REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 9665 

 

TEMPERATURE CORRECTIONS TO EARTH PRESSURE 

CELLS EMBEDDED IN CEMENTED BACKFILL 

 

D.R. Tesarik, J.B. Seymour, T.J. Williams, L.A. Martin, and F.M. Jones 

 

Department of Health and Human Services 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 

TEMPERATURE CORRECTIONS TO EARTH PRESSURE CELLS 

EMBEDDED IN CEMENTED BACKFILL 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover: Simplified graph showing differences in stress when readings are and are not corrected 

for temperature. Inset shows biaxial stressmeter. 
REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 9665

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D.R. Tesarik, J.B. Seymour, T.J. Williams, L.A. Martin, and F.M. Jones

 

 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 

Spokane Research Laboratory, Spokane, WA 

April 2006 

TEMPERATURE CORRECTIONS TO EARTH PRESSURE 

CELLS EMBEDDED IN CEMENTED BACKFILL
ii

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and information about occupational safety and health 

are available from 

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DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2006-103 

This document is in the public domain and may be freely copied or reprinted. 

Disclaimer: 

The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the 

views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), nor does mention of any 

company or product constitute endorsement by NIOSH. 

ORDERING INFORMATION
iii

Page 

Abstract ............................................................................................................................ 1 

Introduction...................................................................................................................... 2 

 Turquoise Ridge Mine .................................................................................................. 3 

 Foidel Creek Mine ........................................................................................................ 6 

 Lucky Friday Mine ...................................................................................................... 8 

 Equations for combined data ....................................................................................... 10 

Conclusions........................................................................................................................ 10 

Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. 11

References ......................................................................................................................... 11 

Appendix........................................................................................................................... 13 

1. Correction factors for nonmining periods...................................................................... 6

1. Location of Turquoise Ridge, Foidel Creek, and Lucky Friday mines........................... 3 

2. Elevation and plan view of backfill span test site at Turquoise Ridge Mine.................. 4 

3. Plan view of instrumented section of eight-right longwall panel, gateroads, and 

 cross-panel entry, Foidel Creek Mine............................................................................ 7 

4. Plan view of 5660-05-level intersection and instrument locations at Lucky Friday 

 Mine............................................................................................................................. 9 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE

LIST OF FIGURES 
iv

cm centimeter in inch 

kg/m3 kilogram per cubic meter ft foot 

km kilometer ft/day foot per day 

kN kilonewton lb pound 

kPa kilopascal lb/ft3 pound per cubic foot 

m meter psi pound per square inch 

m/day meter per day °F degree Fahrenheit 

mm millimeter % percent 

MPa megapascal ° degree 

Pa pascal 

°C degree Celsius 

UNIT OF MEASURE ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS REPORT
1

TEMPERATURE CORRECTIONS TO EARTH PRESSURE CELLS EMBEDDED IN 

CEMENTED BACKFILL1 

D.R. Tesarik, J.B. Seymour, T.J. Williams, L.A. Martin, and F.M. Jones 

 

 

 Determining backfill stress is an important part of evaluating mine safety, whether personnel are 

working in proximity to backfill or in other areas of the mine where backfill is an integral part of 

regional support. To assist in determining stress in backfill more accurately, researchers from the 

Spokane Research Laboratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Placer 

Dome, Inc. (Turquoise Ridge Mine), Peabody Energy Co. (Foidel Creek Mine), and Hecla Mining Co. 

(Lucky Friday Mine) used temperature readings recorded by thermistors to correct for the influence of 

temperature on stress data. These thermistors were positioned in the stems of earth pressure cells 

installed in backfill. Corrections were then calculated and compared using four different methods: 

polynomial equations fit to temperature-versus-stress plots before the pressure cells were loaded by 

overburden, a factor provided by the manufacturer, a theoretically derived factor, and a linear 

correction factor based on information collected during periods when no mining was taking place. 

 To evaluate the accuracy of these methods, corrected stresses were calculated using each method and 

results compared to cumulative stresses caused by blasting at one of the mines. Results indicated that 

only a small percentage of the temperature effect on stress was corrected using the factor from the 

manufacturer because that factor accounted for only the pressure transducer and not the entire 

instrument body. Stresses adjusted with a linear correction factor based on information collected during 

periods when no mining was taking place were the most accurate. Stresses recorded at two other mines 

were corrected using the theoretical method and the polynomial equations method; the two methods 

produced similar results. For some time intervals, the results were identical. 

 

1 The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the 

views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 

ABSTRACT
2 

 Earth pressure cells are generally used in underground mines to measure stresses in the backfill. 

