Features

Yielding bolt support for rock

burst prone workings
This paper was written by A Campoli & J Oldsen, Jennmar Corp, USA and R Wu, Barrick Gold
Corp, Canada, Germany and presented at Aachen 2012, Seventh International Symposium,
Rockbolting and Rock Mechanics in Mining. Mining World thanks the authors for their contribution
to this issue.

T
he Yield-Lok bolt (WIPO (2011)) was developed by
Jennmar of Canada for ground support in rock prone
to seismic burst conditions (Wu and Oldsen, 2010).
When exposed to high energy impact loading,
standard bolts fail in tension or pull through end
support plates. Previous yield bolt designs attempted to employ
either low strength grouts or metallic deformation to dissipate
seismic energy. Weak grout systems are hampered by the
inherent difficulty in maintaining the required grout pullout
resistance. If the grout is too strong, the bolt fails in tension. If
the grout is too weak, the bolts can be pulled out at a fraction of
their tensile strength. Metallic deformation designs offer more
predicable yield, but are complicated and expensive.
As illustrated in Figure 1, the Yield-Lok bolt is made of 17.2
mm diameter, grade 75 round steel bar. The typical yield and
ultimate tensile strength of the bolt is 14t and 19t, respectively.
The steel bar is upset to specified dimensions at one end
and partially or fully encapsulated in an engineered polymer
coating to achieve designed yielding performance under high
energy loading. The end profile of polymer coating is angled
to aid insertion of the bolt. Also mixing/centering paddles,
longitudinally spaced over the length of the coating, provide
shredding of the resin cartridge packaging and aid in the
centering of the bolt in the borehole. The other end of the bar is
threaded for tensioning with a nut. A dome plate and spherical
washer are used for angle compensation and to load the bolt
axially. The bolt is tensioned and provides immediate primary
support on installation. Under high energy loading conditions,
the upset transfers the impact load on the surrounding polymer
coating, resulting in confined compression, thermal softening,
and flow of the polymer around the upset, which creates the
desired plowing effect. The energy is therefore dissipated by
pulling or plowing the upset through the polymer. Part of the
dynamic energy is also consumed in the friction between the
smooth bar and the polymer coating.
The Jennmar bolts features include:
Resin/cement grouted
The grout provides confinement to polymer and upset
Immediate support on installation
Yielding from plowing the polymer with the upset
Low energy performance of the Yield-Lok bolt
Under low energy (dead weight) loading conditions,
Yield-Lok bolt performs similar to a point-anchored rebar
bolt, providing stiff reinforcement and containment of the rock
mass. The wall of drill hole and resin provides confinement to
the polymer, producing anchorage against the upset. Figure
2 summarises results of a series of pull tests conducted
with Yield-Lok bolts installed in a 36mm borehole with fully
encapsulated resin. The samples
consistently yielded at the nominal steel yielding strength
of 14t.
When conducting short and full encapsulation pull tests,
the bond strength of a resin bonded bolt is a fundamental
parameter in determining the effectiveness of installation. The
stronger the bond, the shorter the anchorage zone of the bolt
and the longer the full resistance zone over which the full bolt
strength is available to resist roof movement.
With resin anchored systems, the anchorage provided
by the resin is related to the length of the bond and the bond

Figure 2: Series of pull tests conducted with Yield-Lok bolts

Figure 1: Yield-Lok bolt installed in a 36 mm borehole with fully encapsulated resin

