\"Rock mass monitoring in underground excavations is crucial for ensuring workplace safety and efficiency. As mines become deeper and more complex, the need to monitor larger volumes of rock during mining becomes impractical with existing instruments due to high costs. Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing (DOFS) is a powerful technology with advantages like long sensor length, real-time measurement capabilities, ease of installation, low cost, and distributed measurement. However, its application in rock mass monitoring is limited, especially in the mining industry. This study addresses a major gap in DOFS technology, specifically the inability of long-range distributed optical fiber strain sensors to detect cracking in brittle media. To overcome this, a specialized Hybrid Optical Fiber Cable (HOFC) was developed, enabling self-anchorage in confined spaces like grouted boreholes. Laboratory-scale tests demonstrated the HOFC's accuracy for distributed strain sensing in brittle media. The HOFC was then used in a field-scale monitoring study at an active underground mine during a room and pillar removal operation. The monitoring results allowed for identifying rock mass deformation and assessing damage to critical mine infrastructure. A mine-scale numerical model was developed based on laboratory testing, geologic interpretations, and engineering analysis, enabling a direct comparison between model outputs and field measurements\"-- Abstract, p. iv
","abstract_html":"<p>"Rock mass monitoring in underground excavations is crucial for ensuring workplace safety and efficiency. As mines become deeper and more complex, the need to monitor larger volumes of rock during mining becomes impractical with existing instruments due to high costs. Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing (DOFS) is a powerful technology with advantages like long sensor length, real-time measurement capabilities, ease of installation, low cost, and distributed measurement. However, its application in rock mass monitoring is limited, especially in the mining industry. This study addresses a major gap in DOFS technology, specifically the inability of long-range distributed optical fiber strain sensors to detect cracking in brittle media. To overcome this, a specialized Hybrid Optical Fiber Cable (HOFC) was developed, enabling self-anchorage in confined spaces like grouted boreholes. Laboratory-scale tests demonstrated the HOFC's accuracy for distributed strain sensing in brittle media. The HOFC was then used in a field-scale monitoring study at an active underground mine during a room and pillar removal operation. The monitoring results allowed for identifying rock mass deformation and assessing damage to critical mine infrastructure. A mine-scale numerical model was developed based on laboratory testing, geologic interpretations, and engineering analysis, enabling a direct comparison between model outputs and field measurements"-- Abstract, p. iv</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Nowak, Samuel Vincent"],"institution":"Missouri University of Science and Technology","degree_name":"Ph. D. in Mining Engineering","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:18:26Z","subjects":["Distributed fiber optic sensing","geomechanics","mining","monitoring","Engineering","Mining Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/doctoral_dissertations/3294","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Nowak, Samuel Vincent"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Dissertation - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph. D. in Mining Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Missouri University of Science and Technology"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Distributed fiber optic sensing","geomechanics","mining","monitoring","Engineering","Mining Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/doctoral_dissertations/3294"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["\"Rock mass monitoring in underground excavations is crucial for ensuring workplace safety and efficiency. As mines become deeper and more complex, the need to monitor larger volumes of rock during mining becomes impractical with existing instruments due to high costs. Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing (DOFS) is a powerful technology with advantages like long sensor length, real-time measurement capabilities, ease of installation, low cost, and distributed measurement. However, its application in rock mass monitoring is limited, especially in the mining industry. This study addresses a major gap in DOFS technology, specifically the inability of long-range distributed optical fiber strain sensors to detect cracking in brittle media. To overcome this, a specialized Hybrid Optical Fiber Cable (HOFC) was developed, enabling self-anchorage in confined spaces like grouted boreholes. Laboratory-scale tests demonstrated the HOFC's accuracy for distributed strain sensing in brittle media. The HOFC was then used in a field-scale monitoring study at an active underground mine during a room and pillar removal operation. The monitoring results allowed for identifying rock mass deformation and assessing damage to critical mine infrastructure. A mine-scale numerical model was developed based on laboratory testing, geologic interpretations, and engineering analysis, enabling a direct comparison between model outputs and field measurements\"-- Abstract, p. iv
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Novel Uses of Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing for Geo-Mechanical Monitoring"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Nowak, Samuel Vincent"],"dc:description.abstract":["\"Rock mass monitoring in underground excavations is crucial for ensuring workplace safety and efficiency. As mines become deeper and more complex, the need to monitor larger volumes of rock during mining becomes impractical with existing instruments due to high costs. Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing (DOFS) is a powerful technology with advantages like long sensor length, real-time measurement capabilities, ease of installation, low cost, and distributed measurement. However, its application in rock mass monitoring is limited, especially in the mining industry. This study addresses a major gap in DOFS technology, specifically the inability of long-range distributed optical fiber strain sensors to detect cracking in brittle media. To overcome this, a specialized Hybrid Optical Fiber Cable (HOFC) was developed, enabling self-anchorage in confined spaces like grouted boreholes. Laboratory-scale tests demonstrated the HOFC's accuracy for distributed strain sensing in brittle media. The HOFC was then used in a field-scale monitoring study at an active underground mine during a room and pillar removal operation. The monitoring results allowed for identifying rock mass deformation and assessing damage to critical mine infrastructure. A mine-scale numerical model was developed based on laboratory testing, geologic interpretations, and engineering analysis, enabling a direct comparison between model outputs and field measurements\"-- Abstract, p. iv
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/doctoral_dissertations/3294"],"dc:subject":["Distributed fiber optic sensing","geomechanics","mining","monitoring","Engineering","Mining Engineering"],"dc:title":["Novel Uses of Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing for Geo-Mechanical Monitoring"],"dc:type":["Dissertation - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph. D. in Mining Engineering"],"thesis:institution_name":["Missouri University of Science and Technology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:18:26Z"}