Loading characteristics of mechanical rib bolts determined through testing and numerical modeling

Underground coal mines use mechanical bolts in addition to other types of bolts to control the rib deformation and to stabilize the yielded coal ribs. Limited research has been conducted to understand the performance of the mechanical bolts in coal ribs. Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH) conducted this work to understand the loading characteristics of mechanical bolts(stiffness and capacity) installed in coal ribs at five underground coal mines. Standard pull-out tests were performed in this study to define the loading characteristics of mechanical rib bolts. Different installation torques were applied to the tested bolts based on the strength of the coal seam. A typical tri-linear load-deformation response for mechanical bolts was obtained from these tests. It was found that the anchorage capacity depended mainly on the coal strength. Guidelines for modeling mechanical bolts have been developed using the tri-linear load-deformation response. The outcome of this research provides essential data for rib support design.     

Subsidence over room and pillar retreat mining in a low coal seam

The objective of this paper is to study the behavior of a low thick and low depth coal seam and the overburden rock mass. The mining method is room and pillar in retreat and partial pillar recovery. The excavation method is conventional drill and blast because of the small production. The partial pillar recovery is about 30% of the previous pillar size, 7 m × 7 m. The roof displacement was monitored during retreat operation; the surface movement was also monitored. The effect of the blasting vibration on the final pillar strength had been considered. Due to blasting, the pillar reduced about 20%. The consequence is more pillar deformation and roof vertical displacement. The pillar retreat and ground movement were simulated in a three-dimensional numerical model. This model was created to predict the surface subsidence and compare to the subsidence measured. This study showed that the remaining pillar and low seam reduce the subsidence that was predicted with conventional methods.     

Analysis of monitored ground support and rock mass response in a longwall tailgate entry

A comprehensive monitoring program was conducted to measure the rock mass displacements, support response, and stress changes at a longwall tailgate entry in West Virginia.Monitoring was initiated a few days after development of the gateroad entries and continued during passage of the longwall panels on both sides of the entry.Monitoring included overcore stress measurements of the initial stress within the rock mass, changes in cable bolt loading, standing support pressure, roof deformation, rib deformation,stress changes in the coal pillar, and changes in the full three-dimensional stress tensor within the rock mass at six locations around the monitoring site.During the passage of the first longwall, stress measurements in the rock and coal detected minor changes in loading while minor changes were detected in roof deformation.As a result of the relatively favorable stress and geological conditions, the support systems did not experience severe loading or rock deformation until the second panel approached within 10–15 m of the instrumented locations.After reaching the peak loading at about 50–75 mm of roof sag, the cable bolts started to unload, and load was transferred to the standing supports.The standing support system was able to maintain an adequate opening inby the shields to provide ventilation to the first crosscut inby the face, as designed.The results were used to calibrate modeled cable bolt response to field data, and to validate numerical modeling procedures that have been developed to evaluate entry support systems.It is concluded that the support system was more than adequate to control the roof of the tailgate up to the longwall face location.The monitoring results have provided valuable data for the development and validation of support design strategies for longwall tailgate entries.     

Preliminary rib support requirements for solid coal ribs using a coal pillar rib rating(CPRR)

Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH) are developing a coal pillar rib rating(CPRR) technique to measure the integrity of coal ribs. The CPRR characterizes the rib composition and evaluates its impact on the inherent stability of the coal ribs. The CPRR utilizes four parameters: rib homogeneity, bedding condition, face cleat orientation with respect to entry direction,and rib height. All these parameters are measurable in the field. A rib data collecting procedure and a simple sheet to calculate the CPRR were developed. The developed CPRR can be used as a rib quality mapping tool in underground coal mines and to determine the potential of local rib instabilities and support requirements associated with overburden depth. CPRR calculations were conducted for 22 surveyed solid coal ribs, mainly composed of coal units. Based on this study, the rib performance was classified into four categories. A preliminary minimum primary rib support density(PRSD) line was obtained from these surveyed cases. Two sample cases are presented that illustrate the data collection form and CPRR calculations.     

