Research on Bolt Support Technology in Soft Coal Seam Roadway

In order to solve the problem of surrounding rock control in soft coal seam roadway, taking the centralized return airway of No. 2 coal seam in Liangdu Coal Industry as the research background, the mechanical conditions of roadway surrounding rock were analyzed by means of field investigation, rock mechanics experiment and numerical simulation. The design principles of roadway support in soft coal seam were put forward: high strength anchor cable support, high preload support and high stiffness support. The bearing capacity of surrounding rock was strengthened by anchor cable support, and the deformation and failure of surrounding rock were effectively controlled. Through the numerical simulation method, the deformation and plastic failure range of roadwaysunder different support schemes are compared and analyzed. The support scheme of centralized transportation roadway is studied and determined, and the field test is carried out, which effectively controls the deformation of surrounding rock of roadway in weak coal seam.

Simulation of the relationship between roadway dynamic destruction and hypocenter parameters

Many factors can induce rock burst. Shock energy and shock distance are two key factors affecting rock burst. The 32101 roadway of the Xingcun coal mine, which has a tendency for rock burst, was used as an example. The dynamic module of Itasca’s FLAC (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua) 2D explicit finite-difference software was used to simulate the roadway’s destruction. The vibration velocity and displacements of the rock surrounding the roadway were modeled for different shock energies and hypocenter distances. The simulation results indicate that the vibration velocity and displacement of rock surrounding the roadway have a quadratic relationship to the shock energy and a power law relationship to the distance of the hypocenter from the roadway. A dynamic view of the process was obtained from a series of "snap-shots" collected at 100 different time steps. This shows an isolating "river" is first formed at the hypocenter. The region above the "river" is a low stress zone while below the "river" a high stress zone exists. This high stress zone surrounds the ribs of the roadway in a "double ear" pattern. Continuous and repeated action of the high stress in the "double ear" shaped zone destroys the roadway.

Influence of fault slip on mining-induced pressure and optimization ofroadway support design in fault-influenced zone

This paper presents an investigation on the characteristics of overlying strata collapse and mining-induced pressure in fault-influenced zone by employing the physical modeling in consideration of fault structure. The precursory information of fault slip during the underground mining activities is studied as well. Based on the physical modeling, the optimization of roadway support design and the field verification in fault-influenced zone are conducted. Physical modeling results show that, due to the combined effect of mining activities and fault slip, the mining-induced pressure and the extent of damaged rock masses in the fault-influenced zone are greater than those in the uninfluenced zone. The sharp increase and the succeeding stabilization of stress or steady increase in displacement can be identified as the precursory information of fault slip. Considering the larger mining-induced pressure in the fault-influenced zone, the new support design utilizing cables is proposed. The optimization of roadway support design suggests that the cables can be anchored in the stable surrounding rocks and can effectively mobilize the load bearing capacity of the stable surrounding rocks. The field observation indicates that the roadway is in good condition with the optimized roadway support design.

Anchoring mechanism and application of hydraulic expansion bolts used in soft rock roadway floor heave control

Comparing with the resin bolt, the hydraulic expansion bolt has different anchoring mechanism and application advantage. According to the working mechanism of the hydraulic expansion bolt, its anchoring force is expressed in four forms including support anchoring force, tension anchoring force, expansion anchoring force and tangent anchoring force, and their values can be obtained on the basis of each calculation formula. Among them, the expansion anchoring force, which is the unique anchoring force of the hydraulic expansion bolt, can provide confining pressure to increase the strength of rock. Aiming at solving the problem of stability control in the soft rock roadway in Jinbaotun Coal Mine which has a double layer of 40 U-type sheds and cannot provide enough resistance support to control floor heave, the study reveals the mechanism of floor heave in the soft rock roadway, and designs the reasonable support parameters of the hydraulic expansion bolts. The observed results of floor convergence indicate that the hydraulic expansion bolts can prevent the development and flow of the plastic zone in the floor rock to control floor heave. Research results enrich the control technology in the soft rock roadway.

Stability control of surrounding rocks for a coal roadway in a deep tectonic region

In order to effectively control the deformation and failure of surrounding rocks in a coal roadway in a deep tectonic region, the deformation and failure mechanism and stability control mechanism were studied. With such methods as numerical simulation and field testing, the distribution law of the displacement, stress and plastic zone in the surrounding rocks was analyzed. The deformation and failure mechanisms of coal roadways in deep tectonic areas were revealed: under high tectonic stress, two sides will slide along the roof or floor; while the plastic zone of the two sides will extend along the roof or floor,leading to more serious deformation and failure in the corner of two sides and the bolt supporting the corners is readily cut off by the shear force or tension force. Aimed at controlling the large slippage deformation of the two sides, serious deformation and failure in the corners of the two sides and massive bolt breakage, a ‘‘controlling and yielding coupling support'' control technology is proposed. Firstly, bolts which do not pass through the bedding plane should be used in the corners of the roadway, allowing the two sides to have some degree of sliding to achieve the purpose of ‘‘yielding'' support, and which avoid breakage of the bolts in the corner. After yielding support, bolts in the corner of the roadway and which pass through the bedding plane should be used to control the deformation and failure of the coal in the corner. ‘‘Controlling and yielding coupling support'' technology has been successfully applied in engineering practice, and the stability of deep coal roadway has been greatly improved.

