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.