Instability characteristics of the cracked roof rock beam under shallow mining conditions

To establish the movement relationship for the roof breaking under shallow mining conditions, the mechanical model of the roof rock beam was built, then the structure instability process of the roof rock beam was analyzed. The changing criterion of the vertical displacement was established and the relationship between the deflection and the rotary motion of roof block was determined. Regarding a mining face in Shangwan Mine, the responsing laws of the deflection and horizontal thrust of the roof rock beam were obtained through FLAC3D numerical analysis. The results show that the structure instability of the cracked roof rock beam depends on the interaction between the vertical load and the horizontal thrust.For the roof rock beam, when the vertical load keeps constant, the horizontal thrust fluctuating rises with increasing deflection. The horizontal thrust increases constantly with the deeper buried depth and the smaller span.     

Numerical modeling of entry position design: A field case

In coal mining, roof collapse and support body failure during entry excavation are a common problem.During excavation, entry positions may be subjected to separation, shear-slip, support body failure,and roof collapse. Weak coal-rock interfaces allow for shear-slip between layers, causing anchor bolts and cables to fail. Six entry position models are created to evaluate the failure process and determine the best entry position. Results indicate that roof rocks experience bending and shear-slip along the coal-rock interface. Nearby mining activity causes asymmetric deformation of the entry and shear-slip at the roof corners. When anchor cables and bolts in the roof are insufficient to limit separation and shear-slip, support bodies are subjected to tension, shear, and bending. Once the support body fractures,the entry roof experiences progressive deformation resulting in collapse. We determine the optimal entry position in which shear-slip and residual coal are minimized.     

A robust approach to identify roof bolts in 3D point cloud data captured from a mobile laser scanner

Roof bolts such as rock bolts and cable bolts provide structural support in underground mines. Frequent assessment of these support structures is critical to maintain roof stability and minimise safety risks in underground environments. This study proposes a robust workflow to classify roof bolts in 3 D point cloud data and to generate maps of roof bolt density and spacing. The workflow was evaluated for identifying roof bolts in an underground coal mine with suboptimal lighting and global navigation satellite system(GNSS) signals not available. The approach is based on supervised classification using the multi-scale Canupo classifier coupled with a random sample consensus(RANSAC) shape detection algorithm to provide robust roof bolt identification. The issue of sparseness in point cloud data has been addressed through upsampling by using a moving least squares method. The accuracy of roof bolt identification was measured by correct identification of roof bolts(true positives), unidentified roof bolts(false negatives), and falsely identified roof bolts(false positives) using correctness, completeness, and quality metrics. The proposed workflow achieved correct identification of 89.27% of the roof bolts present in the test area. However, considering the false positives and false negatives, the overall quality metric was reduced to 78.54%.     

基于遗传算法的脊杆索穹顶优化设计

为了降低实际工程中索穹顶结构的造价,提出了一种基于遗传算法的优化设计方法,将预应力倍数和构件截面作为离散设计变量,在目标函数中考虑了结构的施工张拉程度.以Geiger和Levy两种索穹顶作为算例,得到了在多种荷载工况下满足结构应力和位移约束的索穹顶最小造价,并研究了预应力对优化结果的影响.将索穹顶的脊索替换为可受压的钢杆后,对改进方案——脊杆索穹顶进行了优化设计,并与原结构对比了结构造价和力学性能.结果表明:该方法能够高效准确地得到造价最小的索穹顶结构,各构件内力比较接近其极限设计状态;有必要在索穹顶的设计过程中考虑预应力分项系数和活荷载不均匀分布等因素,以满足结构稳定性和单根构件承载力的要求;采用钢杆替换脊索,使索穹顶结构的总造价稍有降低,并显著降低了结构挠度和支座反力.     

