Simulation of recovery of upper remnant coal pillar while mining the ultra-close lower panel using longwall top coal caving

With the depletion of easily minable coal seams, less favorable reserves under adverse conditions have to be mined out to meet the market demand. Due to some historical reasons, large amount of remnant coal was left unrecovered. One such case history occurred with the remnant rectangular stripe coal pillars using partial extraction method at Guandi Mine, Shanxi Province, China. The challenge that the coal mine was facing was that there is an ultra-close coal seam right under it with an only 0.8–1.5 m sandstone dirt band in between. The simulation study was carried out to investigate the simultaneous recovery of upper remnant coal pillars while mining the ultra-close lower panel using longwall top coal caving(LTCC). The remnant coal pillar was induced to cave in as top coal in LTCC system. Physical modelling shows that the coal pillars are the abutments of the stress arch structure formed within the overburden strata. The stability of overhanging roof strata highly depends on the stability of the remnant coal pillars. And the gob development(roof strata cave-in) is intermittent with the cave-in of these coal pillars and the sandstone dirt band. FLAC3 D numerical modelling shows that the multi-seam interaction has a significant influence on mining-induced stress environment for mining of lower panels. The pattern of the stress evolution on the coal pillars with the advance of the lower working face was found. It is demonstrated that the stress relief of a remnant coal pillar enhances the caveability of the pillars and sandstone dirt band below.     

Geotechnical considerations for concurrent pillar recovery in close-distance multiple seams

Room-and-pillar mining with pillar recovery has historically been associated with more than 25% of all ground fall fatalities in underground coal mines in the United States.The risk of ground falls during pillar recovery increases in multiple-seam mining conditions.The hazards associated with pillar recovery in multiple-seam mining include roof cutters, roof falls, rib rolls, coal outbursts, and floor heave.When pillar recovery is planned in multiple seams, it is critical to properly design the mining sequence and panel layout to minimize potential seam interaction.This paper addresses geotechnical considerations for concurrent pillar recovery in two coal seams with 21 m of interburden under about 305 m of depth of cover.The study finds that, for interburden thickness of 21 m, the multiple-seam mining influence zone in the lower seam is directly under the barrier pillar within about 30 m from the gob edge of the upper seam.The peak stress in the interburden transfers down at an angle of approximately 20°away from the gob, and the entries and crosscuts in the influence zone are subjected to elevated stress during development and retreat.The study also suggests that, for full pillar recovery in close-distance multiple-seam scenarios,it is optimal to superimpose the gobs in both seams, but it is not necessary to superimpose the pillars.If the entries and/or crosscuts in the lower seam are developed outside the gob line of the upper seam,additional roof and rib support needs to be considered to account for the elevated stress in the multiple-seam influence zone.     

Mechanisms of support failure and prevention measures under double-layer room mining gobs – A case study: Shigetai coal mine

In the practice of mining shallow buried ultra-close seams, support failure tends to occur during the process of longwall undermining beneath two layers of room mining goaf (TLRMG). In this paper, the factors causing support failure are summarized into geology and mining technology. Combining column lithology and composite beam theory, the key stratum of the rock strata is determined. A finite element numerical simulation is used to analyze the overlying load distribution rule of the main roof for different plane positions of the upper and lower room mining pillars. The tributary area theory (TAT) is adopted to analyze the vertical load distribution of each pillar, and dynamic models of coal pillar instability and main roof fracture are established. Through key block instability analysis, two critical moments are established, of which critical moment A has the greater dynamic load strength. Great economic losses and safety hazards are created by the dynamic load of the fracturing of the main roof. To reduce these negative effects, a method of pulling out supports is developed and two alternative measures for support failure prevention are proposed: reinforcing stope supports in conjunction with reducing mining height, or drilling ground holes to pre-split the main roof. Based on a comprehensive consideration of economic factors and the two categories of support failure causes, the method of reinforcing stope supports while reducing mining height was selected for use on the mining site.     

Strata movement and stress evolution when mining two overlapping panels affected by hard stratum

Mining causes stress redistribution and stratum movement. In this paper, a numerical model was built according to the geological conditions in the 12 th coal mine in Pingdingshan city to study the strata movement and the evolution of stress when mining two overlapping longwall panels, named panels#14 and #15. The strata close to the mined panel move directly towards the gob, while the strata that are farther away swing back and forth during the mining process. The directed movement and swinging can break the transverse boreholes for gas extraction; a surface borehole should not be within the range of directional movement. The stress evolution suggested that the mining of the lower panel #15 after the upper panel #14 would further increase the de-stressed range, while the stress concentration around the mined panel would be increased. Hard strata usually carry a greater stress than adjacent rocks and soft coal seams. The stress in a hard stratum increases greatly, and the stress decreases greatly in the coal seams below the hard stratum. This study supplies a reference for similar coal mines and is useful for determining the de-stressed range and transverse borehole arrangement for gas extraction.     