Because a number of factors affect the accuracy of the cells, such as the ratio of backfill modulus to cell 

modulus, cell geometry, installation procedures, nonuniform or point loading, and temperature, the 

cells cannot be relied upon for precise measurements (Dunicliff and Green, 1998). However, when the 

earth pressure cells are used in conjunction with instruments installed in the host rock, they can provide 

valuable information on mining-induced stress transfer (Seymour et al., 1998; Tesarik et al., 1989). 

 Temperature changes can significantly affect earth pressure cell readings, but the correction factor 

supplied by the manufacturer applies only to the transducer itself and not to the whole cell. Laboratory 

tests have shown that, without accounting for temperature in the entire earth pressure cell assembly, 

the temperature effect can be largely underestimated (Daigle and Zhao, 2003). These tests also have 

indicated that correction equations, which express temperature-induced stress as a function of 

temperature, are linear when the cell is not loaded, but nonlinear when the cell is under a constant load. 

For safety reasons, correcting for the effects of temperature is especially important if the magnitude of 

the applied stresses in the mine backfill or the shotcrete is close to the strength of the backfill materials. 

In addition, the influence of temperature on earth pressure cell readings could mask other factors, such 

as creep in the backfill. 

 The earth pressure cells used in this study consisted of two 22.9-cm- (9-in) diameter, circular stainless 

steel plates welded together around their edges with the space between the plates filled with oil. A 21.6-

cm- (8.5-in-) long, high-pressure stainless steel tube connected the cavity to a vibrating wire or 

semiconductor strain gauge pressure transducer installed in a cylindrical housing. A thermistor was also 

positioned in this housing. 

 

 Backfill pressure acting on the cell is balanced by an equal pressure induced in the oil; this pressure is 

converted to an electrical signal by the vibrating wire and a coil mechanism in the housing. The 

maximum working capacity for the earth pressure cells is 6.9 MPa (1,000 psi). Earth pressure cells 

installed at the Turquoise Ridge and Foidel Creek mines were equipped with vibrating wire transducers 

having an accuracy of 17.2 kPa (2.5 psi) and a resolution equal to 6.9 kPa (1 psi). Semiconductor strain 

gauges with an accuracy of 70 kPa (10 psi) and infinite resolution were used in the cells at the Lucky 

Friday Mine (Geokon, 1996). Electrical signals from the thermistor and pressure transducer were 

transmitted to a Campbell Scientific2 datalogger by a four-conductor, shielded, direct-burial cable. 

 Plots of measured stress and temperature versus elapsed time showed similar trends in stress and 

temperature, indicating that temperature likely influenced stress. To facilitate interpretation and 

improve the accuracy of the stress readings recorded by the earth pressure cells embedded in the 

backfill, second-degree polynomial equations were fit to stress-versus-temperature data recorded before 

mining-induced stresses loaded the cells. These equations were then used to correct the stress readings. A 

theoretical correction factor (Sellers, 2000), the manufacturer’s correction factor, and correction factors 

calculated from plots of stress versus temperature collected during nonmining periods were also applied 

to the stress data. The accuracy of these methods was evaluated by comparing maximum corrected 

stress to cumulative stress caused by blasting at the Turquoise Ridge Mine. 

 

2 Mention of specific products or manufacturers does not constitute endorsement by the National Institute for 

Occupational Safety and Health.

INTRODUCTION 
3

TURQUOISE RIDGE MINE 

 The Turquoise Ridge Mine, owned by Placer Dome, 

Inc.,3 Vancouver, BC, is a gold deposit 45 km (28 miles) 

northeast of Golconda, NV (figure 1). Mineralization took 

place at depths between 427 and 671 m (1,400 and 2,200 

ft) along the intersection of northwest-northeast-trending 

shear zones (Berentsen et al., 1996). Drift-and-fill mining 

is used because of the poor ground conditions commonly 

encountered. To determine if a new mining method could 

improve productivity and reduce the exposure of mine 

personnel to ground fall hazards, a backfill span was 

tested 390 m (1,280 ft) below the surface. A backfill cap 

consisting of six adjacent 3.8-m- (12.5-ft) wide, 4.6-m- (15-

ft) high, and 30.5-m- (100-ft) long cemented rockfill drifts 

was undercut by mining two outside drifts 4.3 m (14 ft) 

wide and 4.6 m (15 ft) high. This left a central pillar that 

was retreated in sections to produce a room 13.7 m (45 ft) 

wide and 30.5 m (100 ft) long beneath the backfill (figure 

2). 

 Instruments were placed in both the host rock and the 

backfill to monitor the safety of the backfill cap and to document stress redistribution during 

construction and subsequent undercutting of the cap (figure 2). A two-dimensional numerical model of 

the test stopes was used to estimate backfill stress and select the range for the earth pressure cells. 

