A drill bit for a drill assembly including a friction bolt defining a longitudinal axial passage, the drill bit being adapted to be releasibly attached to the friction bolt and comprising: (i) a leading end including a cutting part; (ii) a following end; and (iii) an outer surface defining a friction bolt engaging means adapted to releasibly engage with the leading end of the friction bolt.

The various disclosed embodiments provide a split set type composite rockbolt which has a slot extending from a chamfered tip of a tubular body portion of the rockbolt and through a neck portion partway to a collar portion. The rockbolt is made of a composite material which has a resin medium with longitudinal and circumferential fibres.

A friction rock bolt assembly is arranged to frictionally engage an internal surface of a bore formed in rock strata. The rock bolt includes an expander mechanism having at least two radially outer wedge elements engageable by an inner wedge element. The expander mechanism is configured for symmetrical displacement of the expander elements to provide controlled enlargement by the rock bolt within the borehole for secure anchorage.

Disclosed is a method of adapting a metal bar, for use as a rock bolt, to ensure that the bar will break in a predictable manner, the method including the step of removing material from the bar in a circumferential band to reduce a diameter of the bar within the band to a minor diameter thereby to provide a failure zone within which the bar will break if subjected to enough tensile load.

A drilling assembly is disclosed for drilling a borehole in a rock body and inserting a rock bolt within the borehole in a single pass. The drilling assembly includes an elongated drill string having a downhole end. A drill bit is detachably joined to the downhole end of the drill string, with the drill bit having an external screw thread extending in an axial direction of the drill string. The drill string is surrounded by a rock bolt sleeve that has a thread engaging formation at or near its downhole end and that is arranged to cooperate with the external screw thread of the drill bit so that the drill bit is able to be screwed into the rock bolt sleeve.

A friction stabilizer for supporting a rock ceiling in an underground mining environment is disclosed. The friction stabilizer has an external sheath and an internal rod. The internal rod is about 15% of the length of the external sheath. The internal rod has wedges at either end, arranged to engage with complementary wedges welded to the inside of the sheath.

A rock bolt includes an elongate metallic body having a first end and an opposed second end, a threaded portion at the second end, for attaching thereto and locating thereon, a nut and a bearing plate, a mechanical anchor at, or at least partially located on, a first end portion of the body and a first resistive anchor, located between the threaded portion and the mechanical anchor.

A friction stabilizer for supporting a rock ceiling in an underground mining environment is disclosed. The friction stabilizer has an external sheath and an internal rod. The internal rod is about 15% of the length of the external sheath. The internal rod has wedges at either end, arranged to engage with complementary wedges welded to the inside of the sheath.

A rock bolt to be embedded in a borehole and a method of manufacturing a rock bolt, the rock bolt including an extended energy-absorbing part, the first end of the energy-absorbing part including an anchor and the second end of the energy-absorbing part including a screw joint for prestressing the rock bolt. The rock bolt includes an extended tubular part with a jacket and a first end section and a second end section, with an internal dimension that is larger than the external dimension of the energy-absorbing part and arranged in such a manner that it surrounds the energy-absorbing part.

The various disclosed embodiments provide a split set type composite rockbolt which has a slot extending from a chamfered tip of a tubular body portion of the rockbolt and through a neck portion partway to a collar portion. The rockbolt is made of a composite material which has a resin medium with longitudinal and circumferential fibres.