As China’s “Dual Carbon” (carbon peak and carbon neutrality) strategy continues to advance, support materials for mining and underground engineering are rapidly evolving toward lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and environmentally friendly solutions. Recently, a “high-modulus basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) rock bolt,” jointly developed by China University of Mining and Technology and Sinoma Science & Technology, successfully completed its first-phase field validation at a large open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia. The BFRP bolt demonstrated a tensile strength of 1,200 MPa and an elastic modulus exceeding 45 GPa, effectively replacing conventional steel bolts in acidic surrounding rock conditions and exhibiting exceptional long-term durability.

Basalt fiber (BF)—an inorganic silicate fiber—offers superior chemical stability compared to E-glass and carbon fibers. Its production process generates no heavy metal emissions, aligning with the national standard Green Building Materials Assessment—GB/T 35605. The newly deployed BFRP rock bolts are manufactured via pultrusion, integrating unidirectional basalt fiber fabrics with a vinyl ester resin matrix. After high-temperature curing, they form an anisotropic composite structure characterized by a low thermal conductivity (0.038 W/m·K) and excellent electromagnetic transparency—making them particularly advantageous in complex electromagnetic environments such as coal mine roadways and subway tunnels.

According to Project Engineer Li, “Conventional steel rock bolts are prone to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in high-sulfur, high-humidity conditions, resulting in short service life and high lifecycle costs. In contrast, BFRP rock bolts exhibit a chloride ion permeability coefficient of less than 1×10⁻¹² m²/s, and their specific strength (strength-to-density ratio) is over three times that of steel bolts. This significantly reduces the self-weight of support structures and enhances construction efficiency.”

The product has already obtained certification under ISO 10406-2:2020 Geotechnical Engineering—Testing of Rock Bolts and has been included in the National Recommended Catalogue of Industrial Energy-Saving Technologies (2025 Edition). Moving forward, the R&D team plans to optimize the fiber volume fraction (Vf) and coupling agent formulation at the fiber-matrix interface to further improve the shear bond strength (τ_b) at the anchorage zone, paving the way for large-scale deployment of BFRP rock bolts in deep, high-stress underground roadways.