Because overburden stresses were redistributed to only two abutments in the two-dimensional model 

and the deformation modulus input into the model was too low, predicted backfill stresses were much 

larger than those subsequently measured. It was difficult to determine mining-induced stress changes in 

the backfill accurately because of the significant effect of temperature on instrument readings. For 

example, after the instruments were shotcreted to secure them in place and before backfill was placed 

over them, a temperature rise in an earth pressure cell, from 28 °C to 60 °C (83 °F to 140 °F), caused by 

heat of hydration resulted in a stress increase of 820 kPa (119 psi). Nearly all of this stress can be 

attributed to the change in temperature because the shotcrete that covered the instruments was only 

several centimeters thick. 

 Before the earth pressure cells were installed near mid-length of each of the four drifts, cells 1 and 2 

were cast in forms using minus 1.9-cm (0.75-in) screened backfill to help prevent point loading. The 

other two cells were case in the mine’s grout mix because backfill was not available when they were cast. 

After the forms were removed, the cells wer placed on a 1.5- to 2.1-m- (5- to 7-ft) high bench formed in 

recently placed backfill using a load-haul-dump machine (LHD). Shotcrete was sprayed over the instruments and their cables to maintain orientation and protect them from mining equipment when the 

remainder of the drift was backfilled. 

 

3 Formerly owned by Getchell Gold Corp. 

Figure 1.—Location of Turquoise Ridge, Foidel 

Creek, and Lucky Friday mines.
4 

 The manufacturer provides an equation 

(equation 1) and a correction factor to compensate 

for the effect of temperature on the vibrating wire 

transducer, which is positioned in the transducer 

housing of each earth pressure cell (Geokon, 1996). 

These correction factors were 0.29, 0.32, 1.08, and 

0.49 kPa/°C (0.023, 0.026, 0.087, and 0.039 psi/°F) 

for earth pressure cells 1 through 4, respectively 

(figure 2). Because these correction factors do not 

account for the effect of temperature on the body of 

the earth pressure cell, the correction was small 

relative to the stress readings. For clarity, the stressversus-time plot corrected with the manufacturer's 

equation is included only in figure A1 (appendix A). 

Readings were not recorded by the datalogger 

before the start of cut 3 because of a programming 

error. 

 σc = σ - C × (Ti – T0), (1) 

where σc = corrected stress, kPa (psi), 

 σ = measured stress, kPa (psi), 

 C = correction factor, kPa/°C (psi/°F), 

 Ti = current temperature, °C (°F), 

and T0 = initial temperature, °C (°F). 

 The magnitude of the thermal effect on an earth 

pressure cell can be estimated using the geometry 

and material properties of the cell and the elastic 

modulus of the surrounding medium (Sellers, 2000) 

(equation 2). The laboratory-determined modulus 

equal to 2,264.238 × 106 Pa (328,400 psi) was used 

in equation 2 because the backfill was screened and 

packed tightly around the earth pressure cells. The 

earth pressure cells had a radius of 114.3 mm (4.5 in) 

and were filled with a 0.51-mm- (0.02-in-) thick film of oil having a coefficient of thermal expansion 

equal to 700 × 10-6/°C (388.9 × 10-6/°F). Using these values in equation 2 yields a correction factor equal 

to 10.6 kPa/°C (0.851 psi/°F). 

 C = 1.5 × E × K × D/R, (2) 

where C = correction factor, Pa/°C (psi/°F), 

 E = elastic modulus of the medium, Pa (psi), 

 K = coefficient of thermal expansion of liquid film encased in earth pressure cell, 

1/°C (1/°F), 

 D = thickness of liquid film in earth pressure cell, mm (in), 

and R = radius of earth pressure cell, mm (in). 

Figure 2.—Elevation and plan view of backfill span test 

site at Turquoise Ridge Mine. 
5

 The theoretically determined correction factor was applied only to stresses recorded by earth 

pressure cells 1 and 2 because the modulus of the grout surrounding cells 3 and 4 was not determined. If 

the stress data are corrected using the temperature at the time of installation, temperature-induced 

negative stresses are generated (figures A1 and A2). In laboratory experiments, Daigle and Zhao (2003) 

also recorded negative temperature-induced stresses. However, if stress corrections are calculated as of 

the first day that the datalogger takes readings on a 2-hr basis and using an initial stress equal to 48 kPa 

(7 psi), which is the stress exerted by 2.3 m (7.5 ft) of backfill with a specific weight of 2,146 kg/m3 (134 

lb/ft3), then the corrected stresses remain positive (figures A3 and A4). The overburden load on the cells 

was assumed to be zero when the datalogger became functional because drifts 3 and 6 had not been 

mined at this time, and the rock in these drifts and the abutments were likely to carry most of the 

mining-induced overburden stress. Temperature-induced stress loss between mining events was reduced 

in the stresses for earth pressure cell 1 (figure A3) and nearly eliminated in cell 2 (figure A4). 