内蒙古伊旗全民健身体育中心索穹顶结构体系设计研究

为了降低实际工程中索穹顶结构的造价,提出了一种基于遗传算法的优化设计方法,将预应力倍数和构件截面作为离散设计变量,在目标函数中考虑了结构的施工张拉程度. 以Geiger和Levy两种索穹顶作为算例,得到了在多种荷载工况下满足结构应力和位移约束的索穹顶最小造价,并研究了预应力对优化结果的影响. 将索穹顶的脊索替换为可受压的钢杆后,对改进方案——脊杆索穹顶进行了优化设计,并与原结构对比了结构造价和力学性能. 结果表明:该方法能够高效准确地得到造价最小的索穹顶结构,各构件内力比较接近其极限设计状态;有必要在索穹顶的设计过程中考虑预应力分项系数和活荷载不均匀分布等因素,以满足结构稳定性和单根构件承载力的要求;采用钢杆替换脊索,使索穹顶结构的总造价稍有降低,并显著降低了结构挠度和支座反力.

     

Mechanical analysis of roof stability under nonlinear compaction of solid backfill body

Based on the compaction characteristic test and the nonlinear compaction deformation characteristics of backfill material, this paper applies the theory of nonlinear elastic foundation of thin plate to establish a mechanical model of backfill body and roof in solid dense backfill coal mining. This study critically analyses the deflection equation of the roof by the energy method, derives the conditions of roof breakage and combined with concrete engineering practice analyses, determines roof movement regularity and stability in solid dense backfill mining. Analysis of the engineering practice of the 13,120 backfill panel of Pingmei 12# mine shows the theoretical maximum of roof convergence in backfill mining to be415 mm which is in significant agreement with the measured value. During the advancing process of solid backfill mining at the panel, the maximum tensile stress on the roof is less than its tensile strength which does not satisfy the conditions for roof breakage. Drilling results on the roof and ground pressure monitoring show that the integrity of roof is strong, which is consistent with the theoretical calculations described in this study. The results presented in the study provide a basis for further investigation into strata movement theory in solid dense backfill mining.     

Comparing the reinforcement capacity of welded steel mesh and a thin spray-on liner using large scale laboratory tests

Steel mesh is used as a passive skin confinement medium to supplement the active support provided by rock bolts for roof and rib control in underground coal mines. Thin spray-on liners (TSL) are believed to have the potential to take the place of steel mesh as the skin confinement medium in underground mines. To confirm this belief, large scale laboratory experiments were conducted to compare the behaviour of welded steel mesh and a TSL, when used in conjunction with rock bolts, in reinforcing strata with weak bedding planes and strata prone to guttering, two common rock conditions which exist in coal mines. It was found that while the peak load taken by the simulated rock mass with weak bedding planes acting as the control sample (no skin confinement) was 2494 kN, the corresponding value of the sample with 5 mm thick TSL reinforcement reached 2856 kN. The peak load of the steel mesh reinforced sample was only 2321 kN, but this was attributed to the fact that one of the rock bolts broke during the test. The TSL reinforced sample had a similar post-yield behaviour as the steel mesh reinforced one. The results of the large scale guttering test indicated that a TSL is better than steel mesh in restricting rock movement and thus inhibiting the formation of gutters in the roof.     

A new cable truss support system for coal roadways affected by dynamic pressure

The support of coal roadways is seriously affected by intense dynamic pressures. This can lead to problems with large deformation of the roof and the two side walls of coal roadways. Rapid convergence of the walls and roof, a high damage rate to the bolts and cables, or even abrupt roof collapse or rib spalling can occur during the service period of these coal roadways. Analyzing the main support measures used in China leads to a proposed new cable truss supporting system. Thorough study of the entire structure shows the superiority of this design for roadways suffering under dynamic pressure. A corresponding mechanical model of the rock surrounding the cable truss system is described in this paper and formulas for calculating pre-tightening forces of the truss cable, and the minimum anchoring forces, were deduced. The new support system was applied to a typical roadway affected by intensive dynamic pressure that is located in the Xinyuan Coal Mine. The results show that the largest subsidence of the roof was 97 mm, the convergence of the two sides was less than 248 mm, and the average depth of the loose, fractured layer was only 6.12 mm. This proves that the new support system is feasible and effective.     

