Stiffness theory of rockburst: Research progress and trends

The stiffness theory of rockburst plays a crucial role in understanding and preventing rockburst events. This theory evaluates the severity of rockbursts through the difference in stiffness. As a fundamental theory, many new theories have emerged from the stiffness theory, and its applications in mines and deep tunnels are diverse. In this paper, we provide a systematic review of the development process, application status, and application field of rockburst stiffness theory from the perspective of theoretical derivation, laboratory testing, and field application. We also identify key and difficult problems in stiffness theory, such as the determination method of stiffness, the influence of post-peak slope, and the study of rockburst criteria. In addition, based on the existing issues related to stiffness determination, exploration of stiffness changes during rockburst development, and low adaptability in predicting rockburst intensity, we propose the influence of the blasting body-surrounding rock stiffness on the spatial-temporal characteristics, intensity, and mechanism of rockburst, dynamic variable stiffness tests, and stiffness theoretical criteria for determining the rockburst intensity as areas for further research on the stiffness theory of rockburst.