 Temperature and stress data for earth pressure cells 3 and 4 (recorded after the cells were covered 

with a thin layer of shotcrete, but before backfill was placed over them) were also used to correct stress 

readings. The stress paths are different for each cell, and the heating phases are not identical to the 

cooling phases, which implies a hysteresis effect. Because plots of temperature versus stress exhibited a 

nonlinear relationship, polynomial functions were fit to these data (equation 3) (figures A5 and A6). 

Temperatures less than 29 °C (84 °F) for earth pressure cell 4 were not used in the regression analysis 

because of an unexplainable change in stress at about 27 °C (80 °F) without a significant change in 

temperature. 

 σc = σ - A + B × (Ti) + C × (Ti)2 + D × (Ti)3, (3) 

where σc = corrected stress, kPa (psi), 

 σ = measured stress, kPa (psi), 

 A, B, C, and D = constants determined using regression analysis, 

and Ti = current temperature, °C (°F). 

 Daigle and Zhao (2003) reported a linear relationship between temperature-induced stress and 

temperature when cells were not loaded; however, the maximum temperature in their experiment was 

30 °C (86 °F), and the maximum temperature range for the earth pressure cells installed at the 

Turquoise Ridge Mine was 37 °C to 61 °C (98 °F to 141 °F). When applied to recorded stresses, the 

polynomial equations reduced the effect of the initial temperature spike in both earth pressure cells, but 

produced negative stresses and did not eliminate the effects of decreasing temperature (figures A7 

through A10 ). 

 Temperature correction factors for equation 1 were also obtained by calculating the slope of the line 

produced by plotting vertical stress against temperature during nonmining periods after the earth 

pressure cells were covered with backfill (figures A11 through A14) (table 1). The average of these values 

for each pressure cell was used as the correction factor. Unlike the three previous methods, applying the 

average correction factor for each cell to stress readings nearly eliminated the effect of temperature on 

stress for most of the nonmining intervals (figures A1 through A4 and A7 through A10). This is 

particularly evident for the 204 days following the removal of pillars 2 and 3. 
6 

Table 1.–Correction factors for nonmining periods, kilopascals per degree Celsius (pounds per square inch per 

degree Fahrenheit) 

 EPC 1 EPC 2 EPC 3 EPC 4 

Nonmining period 

Backfilling drift 2 NA1 NA NA 

Backfilling drift 3 22.5 (1.81) 8.9 (0.72) 27.8, 18.6, 7.7 (2.24, 

1.50, 0.62)2

Between mining cuts 7 and 9 NA NA NA 

Between mining cut 9 and 

crosscut 1 

NA NA NA 4.3 (1.13) 

Between mining crosscuts 2 

and 3 

NA NA NA NA 

Between mining crosscut 3 and 

pillar 1 

22.6 (1.82) 8.7 (1.26) 21.8, 9.1 (1.76, 0.73) 11.7 (0.94) 

After mining pillar 3 21.1 (1.70) 11.0 (0.89) 14.6 (1.18) 31.5, 21.0 (2.54, 1.69) 

Average 22.1 (1.78) 11.9 (0.96) 16.6 (1.34) 19.6 (1.58) 

EPC = Earth pressure cell. NA = Not applicable. 

1

Stress change less than 6.9 kPa (1 psi) or temperature change less than 0.56 °C (1 °F). 2

Line segments in nonmining period. 

 The total stress change attributable to mining alone in four backfilled stopes was calculated by 

summing observable individual stress changes during mining periods by using plots of stress versus time 

(figure A15). These sums were used to evaluate the accuracy of the correction methods on the last day 

data were recorded (figures A3 through A7). Data from earth pressure cells 1 and 2 were not compared 

before the data were reinitialized because stresses were negative. For the reinitialized data, the final 

stresses corrected with factors from the nonmining periods were closer to the sum of the individual 

stresses than was the final stress corrected using the theoretical method. This suggests that reinitializing 

the data was reasonable and that combining techniques helps interpret seemingly meaningless data. The 

final corrected stresses for earth pressure cells 3 and 4 were closer to the sum of the individual stresses 

when correction factors from nonmining periods were used as opposed to using the polynomial equation. 

FOIDEL CREEK MINE 

 The Foidel Creek Mine, owned by Peabody Energy Co.,4 St. Louis, MO, is near Oak Creek, CO, 

approximately 32 km (20 miles) southwest of Steamboat Springs, CO (figure 1). The mine uses state-ofthe-art longwall equipment to mine low-sulfur, high-quality bituminous coal from a 2.6- to 3-m- (8.5- to 

10-ft) thick coal seam at a depth of about 396 m (1,300 ft). Because this high-capacity longwall system 

advances at an average rate of 152 m/day (400 ft/day) (Carter, 1996), three parallel 6-m- (20-ft) wide 

entries were driven across a 248-m- (815-ft) wide by 5,486-m- (18,000-ft) long longwall panel. The crosspanel entries provided access for development of the gateroad entries as well as escapeways for miners. 