Ground control monitoring of retreat room–and–pillar mine in Central Appalachia

In order to study pillar and overburden response to retreat mining, a ground control program was conducted at a Central Appalachian Mine. The program consisted of several monitoring methods including a seismic monitoring system, borehole pressure cells in the pillars, and time-lapse photogrammetry of the pillar ribs. Two parallel geophone arrays were installed, one on each side of the panel with the sensors mounted 3 m into the roof. A total of fourteen geophones recorded more than 5000 events during the panel retreat. A MIDAS datalogger was used to record pressure from borehole pressure cells(BPCs)located in two adjacent pillars that were not mined during retreat. A series of photographs were taken of the pillars that had the BPCs as the face approached so that deformation of the entire rib could be monitored using photogrammetry. Results showed that pillar stability and cave development were as expected. The BPCs showed an increase in loading when the face was 115 m inby and a clear onset of the forward abutment at 30 m. The photogrammetry results displayed pillar deformation corresponding to the increased loading. The microseismic monitoring results showed the overburden caving inby the face, again as expected. The significance of these results lies in two points,(1) we can quantify the safe manner in which this mine is conducting retreating operations, and(2) we can use volumetric technologies(photogrammetry and microseismic) to monitor entire volumes of the mine in addition to the traditional point-location geotechnical measurements(BPCs).     

Mechanics of rib deformation—Observations and monitoring in Australian coal mines

The risk of fatalities from rib failure is still prevalent in the coal mining industry. This risk has prompted further research to be conducted on rib deformation in order to understand the mechanisms of rib failure, with the long-term objective being to improve rib support design. This paper presents the results of ACARP research project C25057, which investigated the mechanics and drivers of rib failure. The results of rib deformation monitoring at three different mines in Australia provide rib deformation characteristics for overburden depths ranging from 160 to 530 m. Monitoring includes deformation during development drivage conditions and during the longwall retreat abutment stress environment. The rib deformation monitoring covered three different seams: the Goonyella Middle Seam, Ulan Seam, and Bulli Seam in the Bowen Basin, Western Coalfield, and Southern Coalfield, respectively. The observed mechanisms driving the rib deformation ranged from bedding shear failure along weak claystone bands to vertical shear fractures to kinematic failures driven by shear failure dilation. The variation in mechanisms of rib failure, together with the seemingly consistent method of rib support design, prompts the question: what exactly is the role of rib support?     

Coal pillar design when considered a reinforcement problem rather than a suspension problem

Current coal pillar design is the epitome of suspension design.A defined weight of unstable overburden material is estimated, and the dimensions of the pillars left behind are based on holding up that material to a prescribed factor of safety.In principle, this is no different to early roadway roof support design.However, for the most part, roadway roof stabilisation has progressed to reinforcement, whereby the roof strata is assisted in supporting itself.This is now the mainstay of efficient and effective underground coal production.Suspension and reinforcement are fundamentally different in roadway roof stabilisation and lead to substantially different requirements in terms of support hardware characteristics and their application.In suspension, the primary focus is the total load-bearing capacity of the installed support and ensuring that it is securely anchored outside of the unstable roof mass.In contrast, reinforcement recognises that roof de-stabilisation is a gradational process with ever-increasing roof displacement magnitude leading to ever-reducing stability.Key roof support characteristics relate to such issues as system stiffness, the location and pattern of support elements and mobilising a defined thickness of the immediate roof to create(or build) a stabilising strata beam.The objective is to ensure that horizontal stress is maintained at a level that prevents mass roof collapse.This paper presents a prototype coal pillar and overburden system representation where reinforcement, rather than suspension, of the overburden is the stabilising mechanism via the action of in situ horizontal stresses.Established roadway roof reinforcement principles can potentially be applied to coal pillar design under this representation.The merit of this is evaluated according to failed pillar cases as found in a series of published databases.Based on the findings, a series of coal pillar system design considerations for bord and pillar type mine workings are provided.This potentially allows a more flexible approach to coal pillar sizing within workable mining layouts, as compared to common industry practice of a single design factor of safety(Fo S) under defined overburden dead-loading to the exclusion of other relevant overburden stabilising influences.     