32 Mining World | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | April 2013

 Features

strength can easily exceed the strength of the steel. Normally
for this reason, a specifically installed bolt with a short length
of resin encapsulation is required to measure the anchorage
properties of the resin anchor or rock shear strength rather
than the strength of the bolt. Due to the nature of the Yield-
Lok bolt design, the fundamental parameter is the yielding
mechanisms response in dynamic and static testing. The
bond length of the Yield-Lok bolt is 750 mm, which is the
length of the yielding mechanism. The remaining 1550mm
of the bolt encapsulation will provide limited to no effect in
bonding the Yield-Lok bolt to the mixed resin.
In short encapsulation pull testing, the grip factor (bond
strength) and the system stiffness of the Yield-Lok bolt
yielding polymer coating mechanism can be calculated as
follows.
By modifying the upset diameter, the load versus
displacement can be adjusted to accommodate significant
movement in deforming ground. This can be utilised in potash
or salt deposits which typically have large deformation values
over relatively short periods.
High energy performance of Yield-Lok bolt
A number of dynamic drop tests were conducted at the
CANMET test facility in Ottawa, Canada to test the high energy
performance of the Yield-Lok bolts.
The drop test method simulated a high energy load
condition similar in amplitude and velocity to a rock burst
event. This test protocol has been established as a bench
mark test used in the development of other types of yielding
supports (ASTM D7401-08 (2008)). Boreholes were simulated
by 12 mm thick steel tubes with an internal diameter of 34.5
mm. The steel tube preparation included a slight roughening
of the inside surface over approximately the last metre. This
roughened section was referred to as the top of the tube where
the bolt is grouted with resin.
Similar to rebar installation on site, the tube was first loaded
with resin cartridges. A bolt of 1.8m length was then slowly
spun into the tube at a steady advancement rate. Once the bolt
reached the bottom, the advancement was stopped and the
bolt was rotated at full speed (220 to 350 rpm) for an extra five
seconds to fully mix the resin.
Drop tests were conducted in the drop test rig of 3t capacity
and 2m height (Figure 3). As recommended in the ASTM
standard for dynamic tests (ASTM D7401-08 (2008)), a drop
weight of 1,115 kg and drop height of 1.5m were used to
produce the loading speed of 5.4 m/s and an input energy of
16.4 kJ. To study the maximum energy absorption capacity,
a weight of 2t and 1.5m drop height were tested to simulate
the energy input of 29.5 kJ and a weight of 3t and 1.5m drop
height were tested to simulate the input energy of 42.6 kJ.
Test results from standard energy input and various energy
inputs are summarised in Figure 4. As indicated, the bolts
consistently yield at around 200 mm displacement at 8t to 10t.
Most of the input dynamic energy (96%) is consumed when
the upset plows through the polymer, while only 3% to 4% of
the energy is consumed in steel elongation.

Yield-Lok bolt grip factor

Tonnes Force Encapsulation Grip factor
(kN) length (mm) (kN/mm)
14.5 142 750 .19
15 147 750 .20
15.5 152 750 .20
16 157 750 .21
16.5 162 750 .22
17 167 750 .22

Yield-Lok bolt system stiffness

kN start kN end Change in Change System
deformation in stiffness
(mm) force (kN/
(kN) mm)
Bolt 1 20 137 9.2 117 12.7
Bolt 2 20 137 7.9 117 14.8
Bolt 3 20 137 8.1 117 14.4
Bolt 4 20 137 9.6 117 12.2
Bolt 5 20 137 9.9 117 11.8
Bolt 6 20 137 7.4 117 15.8
Bolt 7 20 137 7.1 117 16.5
Bolt 8 20 137 9.6 117 12.2
Bolt 9 20 137 7.5 117 15.6

Bolt 10 20 137 10.0 117 11.7 Figure 3: Drop tests

Mining World | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | April 2013 33

 Features

Typical test results are presented in Figure 5. On the left is

the autopsy of polymer encapsulation after testing, while the
right is the load versus displacement curve of the bolt from
each drop test. As can be seen, the vibration frequency of the
curve is very consistent with the plough markings left in the
polymer after pulling the upset though it, which suggests the
yielding mechanism of the Yield-Lok bolt.

Current Yield-Lok projects

Mining companies currently evaluating Yield-Lok bolts
include Barrick Gold, Vale, Xstrata, Perilya and lightening
Nickel. Figure 6 shows encouraging Yield-Lok performance,
adjacent to rebar bolts that failed in tension.

References
Figure 4: Test results [1] ASTM D7401-08 (2008) Standard Test Methods for
Laboratory Determination Of Rock Anchor Capacities
By Pull And Drop Tests.
[2] WIPO (2011) World Intellectual Property Organization,
Patent Publication No. WO201102879 on Yielding Bolt
and Assembly, viewed 24 November 2011, http://www
wipo.int patentscope/search/en/WO2011028790.
[3] Wu, Y. and Oldsen, J. (2010) Development of a new
yielding rock support Yield-Lok bolt, 44th U.S. Rock
Mechanics Symposium, June 2730, 2010, Salt Lake
City, Utah.

Jennmar overview
Jennmar is a global, family-owned company,
and since 1972 it has focused on developing
and manufacturing ground control products
and technology for the mining, tunnelling and
civil construction industries. Today it makes a
broad range of products, from bolts and beams,
to channels and trusses, resin and rebar. The
company says were proud to make products
that make the industries we serve safer and more
efficient. And with more than 20 manufacturing
plants around the world, we are uniquely
positioned to react to ground control needs
anywhere, anytime.
Figure 5: Typical test results The companys network of affiliates includes
engineering services, resin and rolled steel
manufacturing, custom steel fabrication, chemical
roof support and sealing products, and even
includes its own trucking company. This ability
to provide a complete range of complementary
products and services ensures efficiency and
availability resulting in reduced costs and lead
times.
Jennmar says its focus is on its customers; it
sums the foundation of the business up with three
words: safety, service and innovation.

Figure 6: Yield-Lok performance

34 Mining World | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | April 2013