Dynamic failure risk of coal pillar formed by irregular shape longwall face:A case study

Irregular shape workface would result in the presence of coal pillar, which leads to high stress concentration and possibly induces coal bumps. In order to study the coal bump mechanism of pillars, static and dynamic stress overlapping(SDSO) method was proposed to explain the impacts of static stress concentration and tremors induced by mining activities. The stress and deformation in surrounding rock of mining face were analyzed based on the field case study at 1303 workface in Zhaolou Coal Mine in China.The results illustrate that the surrounding rock of a workface could be divided into four different zones,i.e., residual stress zone, stress decrease zone, stress increase zone and original stress zone. The stress increase zone is prone to failure under the SDSO impact loading conditions and will provide elastic energy for inducing coal bump. Based on the numerical modelling results, the evolution of static stress in coal pillar as the size of gob increasing was studied, and the impact of dynamic stress was investigated through analyzing the characteristics of tremor activities. The numerical results demonstrate the peak value of vertical stress in coal pillar rises from about 30 MPa with mining distance 10 m to 52.6 MPa with mining distance 120 m, and the location of peak stress transfers to the inner zone of coal pillars as the workface moves forward. For the daily tremor activities, tremors with high energy released indicate high dynamic stress disturbance on the surrounding rock, therefore, the impact of dynamic stressing is more serious during workface extension period because the tremor frequency and average energy after workface extension are higher than those before the workface extension.     

Coal pillar mechanics of violent failure in U.S. Mines

This paper seeks to enhance the understanding that the horizontal stresses build up and release during coal pillar loading and unloading(post-failure) drawing upon three decades of observations, geomechanical monitoring and numerical modeling in bump-prone U.S. mines. The focus is on induced horizontal stress in mine pillars and surrounding strata as highly stressed pillars punch into the roof and floor, causing shear failure and buckling of strata; under stiff stratigraphic units of some western US mines, these events could be accompanied by violent failure of pillar cores. Pillar punching eventually results in tensile stresses at the base of the pillar, facilitating transition into the post-failure regime; this transition will be nonviolent if certain conditions are met, notably the presence of interbedded mudstones with low shear strength properties and proper mine designs for controlling seismicity and dynamic loads. The study clearly shows high confining stress build-up in coal pillars resulting in up to twice higher peak vertical stress and high strain energy accumulations in some western US mines in comparison with peak stresses predicted using common empirical pillar design methods. It is the unstable release of this strain energy that can cause significant damage resulting from pillar dilation and ground movements. These forces are much greater than the capacity of most common internal support systems, resulting in horizontal stressinduced roof falls locally, in mines under unremarkable far-field horizontal stress. Attention should be placed on pillar designs as increasing support density may prove to be ineffective. This mechanism is analyzed using field measurements and generic finite-difference stress analyses. The study confirms the higher load carrying capacity of confinement-controlled coal seams in comparison with structurally controlled coal seams. Such significant differences in confining stresses are not taken into account when estimating peak pillar strength using most common empirical techniques such as those proposed by Bieniawski and Salamon. While using lower pillar strength estimates may be considered conservative,it underestimates the actual capacity of pillars in accumulating much higher stress and strain energies,misleading the designer and inadvertently diminishing mine safety. The role of induced horizontal stress in mine pillars and surrounding strata is emphasized in coal pillar mechanics of violent failure. The triggering mechanism for the violent events is sudden loss of pillar confinement due to dynamic loading resulting from failure of overlying stiff and strong strata. Evidence of such mechanism is noted in the field by observed red-dust at the coal-rock interfaces at the location of coal bumps and irregular, periodic caving in room-and-pillar mines quantified through direct pressure measurements in the gob.     