 To maintain entry and longwall stability during subsequent mining of the panel and to eliminate the 

need for a longwall face change, Cyprus Twentymile Coal Co., the mine operator at the time of this 

research, decided to support the in-panel entries with an air-entrained mixture of fly ash, 10% cement, 

and a foaming agent. Instruments were installed in the longwall panel, cross-panel pillars, mine roof, 

and backfill to monitor and evaluate the stability of the panel as the longwall advanced through the 

backfilled entries (figure 3). Five earth pressure cells designed to measure a maximum stress equal to 

6.89 MPa (1,000 psi) and equipped with thermistors were placed approximately 2.3 m (7.5 ft) from the 

 

4 Formerly owned by Cyprus Twentymile Coal Co. 
7

Figure 3.—Plan view of instrumented section at eight-right longwall panel, gateroads, and cross-panel entry, Foidel 

Creek Mine. 

mine roof (Seymour et al., 1988). The high range for the earth pressure cells was chosen because of the 

large overburden depth and to ensure that their maximum working stress would not be exceeded. To 

prevent flowing backfill from moving the instrument, each pressure cell was suspended in a plywood 

frame with wire, muck was placed around the frame, and backfill was shoveled over the instrument. 

Four of these instruments provided reliable data until the longwall shearer mined through them. 
8 

 Second-order polynomial functions were fit to temperature-induced vertical stress-versustemperature data for the period from installation of the cell in the backfill to final filling of the drift 

(figures A16 through A19). Temperature-induced stress was estimated for each reading in this time 

period by subtracting the weight of the backfill from each recorded stress value (equation 4). The 

calculated maximum stress on the earth pressure cells caused by the weight of the backfill was 44.8 kPa 

(6.5 psi), or 0.65% of the maximum stress that the cells were designed to measure. It was assumed that 

the entries were filled at a constant rate. The response to temperature was nearly the same for each 

earth pressure cell (figure A20). 

 σbf = γ × h × ∆t/T, (4) 

where σbf = stress from the weight of the backfill at time ti, kPa (psi), 

 γ = specific weight of the backfill, 1,488 kg/m3 (92.9 lb/ft3), 

 h = height of the backfill above earth pressure cell at time ti, m (ft), 

 ∆t = ti - to = elapsed time since earth pressure cell was installed at time to, days, 

and T = time between installation of earth pressure cell and completion of backfilling, 

days. 

 Corrected stresses were much lower than measured stresses (figures A21 through A24), illustrating 

the importance of accounting for the influence of temperature. With a laboratory-obtained deformation 

modulus for the backfill equal to 586.1 MPa (85,000 psi) (Seymour et al., 1998), the correction factor 

obtained using equation 2 is 2.74 kPa/°C (0.22 psi/°F). Corrected stresses using this equation are close in 

value to the stresses corrected with the polynomial equations. Significant load increases after day 90 

were caused by redistribution of overburden load. At this time, the longwall shearer was approximately 

76 m (250 ft) from earth pressure cells 2 and 3 and approximately 106 m (348 ft) from earth pressure 

cells 4 and 5. 

LUCKY FRIDAY MINE 

 Hecla Mining Co., Coeur d'Alene, ID, operates the Lucky Friday Mine in Mullan, ID, using a 

mechanized underhand cut-and-fill method to mine lead-silver ore from a steeply dipping, 2.4-m- (8-ft) 

wide vein at a depth exceeding 1.6 km (1 mile) (Scott, 1990). A series of mining cuts approximately 3.3 

m (11 ft) high and 2 to 3 m (6 to 10 ft) wide are excavated about 75 m (250 ft) along the vein on each 

side of an access ramp. The broken ore is stored in a muck bay on the opposite side of the vein from the 

access ramp. After each cut, 2- or 2.4-m- (6.6- or 8-ft) long Dywidag rock bolts are driven vertically on 

1.2-m (4-ft) centers into loose muck on the floor and stabilized with wire tied to mesh on the stope walls. 

A four-way truss is installed at the center of the intersection using No. 7 Dywidag rock bolts that have a 

minimum yield strength of 160 kN (36,000 lb). The truss consists of one vertical rock bolt, four legs 

angled 15° to 20° from the horizontal, one four-way horn bracket, and four stirrup U-bolts bent upward 

at 25° from the horizontal. The near-horizontal legs consist of two or three rock bolts coupled together 

with their ends extending into the east and west sides of the stope along the vein and into the slot and 

muck bay (figure 4). After reinforcing members are installed in the intersection, backfill consisting of 

mill tailings, water, and 10% cement by weight is delivered from the surface to the stope. 

