HYBRID COMPUTER SYSTEM SIMULATING INELASTIC SEAM BEHAVIOR.

This paper describes a combination electrical resistance network analog and digital computer system - a hybrid computer - for simulating nonlinear, inelastic behavior of portions of mine pillars or abutments, or of artificial support such as packs, props, or backfill. The hybrid system combines the speed of analog computation with the decision-making capability of the digital computer and has many implications for rational planning of underground excavations in seam- or vein-type deposits. As an example of the utility of the system, the predictions of the hybrid are compared with actual field observations from Project Salt Vault. In this instance, inelastic seam behavior results from time-dependent deformations in the salt.