Deformation failure mechanism and application of the backfill along the goaf-side retained roadway

In order to determine the rational width of backfill in the goaf-side retained roadway, the deformation failure mechanism of surrounding rock in retained roadway is studied in the use of theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, etc., when the width of backfill is different. The results show that: with the increase of backfill width, the roof deformation above the backfill decreases; the outside of backfill obviously suffers from greater stress compared to the inner side of backfill; the damage firstly appears in the intersection of top backfill and roof; the plastic failure area is mainly distributed in the roof and floor of inside the roadway; 2 m wide backfill in the goaf-side retained roadway can meet the requirements of roadway deformation. Based on the original combination support of "anchor-mesh-belt-lock" in the haulage-track roadway, the study also considers the reinforced support of "anchor-mesh-belt" above the backfill, and 50 m ahead of working face, and 200 m behind the working face. This kind of support achieves a good result. The roadway deformation of field measurement shows that it can satisfy the need of the next working face.

An experimental study of a yielding support for roadways constructed in deep broken soft rock under high stress

A rationally designed support for deep roadways excavated in broken soft rock under high stress was investigated. The deformation and failure characteristics and the mechanism of ''yielding support'' was studied for anchor bolts and cables. The rail roadway of the 2-501 working face in the Liyazhuang Mine of the Huozhou coal area located in Shanxi province was used for field trials. The geological conditions used there were used during the design phase. The new ''highly resistant, yielding'' support system has a core of high strength, yielding bolts and anchor cables. The field tests show that this support system adapts well to the deformation and pressure in the deep broken soft rock. The support system effectively controls damage to the roadway and ensures the long term stability of the wall rock and safe production in the coal mine. This provides a remarkable economic and social benefit and has broad prospects for fur- ther application.

Automated bolting and meshing on a continuous miner for roadway development

Automated installation of primary roof support material can potentially increase productivity and operator safety in the roadway development process within underground coal mining. Although the broader manufacturing sector has benefited from automation, several challenges exist within the Australian underground coal industry which makes it difficult to fully exploit these technologies. At the University of Wollongong a series of reprogrammable electromechanical manipulators have been designed to overcome these challenges and automatically handle the installation of roof and rib containment consumables on a continuous miner. The automated manipulation removes personnel from hazards in the immediate face area, particularly those associated with working in a confined and unstable working environment in close proximity to rotating and moving equipment. In a series of above ground trials the automated system was successfully demonstrated without human intervention and proven to be capable of achieving cycle times at a rate of 10 m per operating hour, consistent with that required to support high capacity longwall mines. The trials also identified a number of refinements which could further improve both cycle times and system reliability when considering the technology for underground use. The results have concluded that conventional manual handling practices on a continuous miner can be eliminated, and that the prototypes have significantly reduced the technical risk in proceeding to a full underground trial.

Deformation control of asymmetric floor heave in a deep rock roadway:A case study

In order to control asymmetric floor heave in deep rock roadways and deformation around the surrounding rock mass after excavation, in this paper we discuss the failure mechanism and coupling control countermeasures using the finite difference method （FLAC^3D） combined with comparative analysis and typical engineering application at Xingcun coal mine, It is indicated by the analysis that the simple symmetric support systems used in the past led to destruction of the deep rock roadway from the key zone and resulted in the deformation of asymmetric floor heave in the roadway. Suitable rein- forced support countermeasures are proposed to reduce the deformation of the floor heave and the potential risk during mining. The application shows that the present support technology can he used to better environmental conditions. The countermeasures of asymmetric coupling support can not only effectively reduce the discrepancy deformation at the key area of the surrounding rock mass, hut also effectively control floor heave, which helps realize the integration of support and maintain the stability of the deep rock roadways at Xingcun coal mine.

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.

Surrounding rock control mechanism of deep coal roadways and its application

Aiming at the surrounding rock control problem of mining and preparation entries in Xingdong mine with large mining depth, and the comprehensive control countermeasures including high pre-stress cable truss system, this study put forward powerful anchor support system and anchor cable adaption technology to surrounding rock deformation. Furthermore, the control measures possess the supporting performance with ‘‘primary rigid-following flexible-new rigid, and primary resistance-following yield-new resistance'', which suits deep roadway surrounding rock control. The mechanical model of truss anchor supporting roof beams was established, and the inverted arch deflection produced by the cable pre-stress with stress increment effect and roof beam deflection were obtained. And then the system working mechanism was illustrated. Finally, the surrounding rock support parameters were determined by means of comprehensive methods, and put into practice. The results show that surrounding rock deformation realized secondary stability after three months. The roadway sides convergence value was less than 245mm, and roof subsidence was less than 124mm. In addition, there was no expansion and renovation during service period.