Vertical load capacities of roof truss cross members

Trusses used for roof support in coal mines are constructed of two grouted bolts installed at opposing forty-five degree angles into the roof and a cross member that ties the angled bolts together. The load on the cross member is vertical, which is transverse to the longitudinal axis, and therefore the cross member is loaded in the weakest direction. Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the vertical load capacity and deflection of three different types of cross members. Single-point load tests, with the load applied in the center of the specimen and double-point load tests, with a span of 2.4 m, were conducted. For the single-point load configuration, the yield of the 25 mm solid bar cross member was nominally 98 kN of vertical load, achieved at 42 cm of deflection. For cable cross members, yield was not achieved even after 45 cm of deflection. Peak vertical loads were about 89 kN for 17 mm cables and67 kN for the 15 mm cables. For the double-point load configurations, the 25 mm solid bar cross members yielded at 150 kN of vertical load and 25 cm of deflection. At 25 cm of deflection individual cable strands started breaking at 133 and 111 kN of vertical load for the 17 and 15 mm cable cross members respectively.     

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.     

Preventing roof fall fatalities during pillar recovery: A ground control success story

For decades, pillar recovery accounted for a quarter of all roof fall fatalities in underground coal mines.Studies showed that a miner on a pillar recovery section was at least three times more likely to be killed by a roof fall than other coal miners. Since 2007, however, there has been just one fatal roof fall on a pillar line. This paper describes the process that resulted in this historic achievement. It covers both the key research findings and the ways in which those insights, beginning in the early 2000 s, were implemented in mining practice. One key finding was that safe pillar recovery requires both global and local stability.Global stability is addressed primarily through proper pillar design, and became a major focus after the2007 Crandall Canyon mine disaster. But the most significant improvements resulted from detailed studies that showed that local stability, defined as roof control in the immediate work area, could be achieved with three interventions:(1) leaving an engineered final stump, rather than extracting the entire pillar,(2) enhancing roof bolt support, particularly in intersections, and(3) increasing the use of mobile roof supports(MRS). A final component was an emphasis on better management of pillar recovery operations.This included a focus on worker positioning, as well as on the pillar and lift sequences, MRS operations,and hazard identification. As retreat mines have incorporated these elements into their roof control plans,it has become clear that pillar recovery is not ‘‘inherently unsafe." The paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges that remain, including the problems of rib falls and coal bursts.     

深部沿空切顶成巷围岩稳定性控制对策

基于沿空切顶成巷技术原理,以城郊煤矿深部工作面无煤柱开采为背景,综合运用力学分析﹑模拟计算和现场试验等方法,对深部切顶成巷围岩控制关键对策进行深入研究。结果显示：切顶留巷顶板在侧向形成短臂梁结构,降低了巷旁支护体所受压力,切缝范围内岩层垮落后碎胀充填采空区,使留巷顶板下沉量降低了约50%。采空区侧顶板为切顶巷道围岩变形的关键部位,需进行加强支护;深部切顶巷道实体煤帮塑性区范围大,通过煤帮锚索支护技术可将浅部锚杆承载层锚固在弹性区稳定煤体中;深部切顶成巷来压速度快、强度大,巷内单体支柱易造成冲击破断,采用高阻力液压支架巷内临时支护时可较好地抵抗深部强动压;巷旁刚性挡矸装置因无法适应深部围岩大变形而受压弯曲破坏,深部切顶巷道巷旁挡矸结构需实现一定的竖向让位卸压方可与顶底板协调变形。在研究的基础上提出恒阻锚索关键部位支护+可缩性U型钢柔性让位挡矸+巷内液压支架临时支护+实体煤帮锚索补强的深部切顶成巷联合支护技术,并进行现场工业性试验。现场监测结果表明：留巷围岩在滞后工作面约290 m时基本稳定,且稳定后各项指标满足下一工作面使用要求。     

Analysis of ARMPS2010 database with La Model and an updated abutment angle equation

