Building a 3D Digital Twin for Geotechnical Monitoring at San Xavier Mine

Assessing ground conditions in underground mines during excavation can be difficult and unsafe for mine workers and engineers. A continuous monitoring system for ground conditions with minimum geohazard exposure to workers is needed to ensure rock mass stability in underground mines. A sensor-based geotechnical monitoring framework that deploys a three-dimensional digital twin for underground mines is proposed and developed. The monitoring framework consists of the determination of variables to be monitored, selection of sensors and layout design, installation of instrumentation, collection of data in near real-time, and visualization of data using a 3D digital twin. The proposed framework is implemented at the San Xavier (SX) Underground Mining Laboratory to develop a tool for monitoring ground displacement. The preliminary result shows that the framework is implemented effectively to collect data automatically for a 3D digital twin that updates visualizations in desired frequencies. This framework can be a significant aid for the mining industry to reduce injury and fatality due to ground fall.