倾斜煤层区段煤柱变形破坏规律

煤层倾角是影响区段煤柱稳定性的关键因素之一.利用理论分析、相似模拟、数值模拟等方法研究了倾斜煤层开挖后倾向覆岩结构演化特征、煤柱变形及失稳破坏形式.研究结果表明,0~45°范围内随着煤层倾角增大,区段煤柱发生剪切失稳破坏的可能性增大;煤柱两侧覆岩结构呈现不对称分布,煤柱上侧砌体梁结构形成层位较低,煤柱下侧形成冒空区,砌体梁结构形成层位高于上侧;与水平煤层煤柱破坏以挤压变形为主不同,倾斜煤柱以沿着弱面剪切滑移破坏为主;不同倾角煤层煤柱围岩变形量呈不对称分布,煤柱下侧围岩变形量大于上侧,煤层倾角越大煤柱围岩变形量不对称分布趋势越明显.     

Characteristics of stress distribution in floor strata and control of roadway stability under coal pillars

Given the difficulties encountered in roadway support under coal pillars, we studied the characteristics of stress distribution and their effect on roadway stability, using theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. The results show that, under a coal pillar, vertical stress in a floor stratum increases while horizontal stress decreases. We conclude that the increased difference between vertical and horizontal stress is an important reason for deformation of the surrounding rock and failures of roadways under coal pillars. Based on this, we propose control technologies of the surrounding rock of a roadway under a coal pillar, such as high strength and high pre-stressed bolt support, cable reinforcement support,single hydraulic prop with beam support and reinforcement by grouting of the surrounding rock, which have been successfully applied in a stability control project of a roadway under a coal pillar.     

Stability control of gob-side entry retained under the gob with close distance coal seams

In multi-seam mining, the interlayer rock strata between the upper coal seam(UCS) and the lower coal seam(LCS) appear damage and strength weakening after mining the UCS. Ground stability control of the gob-side entry retaining(GER) under the gob with close distance coal seams(CDCS) is faced with difficulties due to little attention to GER under this condition. This paper focuses on surrounding rock stability control and technical parameters design for GER under the gob with CDCS. The floor rock strata damage characteristics after mining the UCS is first evaluated and the damage factor of the interlayer rock strata below the UCS is also determined. Then, a structural mechanics model of GER surrounding rock is set up to obtain the main design parameters of the side-roadway backfill body(SBB) including the maximum and minimum SBB width calculation formula. The optimal SBB width and the water-to-cement ratio of high water quick-setting material(HWQM) to construct the SBB are determined as 1.2 m and 1.5:1.0,respectively. Finally, engineering trial tests of GER are successfully carried out at #5210 track transportation roadway of Xingwu Colliery. Research results can guide GER design under similar mining and geological conditions.     

The current perspective of the PA 1957 gas well pillar study and its implications for longwall gas well pillars

Many states rely upon the Pennsylvania 1957 Gas Well Pillar Study to evaluate the coal barrier surrounding gas wells. The study included 77 gas well failure cases that occurred in the Pittsburgh and Freeport coal seams over a 25-year span. At the time, coal was mined using the room-and-pillar mining method with full or partial pillar recovery, and square or rectangle pillars surrounding the gas wells were left to protect the wells. The study provided guidelines for pillar sizes under different overburden depths up to213 m(700 ft). The 1957 study has also been used to determine gas well pillar sizes in longwall mines since longwall mining began in the 1970 s. The original study was developed for room-and-pillar mining and could be applied to gas wells in longwall chain pillars under shallow cover. However, under deep cover, severe deformations in gas wells have occurred in longwall chain pillars. Presently, with a better understanding of coal pillar mechanics, new insight into subsidence movements induced by retreat mining, and advances in numerical modeling, it has become both critically important and feasible to evaluate the adequacy of the 1957 study for longwall gas well pillars. In this paper, the data from the 1957 study is analyzed from a new perspective by considering various factors, including overburden depth, failure location, failure time, pillar safety factor(SF), and floor pressure. The pillar SF and floor pressure are calculated by considering abutment pressure induced by full pillar recovery. A statistical analysis is performed to find correlations between various factors and helps identify the most significant factors for the stability of gas wells influenced by retreat mining. Through analyzing the data from the 1957 study, the guidelines for gas well pillars in the 1957 study are evaluated for their adequacy for roomand-pillar mining and their applicability to longwall mining. Numerical modeling is used to model the stability of gas wells by quantifying the mining-induced stresses in gas well casings. Results of this study indicate that the guidelines in the 1957 study may be appropriate for pillars protecting conventional gas wells in both room-and-pillar mining and longwall mining under overburden depths up to 213 m(700 ft),but may not be sufficient for protective pillars under deep cover. The current evaluation of the 1957 study provides not only insights about potential gas well failures caused by retreat mining but also implications for what critical considerations should be taken into account to protect gas wells in longwall mining.     