Parametric study on the axial performance of a fully grouted cable bolt with a new pull-out test

Modified cable bolts are commonly used in underground mines due to their superior performance in preventing bed separation when compared with plain strands. To better test the axial performance of a wide range of cable bolts,a new laboratory short encapsulation pull test(LSEPT) facility was developed. The facility simulates the interaction between cable bolts and surrounding rock mass,using artificial rock cylinders with a diameter of 300 mm in which the cable bolt is grouted. Furthermore,the joint where the load is applied is left unconstrained to allow shear slippage at the cable/grout or grout/rock interface.Based on this apparatus,a series of pull tests were undertaken using the MW9 modified bulb cable bolt.Various parameters including embedment length,test material strength and borehole size were evaluated. It was found that within a limited range of 360 mm,there is a linear relationship between the maximum bearing capacity of the cable bolt and embedment length. Beyond 360 mm,the peak capacity continues to rise but with a much lower slope. When the MW9 cable bolt was grouted in a weak test material,failure always took place along the grout/rock interface. Interestingly,increasing the borehole diameter from 42 to 52 m in weak test material altered the failure mode from grout/rock interface to cable/grout interface and improved the performance in terms of both peak and residual capacity.     

A coal rib monitoring study in a room-and-pillar retreat mine

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH) conducted a comprehensive monitoring program in a room-and-pillar mine located in Southern Virginia. The deformation and the stress change in an instrumented pillar were monitored during the progress of pillar retreat mining at two sites of different geological conditions and depths of cover. The main objectives of the monitoring program were to better understand the stress transfer and load shedding on coal pillars and to quantify the rib deformation due to pillar retreat mining; and to examine the effect of rib geology and overburden depth on coal rib performance. The instrumentation at both sites included pull-out tests to measure the anchorage capacity of rib bolts, load cells mounted on rib bolts to monitor the induced loads in the bolts, borehole pressure cells(BPCs) installed at various depths in the study pillar to measure the change in vertical pressure within the pillar, and roof and rib extensometers installed to quantify the vertical displacement of the roof and the horizontal displacement of the rib that would occur during the retreat mining process.The outcome from the monitoring program provides insight into coal pillar rib support optimization at various depths and geological conditions. Also, this study contributes to the NIOSH rib support database in U.S coal mines and provides essential data for rib support design.     

Ground response to high horizontal stresses during longwall retreat and its implications for longwall headgate support

Roof falls in longwall headgate can occur when weak roof and high horizontal stress are present. To prevent roof falls in the headgate under high horizontal stress, it is important to understand the ground response to high horizontal stress in the longwall headgate and the requirements for supplemental roof support. In this study, a longwall headgate under high horizontal stress was instrumented to monitor stress change in the pillars, deformations in the roof, and load in the cable bolts. The conditions in the headgate were monitored for about six months as the longwall face passed by the instrumented site.The roof behavior in the headgate near the face was carefully observed during longwall retreat.Numerical modeling was performed to correlate the modeling results with underground observation and instrumentation data and to quantify the effect of high horizontal stress on roof stability in the longwall headgate. This paper discusses roof support requirements in the longwall headgate under high horizontal stress in regard to the pattern of supplemental cable bolts and the critical locations where additional supplemental support is necessary.     

Development of a six drillhead roof bolting machine

In underground mining, machine design is predominantly dictated by mine conditions and individual customer desires. In partnership with Foresight Energy, J. H. Fletcher Company was tasked to design and manufacture a new roof bolting machine with six independent drilling apparatus on board capable of drilling and bolting the roof and ribs with material handling. The objective was to produce a machine capable of drilling and installing six bolts simultaneously with a limited number of operators. The goal of the mine is to decrease the time to bolt a cut to improve the safety level of the current roof bolting method, improve efficiency and to improve the bottom line cost of entry development. The customer wanted four drills at the front of the machine dedicated to installing roof bolts and then another two drills behind them dedicated to rib bolts. This dictated the requirement of latched controls, which would allow the operator to start drilling one hole and then latch the controls to be able to move on to the next.The result of the design is a machine with a single platform and six independent masts with drillheads:four masts strictly for drilling and installing roof bolts on the front of the platform and two masts on the back of the platform for rib bolts. The controls at each operator's station include a latch control for drilling. The six-head roof bolter allows fewer operators to drill and install roof and rib bolts, which in turn lowers the miners' roof exposure per cut. This design reduces the operator's exposure from the inherent pinch points and rotary hazards once he has engaged the latch drilling. Therefore, the machine will help to decrease the time to bolt a cut, improving productivity while enhancing the ability to operate the machine safely.     