Approximately 70% of the stope height is backfilled, leaving a 1-m (3-ft) gap between fill sills. After the 

cut beneath the backfilled stope is mined, chain link fencing, a bearing plate, and a nut are secured to 

the bottom end of each exposed rock bolt for ground support (Williams et al., 2001 ). 
9

 To monitor stability and provide data for rock mechanics analysis during subsequent mining of the 

backfilled stope at the intersection of the 5660-05 level, instruments (string potentiometers, 

instrumented rock bolts, rock bolt load cells, and earth pressure cells) were installed in the stope. Eight 

of Geokon's model 3500 earth pressure cells were installed in the cemented backfill, two of which were 

equipped with thermistors to monitor temperature (Geokon, 2004). They were secured with bailing wire 

to wire mesh near the stope walls or to Dywidag rock bolts near the intersection. The range for these 

instruments was chosen on the basis of previous research at the mine. Earth pressure cell 1A was 

installed near the stope wall, and earth pressure cell I was placed near the center of the intersection 

formed by the vein, muck bay, and access ramp (figure 4). This placement enabled the horizontal stress 

gradient across the stope to be monitored. 

 Second-order polynomials 

fit to stress-versus-temperature plots recorded during 

the first 36 hours after the 

stope was backfilled were 

used to correct stress readings for temperature-induced stress changes (figure 

A25). The approximate 

stress applied to the face of 

the earth pressure cells by 

the weight of the backfill 

placed mid-height in the 

stope was 7 kPa (1 psi) 

(equation 5). At 46 °C (115 

°F), the temperature-induced stress for earth pressure 

cell I is 207 kPa (30 psi), 

illustrating the importance 

of correcting stress readings 

with temperature data. 

 σ = [υ/(1 - υ)] × (γ × h), (5) 

where σ = stress from weight of backfill, kPa (psi), 

 υ = Poisson’s ratio = 0.25, 

 γ = specific weight of backfill, 2,002 kg/m3 (125 lb/ft3), 

and h = height of backfill above earth pressure, m (ft). 

 Theoretical correction factors were also calculated using average backfill deformation moduli 

obtained from 7- and 28-day laboratory tests equal to 1,041 and 1,370 MPa (151,000 and 198,700 psi), 

respectively (Williams et al., 2001). Using equation 2, the 7-day and 28-day moduli yield 4.86 and 

6.39kPa/°C (0.39 and 0.52 psi/°F), respectively. The smaller value was used to correct stress readings 

from days 1 through 14, while the larger value was used to correct the remaining stresses. The maximum 

Figure 4.—Plan view of 5660-05-level intersection with instrument locations at the 

Lucky Friday Mine. 
10 

difference between stresses corrected by the polynomial equation and by equation 2 was 70 kPa (10 psi) 

for earth pressure cell I and only 28 kPa (4 psi) for earth pressure cell 1A (figures A26 and A27). The 

abrupt stress increase starting approximately at day 10 was caused by undercutting the backfilled stope. 

 

EQUATIONS FOR COMBINED DATA 

 Two functions were fit to temperature-versus-stress data collected from all earth pressure cells with 

little or no applied load. Data with temperatures between 16 °C and 35 °C (61 °F and 95 °F) were fit to a 

second-order polynomial, and data with temperatures greater than 35 °C (95 °F) were fit to an 

exponential function. Two equations, as opposed to just one, were used to increase the square of the 

correlation coefficient. Accounting for the effects of temperatures may not be critical if the backfill has a 

sufficiently large safety factor; however, for applications such as the backfill span study at the 

Turquoise Ridge Mine, where a complete understanding of stress transfer mechanisms requires 

knowledge of small amounts of loading on the backfill, it is important to account for temperatureinduced stresses. 

 The total stress change attributable to mining alone in four backfilled stopes at the Turquoise Ridge 

Mine was calculated by summing individual, observable stress changes during periods of active mining. 

These benchmark values were compared to the last stress measurements recorded during this study by 

each earth pressure cell to evaluate the accuracy of three methods used to correct for the effects of 

temperature. In one method, polynomial equations were fit to temperature-induced stress-versustemperature readings for earth pressure cells undergoing little or no load. In another method, a 

theoretically derived correction factor was based on the properties of earth pressure cells and backfill. In 

the third method, an average correction factor was obtained from the slope of the line formed from 

stress-versus-temperature data collected during periods of no mining. The final corrected stress recorded 

in each backfilled stope was closer to the benchmark values obtained using the last method. The 

theoretically derived correction factor for the backfill at the Turquoise Ridge Mine is 10.6 kPa/°C (0.86 

psi/°F). Correction factors calculated from field data during nonmining periods ranged from 7.7 to 31.5 

kPa/°C (0.62 to 2.54 psi/°F). 