The Analysis of Retreat Mining Pillar Stability(ARMPS) program was developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH) to help the United States coal mining industry to design safe retreat room-and-pillar panels. ARMPS calculates the magnitude of the in-situ and mining-induced loads by using geometrical computations and empirical rules. In particular, the program uses the ‘‘abutment angle" concept in calculating the magnitude of the abutment load on pillars adjacent to a gob. In this paper, stress measurements from United States and Australian mines with different overburden geologies with varying hard rock percentages were back analyzed. The results of the analyses indicated that for depths less than 200 m, the ARMPS empirical derivation of a 21° abutment angle was supported by the case histories; however, at depths greater than 200 m, the abutment angle was found to be significantly less than 21°. In this paper, a new equation employing the panel width to overburden depth ratio is constructed for the calculation of accurate abutment angles for deeper mining cases. The new abutment angle equation was tested using both ARMPS2010 and La Model for the entire case history database of ARMPS2010. The new abutment angle equation to estimate the magnitude of the mining-induced loads used together with the La Model program was found to give good classification accuracies compared to ARMPS2010 for deep cover cases.     

Design concerns of room and pillar retreat panels

Why do some room and pillar retreat panels encounter abnormal conditions? What factors deserve the most consideration during the planning and execution phases of mining and what can be done to mitigate those abnormal conditions when they are encountered? To help answer these questions, and to determine some of the relevant factors influencing the conditions of room and pillar (R &; P) retreat mining entries, four consecutive R &; P retreat panels were evaluated. This evaluation was intended to reinforce the influence of topographic changes, depth of cover, multiple-seam interactions, geological conditions, and mining geometry. This paper details observations were made in four consecutive R &; P retreat panels and the data were collected from an instrumentation site during retreat mining. The primary focus was on the differences observed among the four panels and within the panels themselves. The instrumentation study was initially planned to evaluate the interactions between primary and secondary support, but produced rather interesting results relating to the loading encountered under the current mining conditions. In addition to the observation and instrumentation, numerical modeling was performed to evaluate the stress conditions. Both the LaModel 3.0 and Rocscience Phase 2 programs were used to evaluate these four panels. The results of both models indicated a drastic reduction in the vertical stresses experienced in these panels due to the full extraction mining in overlying seams when compared to the full overburden load. Both models showed a higher level of stress associated with the outside entries of the panels. These results agree quite well with the observations and instrumentation studies performed at the mine. These efforts provided two overarching conclusions concerning R &; P retreat mine planning and execution. The first was that there are four areas that should not be overlooked during R &; P retreat mining: topographic relief, multiple-seam stress relief, stress concentrations near the gob edge, and geologic changes in the immediate roof. The second is that in order to successfully retreat an R &; P panel, a three-phased approach to the design and analysis of the panel should be conducted: the planning phase, evaluation phase, and monitoring phase.     

锚杆加固条带煤柱的离散元模拟分析

结合煤巷锚杆支护技术与条带开采技术，首次提出了用锚杆加固条带煤柱的新方法。离散元数值模拟结果表明，采用这一方法，不仅可以提高煤柱的稳定性和承载能力，减轻采动损害，还可将煤柱缩小一定尺寸，提高回采率，在“三下”采煤中有着广阔的应用前景。     

Unanticipated multiple seam stresses from pillar systems behaving as pseudo gob–case histories

Underground coal mining in the U.S. is conducted in numerous regions where previous workings exist above and/or below an actively mined seam. Miners know that overlying or underlying fully extracted coal areas, also known as gob regions, can result in abutment stresses that affect the active mining. If there was no full extraction, and the past mining consists entirely of intact pillars, the stresses on the active seam are usually minimal. However, experience has shown that in some situations there has been sufficient yielding in overlying or underlying pillar systems to cause stress transfer to the adjoining larger pillars or barriers, which in turn, transfer significant stresses onto the workings of the active seam. In other words, the overlying or underlying pillar system behaves as a ‘‘pseudo gob." The presence of a pseudo gob is often unexpected, and the consequences can be severe. This paper presents several case histories, summarized briefly below, that illustrate pseudo gob phenomenon:(1) pillar rib degradation at a West Virginia mine at 335 m depth that contributed to a rib roll fatality,(2) pillar rib deterioration at a Western Kentucky mine at 175 m depth that required pillar size adjustment and installation of supplemental bolting,(3) roof deterioration at an eastern Kentucky mine at 400 m depth that stopped mine advance and required redirecting the section development,(4) coal burst on development at an eastern Kentucky mine at 520 m depth that had no nearby pillar recovery, and(5) coal burst on development at a West Virginia mine at the relatively shallow depth of 335 m that also had no nearby pillar recovery. The paper provides guidance so that when an operation encounters a potential pseudo gob stress interaction the hazard can be mitigated based on an understanding of the mechanism encountered.     