Experimental Study on a Single Layer Two-Way Grid Shell with Tension Members

Single layer two-way grid shell with in-plane and out-of-plane tension members is a new type of single-layer latticed shell roofs. Compared with traditional single-layer latticed shells, this new type has a unique mesh form and excellent rigidity. In order to further understand the buckling behaviors of single layer two-way grid cylindrical shell roof with tension members, the buckling experiments have been undertaken to investigate the effect of tension members, in either out-of-plane or in-plane placement. A single layer two-way grid cylindrical shell roof with out-of-plane tension members has been tested under symmetric and asymmetric loading. The tension member placement, the introducing initial axial force to tension members and the load patterns are considered to investigate the buckling behavior. Experimental results indicate that four long out-of-plane tension members work well under symmetrical loading, but only two long out-of-plane tension members work under asymmetrical loading. It can be concluded that the PC bar members used as tension members for this study are useful in the construction of a single layer two-way grid cylindrical shell roof with structural members intersecting at small angles.     

Numerical research on stability control of roofs of water-rich roadway

In order to study the strength-weakening law of roofs of water-rich roadway, this study used FLAC software, and simulated and analyzed the failure characteristics of the surrounding rock of water-rich roadway under the condition of different cross sections and support parameters, finally obtained the stress distribution of the principle stress of the roadway as well as the displacement variation of its surrounding rock. Results indicate that the roof stability of roadway with semicircular cross section is better than the roadway with inclined rectangular cross section under water-rich condition. Besides, the surrounding rock deformation of roadway under the action of water shows a pronounced increase compared to the roadway without the action of water due to the fact that water will obviously weaken the surrounding rock of roadway, especially its roof. It is very beneficial to control roof stability of water-rich roadway and guarantee the roadway stability during its service life by improving the pretension of bolt and cable as well as decreasing inter-row spacing of the bolt.     

A case study on the efficacy of different roof bolting schemes in Lhoist North America's Crab Orchard Mine

Roof bolting has long been used in underground mines across the world to provide ground support. Modern roof bolts are cheap and easy to install with the use of specialized machines as a part of the production cycle. Lhoist North America’s Crab Orchard Mine is an underground room and pillar limestone mine that uses mechanically anchored roof bolts for ground support. The mine currently employs two different roof bolting patterns: a standard 1.5 × 1.5 m pattern, and another 0.8 × 0.8 m pattern for use in areas with particularly hazardous roof conditions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relative effectiveness of each bolting pattern. A series of numerical models were created using RocScience’s RS2. The models were based on a symmetrical section of the mine at its deepest point, and were modeled using generalized Hoek-Brown failure criterion along with a discrete fracture network. A series of sensitivity analyses were performed on the models by varying parameters such as joint friction angle, crack persistence, joint randomization, and tensile strength of the limestone. Based on the results of the original models and sensitivity analyses, it appeared that the standard bolting pattern provided sufficient roof support capacity under almost all the expected conditions at the mine, since safety factors below the design value of 1.5 were only found for individual bolts in a few of the worst test cases considered. These results can help improve the mine’s productivity and reduce operating costs without compromising safety.     