1. Applying the theoretical values and the polynomial equation to stresses recorded at the Foidel Creek 

and Lucky Friday mines resulted in similar, and, in some cases, identical, values. 

2. Using reinitialized stresses after initial temperature spikes and summing individual stress changes 

caused by mining helped in interpreting seemingly meaningless data. 

3. Large temperature changes can greatly affect the stress magnitude in an earth pressure cell. For lowstrength backfill mixes, this apparent stress could be a significant percentage of the backfill’s 

unconfined compressive strength. 

4. Temperature changes can cause negative stress. 

5. The effect of temperature on stress magnitude in an earth pressure cells can be identified by plotting 

stress versus elapsed time and temperature versus elapsed time on the same graph. 

6. Temperature-induced stress readings do not always follow the same path during heating and cooling 

cycles, which implies a hysteresis effect. 

CONCLUSIONS 
11

7. Using the correction factor provided by the manufacturer accounts for a small percentage of the 

temperature effects on the instrument because this correction factor compensates only for the 

transducer and not the entire instrument body. 

8. The effects of temperature on stress are nearly eliminated for most nonmining intervals by applying 

the average correction factor obtained from the slope of the line of vertical stress versus temperature 

for these periods. 

9. None of the methods used completely eliminated the effect of temperature on stress readings. 

10. Laboratory tests to determine the effects of temperature on stress at various stress levels would be a 

valuable topic for future research. 

 The authors wish to express their appreciation to the following people for assistance with instrument 

installation and logistic support: Rob Usher, Brian Simmons, Bob Schuler, Bert Bellows, Chris 

Jacobsen, John Evans, and Rick Smith, of the Turquoise Ridge Mine, Placer Dome, Inc., Golcanda, 

NV; Gary Buchan, Rocky Thompson, and Joe Shoemaker, of the Foidel Creek Mine, Cyprus 

Twentymile Coal Co., Oak Creek, CO; Bill Lane, Tom Yanske, and Greg Sutton, The Doe Run 

Company, MO; and Clyde Peppin and Doug Bayer of the Lucky Friday Mine, Hecla Mining Co., Mullan, 

ID. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the following NIOSH-SRL personnel for assistance in 

installing the instruments: Rich Rains, John Dunford, Bob McKibbin, Paul Pierce, Eric Zahl, and 

Dave Denton. The timely delivery of instruments by Tony Simmonds, Brian Brown, and Mike 

McDonough, Geokon, Inc., to meet changing mine schedules is greatly appreciated. 

 Suggestions from Rimas Pakalnis, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC,; Guner 

Gurtunca, Pittsburgh Research Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA; and Barrie Sellers, Geokon, Inc., 

significantly enhanced this work. 

 Berentsen, E.J, R.F. Nanna, J.S. Hazlitt, and L.D. Estes. Discovery and Geology of the Turquoise 

Ridge Gold Deposit. Mining Engineering, Oct. 1996, pp. 31-35. 

 Carter, R. Cyprus Amax Coal Co.’s Western Operations. Coal Age, Dec., 1996, 26 pp. 

 Daigle, L., and J.Q. Zhao. Assessing Temperature Effects on Earth Pressure Cells. National 

Research Council Canada, Research Report 131, Feb. 2003, 31 pp. 

 Dunicliff, J., and G.E. Green. Geotechnical Instrumentation for Monitoring Field Performance. Wiley, 

1998, 577 pp. 

 Geokon, Inc. Instruction Manual, Models 4800/4810/4820, Vibrating Wire Earth Pressure Cells. 

1996, 23 pp. 

 Geokon, Inc. www.geokon.com/products/datasheets/4800.pdf. November 2004. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

REFERENCES
12 

 Sellers, B. Temperature Effects on Earth Pressure and Concrete Stress Cells: Some Theoretical 

Considerations. Geotechnical Instrumentation News, vol. 18, no. 1, 2000, pp. 23-24. 

 Seymour, B., D. Tesarik, M.K. Larson, and J. Shoemaker. Stability of Backfilled Cross-Panel 

Entries During Longwall Mining. Paper in Proceedings of 17th International Conference on Ground Control 

in Mining, ed. by Syd S. Peng (Univ. of WV, Morgantown, WV, Aug. 4-6, 1998). 1998, pp. 11-20. 

 Scott, D. F. Relationship of Geologic Features to Rock Bursts, Lucky Friday Mine, Mullan, Idaho. 

Paper in Rockbursts and Seismicity in Mines. Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Rock 

Bursts and Seismicity in Mines, ed. by C. Fairhurst (Minneapolis, MN, June 8-10, 1988). Balkema, 1990, 

pp. 401-406. 