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.     

Layout and support technology of entry for pillar face

In order to improve the recovery rate of coal, some mines have begun to recover the residual protective pillars in the form of short wall faces. However, it is difficult to control stability of the haulage entry and the ventilating entry under the mining influences of the pillar face and the two side faces. Thus the 4311 face, which was designed to recover the 57 m wide residual protective pillar in Guojiashan Coal Mine,was taken as engineering background. Distribution law of stress and plastic zone in the residual protective pillar was analyzed using the numerical simulation. Then the gob-side entry driving technology was proposed to layout the entries for the pillar face. Based on the analysis of stress distribution and deformation characteristics of surrounding rocks in gob-side entry driving with different width of narrow pillars, the width of the narrow pillar of the entries in the 4311 face was decided to be 4 m. In order to control stability of the gob-side entry driving, the mechanical model of the main roof was established and deformation characteristic of surrounding rock was analyzed. Then the bolt support technology with high strength and high pre-tightening force was proposed for entry support. Especially, the hydraulic expansion bolts were used to support the narrow pillar rib. The engineering results show that the width of the narrow pillar is reasonable and the entry support technology is effective. The research achievement can provide some references to pillar recovery for other coal mines.     

Challenges of mining the first right-handed longwall panel in a new reserve block in Pittsburgh Seam

In this paper, the mining experience and challenges for the first right-handed longwall panel in the Pittsburgh Seam are introduced. The longwall headgate T-junction experienced very high face convergence(up to 61 cm), accompanied by roof sag, floor heave, and rib loading. The headgate convergence was so large that, in a few places, it threatened longwall retreat and ultimately required the bottom to be re-graded. Different underground instruments, such as a roof scope, de-gas drill, tell-tale, laser meter,and borehole pressure Cell(BPC), were employed to explore the roof geology and to monitor the entry convergence and the stress changes in the pillar. In addition, the impact of other geologic factors, such as large overburden depth, laminated sandstone roof geology, soft floor, and large headgate equipment,were also analyzed. Subsequently, geotechnical solutions were provided to avoid or mitigate the impact of these challenging geologic factors.     

Influence of canopy ratio of powered roof support on longwall working stability——A case study

The case study describes longwall coal seam A in a hard coal mine, where longwall coal face stability loss and periodic roof fall occurrences had been registered. The authors have attempted to explain the situation based on in-situ measurements and observations of the longwall working as well as numerical simulation. The calculations included several parameters, such as powered roof support geometry in the form of the canopy ratio, which is a factor that influences load distribution along the canopy.Numerical simulations were realized based on a rock mass model representing realistic mining and geological conditions at a depth of 600 m below surface for coal seam A. Numerical model assumptions are described, while the obtained results were compared with the in-situ measurements. The conclusions drawn from this work can complement engineering knowledge utilized at the stage of powered roof support construction and selection in order to improve both personnel safety and longwall working stability,and to achieve better extraction.     

Numerical analysis for the prediction of bump prone conditions:A southern Appalachian pillar coal bump case study

Two miners were fatally injured when a pillar bump occurred during retreat mining in a southern West Virginia coal mine. The mine was operating in the Eagle seam with overmining in the No. 2 Gas and Powellton seams. A coal bump is defined as a sudden and violent failure of coal caused by the release of stored strain energy in the pillar. While significant strides have been made by academia, industry,and regulatory agencies to better understand bump conditions and mitigation techniques, coal bumps represent a long standing, highly site-specific engineering problem in which the exact failure mechanism is not clearly understood. In this case history, a cut-by-cut analysis of retreat mining operations was conducted on the 4 East Main leading up to the pillar bump event. Numerical input parameters were derived from site-specific geologic information and mine geometry for the analysis of pillar stress conditions and energy release using LaModel. An overview of stress conditions in the panel was presented including a precursor event that occurred two crosscuts inby the bump site. The methodology presented in the paper for the evaluation of the fatal bump event can be used for the identification of bump prone conditions prior to development and retreat of a mining area.