澳门-凼仔三桥正桥斜拉桥空间应力有限元分析

澳门-凼仔三桥正桥是一座竖琴式平行索面的预应力混凝土斜拉桥．由于此桥受桥下航道净空、两岸接线、斜拉索锚固点截面不能设置横梁、箱梁底板厚度有限、活荷载和自重较大等一系列条件的限制，加之结构复杂和预应力作用，有必要建立空间实体有限元模型进行应力分析．通过对澳门-凼仔三桥正桥的空间受力计算与分析，再现了大桥成桥时各种工况下各构件的应力和变形情况．     

新型轻钢龙骨组合墙柱体系的轴压屈曲荷载

冷弯薄壁型钢小桁架体系是一种新型的轻钢龙骨结构体系,构成承重骨架的基本单元——冷弯薄壁型钢小桁架,由冷弯薄壁方(矩形)钢管通过标准的V型连接件和自钻螺钉连接形成。这种体系的竖向承重构件为冷弯薄壁型钢小桁架墙柱和覆盖在墙柱两侧的墙板构成的组合墙柱体系。考虑墙板对墙柱的蒙皮支撑效应,建立了双侧有相同墙板材料的墙柱体系在轴向荷载作用下的总势能方程,采用里兹法导出了墙柱体系在2种屈曲模式下的轴压弹性屈曲荷载。采用有限元软件对于墙体进行了屈曲分析,得到的屈曲模式和屈曲荷载与计算结果比较吻合。给出的公式可用于双侧有相同墙板材料的墙柱体系的轴压弹性屈曲荷载计算。     

梁板融合预制装配式双拼槽钢混组合楼板试验

为充分发挥装配式工业化程度高和钢-混组合结构优良力学性能的优势,提出一种装配式双拼槽钢-混凝土组合楼板,对3组简支组合楼板试件进行了四点加载试验,研究了该组合楼板的竖向静载下力学性能。分析了楼板裂缝、挠度、应变(钢筋、钢梁、混凝土板)随荷载发展规律;基于极限平衡法,提出了考虑受拉薄膜效应和刚度强化系数的承载力计算公式。结果表明：组合楼板的变形呈双向板特征,试件破坏时均出现板顶角部裂缝和弧形裂缝,混凝土板底中心区域为网状裂缝和向角部延伸的斜裂缝,双拼主梁发生塑性弯曲;在楼板的中心挠度达到l₀/40时,试件荷载分别为327.63 kN、436.92 kN和406.12 kN,组合楼板承载力较高;钢筋的应变发展在垂直钢梁方向较大,沿着塑性铰线屈服;考虑受拉薄膜效应和刚度强化系数的计算公式与试验结果吻合良好,准确地预测了楼板荷载-挠度全过程曲线。     

Evaluation of load transfer mechanism under axial loads in a novel coupler of dual height rock bolts

The effective reinforcement of two or more overlying layers of mine openings in a single installation is usually done by coupling of two standard rock bolts mainly during the extraction of medium-thick coal seams. However, field observations show that the couplers of multiple bolts often degrade or break mostly at their connections. These types of failures can be avoided by strengthening the couplers of such multi-bolts assemblies. To achieve this, a novel threaded coupler system with an expansion shell was suggested in this paper. The newly designed coupler consists of a threaded tapered-plug-cumconnector with an expansion shell for connecting and tightening two standard rock bolts. An analytical model for evaluating the load distribution along the coupler subject to axial load was derived. Numerical analysis was performed to analyse the load transfer, deformation, and strains across the coupler including the factor of safety for the bolt-coupler-resin and bolt-coupler-expansion shell. The results validated the analytical model of the proposed coupler design, which provides better anchorage near the interface of the host rock mass. Thus, the developed coupler design would reduce the failures of the proposed coupler and stabilize laminated roof strata above the medium-thick coal seams in underground mines.     

Fixed-length roof cutting with vertical hydraulic fracture based on the stress shadow effect: A case studyOA

Pre-driven longwall retracement roadway(PLRR) is commonly used in large mine shaft. The support crushing disasters occur frequently during the retracement, and roof management is necessary. Taking the 31107 panel as research background, the roof breaking structure of PLRR is analyzed. It is concluded that the roof cutting with vertical hydraulic fracture(HF) at a specified position, that is, fixed-length roof cutting, can reduce support load and keep immediate roof intact. The extended finite el...