房柱采矿法重复采动的数值模拟研究

本文以弹-塑性有限元为数值模拟手段,研究了在地表不允许崩落的条件下,留连续条形矿柱的房柱采矿法重复采动的问题。对上、下矿层间的夹岩层较厚大时,下矿层的开采对上层已采空区稳定性的影响进行了讨论。提出了隔离层的概念。分析了隔离层的存在,在开采参数的选择和矿房及矿柱的布置中所起的重要作用。     

Zonal extraction technology and numerical simulation analysis in open pit coal mine

In order to enhance coal recovery ratio of open pit coal mines, a new extraction method called zonal mining system for residual coal around the end-walls is presented. The mining system can improve economic benefits by exploiting haulage and ventilation roadways from the exposed position of coal seams by utilizing the existing transportation systems. Moreover, the main mining parameters have also been discussed. The outcome shows that the load on coal seam roof is about 0.307 MPa and the drop step of the coal seam roof about 20.3 m when the thickness of cover and average volume weight are about 120 m and 0.023 MN/m³ respectively. With the increase of mining height and width, the coal recovery ratio can be improved. However, when recovery ratio is more than 0.85, the average stress on the coal pillar will increase tempestuously, so the recovery ratio should also be controlled to make the coal seam roof safe. Based on the numerical simulation results, it is concluded that the ratio of coal pillar width to height should be more than 1.0 to make sure the coal pillars are steady, and there are only minor displacements on the end-walls.     

条带开采煤层间岩体应力分析

在材料力学简支梁理论基础上,建立了多煤层条带开采上下条带的煤柱完全不对齐时煤层间岩体的力学模型,分析并计算了各种地质和采矿因素(如采深、层间距、采出率等)对多煤层层间岩体稳定性的影响,研究了层间岩体应力的变化规律,并得出了层间距及下煤层采宽对保持煤层间岩体的稳定性有着重要作用的结论.最后结合峰峰矿区开采实例,预计了一定采深下,合理的下煤层采宽.     

巷道与上部煤柱边缘间水平距离X的选择

巷道与上部煤柱边缘之间的水平距离X,是底板岩巷和邻近煤层巷道布置的重要参数。本文根据矿山压力的研究成果,阐述了上部煤层采动状况,巷道围岩性质,巷道与上部煤层之间的垂距Z、以及巷道与上部煤柱边缘间水平距离X间的定量关系,为正确选择X值及巷道与上部煤层回采空间的相对位置关系提供了主要依据。     

Roadway failure and support in a coal seam underlying a previously mined coal seam

The influence of an upper, mined coal seam on the stability of rock surrounding a roadway in a lower coal seam is examined. The technical problems of roadway control are discussed based on the geological conditions existing in the Liyazhuang Mine No.2 coal seam. The stress distribution and floor failure in the lower works after mining the upper coal is studied through numerical simulations. The failure mechanism of the roof and walls of a roadway located in the lower coal seam is described. The predicted deformation and failure of the roadway for different distances between the two coal seams are used to design two ways of supporting the lower structure. One is a combined support consisting of anchors with a joist steel tent and a combined anchor truss. A field test of the design was performed to good effect. The results have significance for the design of supports for roadways located in similar conditions.     

Coupling effects of coal pillars of thick coal seams in large-space stopes and hard stratum on mine pressure

Concerning the issue of mine pressure behaviors occurred in fully mechanized caving mining of thick coal seams beneath hard stratum in Datong Mining Area, combined with thin and thick plate theory, the paper utilizes theoretical analysis, similar experiments, numerical simulations and field tests to study the influence of remaining coal pillars in Jurassic system goaf on hard stratum fractures, as well as mine pressure behaviors under their coupling effects. The paper concludes the solution formula of initial fault displacement in hard stratum caused by remaining coal pillars. Experiments prove that coupling effects can enhance mine pressure behaviors on working faces. When inter-layer inferior key strata fractures, mine pressure phenomenon such as significant roof weighting steps and increasing resistance in support.When inter-layer superior key strata fractures, the scope of overlying strata extends to Jurassic system goaf, dual-system stopes cut through, and remaining coal pillars lose stability. As a result, the bottom inferior key strata also lose stability. It causes huge impacts on working face, and the second mine pressure behaviors. These phenomena provide evidence for research on other similar mine strata pressure behaviors occurred in dual-system mines with remaining coal pillars.     

