization of mining design, the stability of surrounding rock in the entire process of mining excavation must be quantitatively calculated and scientifically analyzed. In-situ stress is the necessary mechanical precondition (boundary condition) for quantitative design and calculation. Therefore, the study of in-situ stress measurement and its distribution characteristics has always been a basic and quite important work in mining engineering.