 Tesarik, D. R., J. B. Seymour, and J. D. Vickery. Instrumentation and Modeling of the Cannon 

Mine's B-North Ore Body. Paper in Innovations in Mining Backfill Technology. Proceedings of 4th 

International Symposium on Mining With Backfill, ed. by F P. Hassani, M.J. Scoble, and T.R. Yu 

(Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Montreal, PQ, Oct. 2-5, 1989). Balkema, 1989, pp. 129-

138. 

 Williams, T.J., D.K. Denton, M.K. Larson, R.L. Rains, J.B. Seymour, and D.R. Tesarik. 

Geomechanics of Reinforced Cemented Backfill in a Underhand Stope at the Lucky Friday Mine, 

Mullan, Idaho. NIOSH Report of Investigations 9655, July 2001, 18 pp. 
13

APPENDIX 
14 

Figure A1.─Vertical stress and temperature versus elapsed time for earth pressure cell 1 at the Turquoise Ridge 

Mine. 

Figure A2.─Vertical stress and temperature versus elapsed time for earth pressure cell 2 at the Turquoise Ridge 

Mine. 
15

Figure A3.─Vertical stress and temperature versus elapsed time (initialized at day 65) for earth pressure cell 1 at 

Turquoise Ridge Mine. 

Figure A4.─Vertical stress and temperature versus elapsed time for earth pressure cell 2 (initialized at day 47) at 

Turquoise Ridge Mine. 
16 

Figure A5.─Temperature-induced vertical stress versus temperature for earth pressure cell 3 at Turquoise Ridge 

Mine. 

Figure A6.─Temperature-induced vertical stress versus temperature for earth pressure cell 4 at Turquoise Ridge 

Mine. 
17

Figure A7.─Vertical stress and temperature versus elapsed time for earth pressure cell 3 at Turquoise Ridge Mine 

Figure A8.─Vertical stress and temperature versus elapsed time to day 20 for earth pressure cell 3 at Turquoise 

Ridge Mine. 
18 

Figure A9.─Vertical stress and temperature versus elapsed time for earth pressure cell 4 at Turquoise Ridge 

Mine. 

Figure A10.─Vertical stress and temperature versus elapsed time to day 20 for earth pressure cell 4 at Turquoise 

Ridge Mine. 
19

Figure A11.─Uncorrected vertical stress versus temperature for earth pressure cell 1 at Turquoise Ridge Mine. 

Figure A12.─Uncorrected vertical stress versus temperature for earth pressure cell 2 at Turquoise Ridge Mine. 
20 

Figure A13.─Uncorrected vertical stress versus temperature for earth pressure cell 3 at Turquoise Ridge Mine. 

Figure A14.─Uncorrected vertical stress versus temperature for earth pressure cell 4 at Turquoise Ridge Mine. 
21

Figure A15.─Uncorrected vertical stress versus elapsed time for earth pressure cell 4 during mining of drift 9 at 

Turquoise Ridge Mine. 

Figure A16.─Temperature-induced vertical stress versus temperature for earth pressure cell 2 at Foidel Creek 

Mine. 
22 

Figure A17.─Temperature-induced vertical stress versus temperature for earth pressure cell 3 at Foidel Creek 

Mine. 

Figure A18.─Temperature-induced vertical stress versus temperature for earth pressure cell 4 at Foidel Creek 

Mine. 
23

Figure A19.─Temperature-induced vertical stress versus temperature for earth pressure cell 5 at Foidel Creek 

Mine 

Figure A20.─Temperature-induced vertical stress versus temperature for earth pressure cells 2, 3, 4, and 5 at 

Foidel Creek Mine. 
24 

Figure A21.─Vertical stress and temperature versus elapsed time for earth pressure cell 2 at Foidel Creek Mine. 

Figure A22.─Vertical stress and temperature versus elapsed time for earth pressure cell 3 at Foidel Creek Mine. 
25

Figure A23.─Vertical stress and temperature versus elapsed time for earth pressure cell 4 at Foidel Creek Mine. 

Figure A24.─Vertical stress and temperature versus elapsed time for earth pressure cell 5 at Foidel Creek Mine. 
26 

Figure A25.─Horizontal stress versus temperature in backfilled stope 5660-05 at Lucky Friday Mine.

Figure A26.─Horizontal stress and temperature versus elapsed time for earth pressure cell 1A in backfilled stope 

5660-05 at Lucky Friday Mine. 
27

Figure A27.─Horizontal stress and temperature versus elapsed time for earth pressure cell I in backfilled stope 

5660-05 at Lucky Friday Mine. 

Figure A28.─Equations fit to temperature-induced vertical stress versus temperature for earth pressure cells 

installed at Turquoise Ridge, Foidel Creek, and Lucky Friday mines. 
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