Towards Integrated Rock Support Visualisation in 3D Point Cloud of Underground Mines

2026-05-20

AI Summary

This study addresses the longstanding disconnect between joint structure characterization and rock bolt data in rock mass support evaluation, which has hindered integrated spatial analysis. The authors propose an automated framework tailored to 3D point clouds from underground mines that, for the first time, unifies structural plane mapping and rock bolt detection within a single modeling pipeline. By integrating plane fitting, object detection, normal vector computation, and stereographic projection analysis, the method enables fully automatic processing without manual intervention. Validated on real-world data from a metal mine, the approach accurately reconstructs joint networks and rock bolt geometries in medium-scale scenes and visualizes critical quality metrics—such as bolt exposure length and installation deviation—thereby facilitating comprehensive assessment of rock bolt–rock mass spatial relationships and support effectiveness.

Abstract

The effectiveness of rock support in underground mines depends on the interaction between installed rock bolts and the structural fabric of the surrounding rock mass. However, discontinuity characterisation and rock bolt identification are commonly treated as separate tasks, limiting their value for integrated support assessment. This study presents an automated framework for integrated rock support visualisation using 3D point clouds of underground mine excavations. The framework integrates structure mapping, rock bolt identification, discontinuity plane fitting, and bolt orientation estimation into a unified workflow optimised for accuracy and computational efficiency. The outputs are used to generate an integrated 3D visualisation of fitted discontinuity planes and bolt vectors, enabling direct assessment of their spatial intersections and geometric relationships. A complementary stereographic analysis of discontinuity poles and bolt orientations is also performed to evaluate overall bolting geometric effectiveness relative to the mapped structural fabric. Additionally, bolt-level quality metrics, including exposed protrusion length and deviation from the local roof normal, are visualised to support assessment of installation quality. The proposed framework is demonstrated on real underground metal mine scans, producing accurate structure mapping and rock bolt identification results in medium-scale point clouds. Overall, the study provides a practical step towards automated, integrated geotechnical assessment of rock support effectiveness without requiring manual measurements or additional in-situ data acquisition.

Problem

• rock support
• discontinuity characterisation
• rock bolt identification
• 3D point cloud
• integrated visualisation

Innovation

• integrated rock support
• 3D point cloud
• discontinuity characterisation
• rock bolt identification
• automated geotechnical assessment