极近距离煤层回采巷道合理位置确定

在曹村矿10#与11#极近距离煤层开采地质条件基础上,对上位10#煤开采后底板破坏深度及遗留煤柱下方应力分布情况进行了力学计算分析.计算结果表明,10#煤开采后引起的超前支承压力,对其底板最大破坏深度为26.1m,是两层煤间距的2.8倍;煤柱底板的应力分布具有显著的非均匀性.为了衡量煤柱下方底板内应力场的非均布情况,定义了应力场变化率系数ξ.考虑1.5倍的安全系数,并结合采用均布载荷计算得出的错距和底板破坏情况,确定11#煤209工作面回采巷道合理内错距为7.5m.现场应用表明,确定的内错7.5m布置较为合适,巷道支护效果较好,未出现强烈的矿压显现.     

Measurement of overburden failure zones in close-multiple coal seams mining

In the Kaiping Coal field, mining of five coal seams, located within 80 m in the Kailuan Group, #5, #7, #8,#9 and #12 coal seam, is difficult due to small interburden thickness, concentrated stress distributions,high coal seam metamorphism, and complex geological conditions. By using the ZTR12 geological penetration radar(GPR) survey combined with borehole observations, the overburden caving due to mining of the five coals seams was measured. The development characteristics of full-cover rock fractures after mining were obtained from the GPR scan, which provides a measurement basis for the control of rock strata in close multiple coal seam mining. For the first time, it was found that the overburden caving pattern shows a periodic triangular caved characteristic. Furthermore, it is proposed that an upright triangular collapsed pile masonry and an inverted triangular with larger fragments piled up alternately appear in the lower gob. The research results show that the roof structure formed in the gob area can support the key overlying strata, which is beneficial to ensure the integrity and stability of the upper coal seams in multiple-seam mining of close coal seams.     

Hydraulic support crushed mechanism for the shallow seam mining face under the roadway pillars of room mining goaf

While the fully-mechanized longwall mining technology was employed in a shallow seam under a room mining goaf and overlained by thin bedrock and thick loose sands, the roadway pillars in the abandoned room mining goaf were in a stress-concentrated state, which may cause abnormal roof weighting, violent ground pressure behaviours, even roof fall and hydraulic support crushed(HSC) accidents. In this case,longwall mining safety and efficiency were seriously challenged. Based on the HSC accidents occurred during the longwall mining of 3-1-2 seam, which locates under the intersection zone of roadway pillars in the room mining goaf of 3-1-1 seam, this paper employed ground rock mechanics to analyse the overlying strata structure movement rules and presented the main influence factors and determination methods for the hydraulic support working resistance. The FLAC3 D software was used to simulate the overlying strata stress and plastic zone distribution characteristics. Field observation was implemented to contrastively analyse the hydraulic support working resistance distribution rules under the roadway pillars in strike direction, normal room mining goaf, roadway pillars in dip direction and intersection zone of roadway pillars. The results indicate that the key strata break along with rotations and reactions of the coal pillars deliver a larger concentrated load to the hydraulic support under intersection zone of roadway pillars than other conditions. The ‘‘overburden strata-key strata-roadway pillars-immediate roof" integrated load has exceeded the yield load that leads to HSC accidents. Findings in HSC mechanism provide a reasonable basis for shallow seam mining, and have important significance for the implementation of safe and efficient mining.     

Design of crown pillar thickness using finite element method and multivariate regression analysis

Minerals are now being extracted from deep mines due to drying up of resource in shallow ground. The need for suitable supports and ground control mechanisms for safe mining necessitates proper pillar design with filling technology. In addition, high horizontal stress may cause collapse of hanging wall and footwall rocks, hence designing of suitable crown pillars is absolutely necessary for imposing overall safety of the stopes. This paper provides a methodology for the evaluation of the required thickness of crown pillars for safe operation at depth ranging from 600 m to 1000 m. Analyses are conducted with the results of 108 non-linear numerical models considering Drucker-Prager material model in plane strain condition. Material properties of ore body rock and thickness of crown pillars are varied and safety factors of pillars estimated. Then, a generalized statistical relationship between the safety factors of crown pillars with the various input parameters is developed. The developed multivariate regression model is utilized for generating design/stability charts of pillars for different geo-mining conditions.These design charts can be used for the design of crown pillar thickness with the depth of the working,taking into account the changes of the rock mass conditions in underground metal mine.