APPLICATION OF NEURAL NETWORK TO SUPPORT OF ROADWAY IN SOFT ROCK

It is well known that artificial neural network which has marvelous ability to gain knowledge has been widely used in various engineering field.In this paper, support of roadway in soft rock has been researched based on neural network.

Key technologies and equipment for a fully mechanized top-coal caving operation with a large mining height at ultra-thick coal seams

Thick and ultra-thick coal seams are main coal seams for high production rate and high efficiency in Chinese coal mines, which accounts for 44 % of the total minable coal reserve. A fully mechanized top-coal caving mining method is a main underground coal extraction method for ultra-thick coal seams. The coal extraction technologies for coal seams less than 14 m thick were extensively used in China. However, for coal seams with thickness greater than 14 m, there have been no reported cases in the world for underground mechanical extraction with safe performance, high efficiency and high coal recovery ratio. To deal with this case, China Coal Technology ＆ Engineering Group, Datong Coal Mine Group, and other 15 organizations in China launched a fundamental and big project to develop coal mining technologies and equipment for coal seams with thicknesses greater than 14 m. After the completion of the project, a coal extraction method was developed for top-coal caving with a large mining height, as well as a ground control theory for ultra-thick coal seams. In addition, the mining technology for top-coal caving with a large mining height, the ground support technology for roadway in coal seams with a large cross-section, and the prevention and control technology for gas and fire hazards were developed and applied. Furthermore, a hydraulic support with a mining height of 5.2 m, a shearer with high reliability, and auxiliary equipment were developed and manufactured. Practical implication on the technologies and equipment developed was successfully completed at the No. 8105 coal face in the Tashan coal mine, Datong, China. The major achievements of the project are summarized as follows： 1. A top-coal caving method for ultra-thick coal seams is proposed with a cutting height of 5 m and a top-coal caving height of 15 m. A structural mechanical model of overlying strata called cantilever beam-articulated rock beam is established. Based on the model, the load resistance of the hydraulic support with a large mining height for top-coal caving method is determined. With the analysis, the movement characteristics of the top coal and above strata are evaluated during top-coal caving operation at the coal face with a large mining height. Furthermore, there is successful development of comprehensive technologies for preventing and controlling spalling of the coal wall, and the top-coal caving technology with high efficiency and high recovery at the top-coal caving face with a large mining height. This means that the technologies developed have overcome the difficulties in strata control, top-coal caving with high efficiency and high coal recovery, and enabled to achieve a production rate of more than 10 Mtpa at a single top-coal caving face with a large mining height in ultra-thick coal seams; 2. A hydraulic support with 5.2 m supporting height and anti-rockburst capacity, a shearer with high reliability, a scraper conveyor with a large power at the back of face, and a large load and long distance headgate belt conveyor have been successfully developed for a top-coal caving face with large mining height. The study has developed the key technologies for improving the reliability of equipment at the coal face and has overcome the challenges in equipping the top-coal caving face with a large mining height in ultra-thick coal seams; 3. The deformation characteristics of a large cross-section roadway in ultra-thick coal seams are discovered. Based on the findings above, a series of bolt materials with a high yielding strength of 500-830 MPa and a high extension ratio, and cable bolt material with a 1 × 19 structure, large tonnage and high extension ratio are developed. In addition, in order to achieve a safe roadway and a fast face advance, installation equipment for high pre-tension bolt is developed to solve the problems with the support of roadway in coal seams for top-coal caving operation with a large mining height; 4. The characteristics of gas distribution and uneven emission at top-coal caving face with large mining height in ultra-thick coal seams are evaluated. With the application of the technologies of gas drainage in the roof, the difficulties in gas control for high intensive top-coal caving mining operations, known as ＂low gas content, high gas emission＂, are solved. In addition, large flow-rate underground mobile equipment for making nitrogen are developed to solve the problems with fire prevention and safe mining at a top-coal caving face with large mining height and production rate of more than 10 Mtpa. A case study to apply the developed technologies has been conducted at the No. 8105 face, the Tashan coal mine in Datong, China. The case study demonstrates that the three units of equipment, i.e., the support, shearer and scraper conveyor, are rationally equipped. Average equipment usage at the coal face is 92.1%. The coal recovery ratio at the coal face is up to 88.9 %. In 2011, the coal production at the No. 8105 face reached 10.849 Mtpa, exceeding the target of 10 Mtpa for a topcoal caving operation with large mining height performed by Chinese-made mining equipment. The technologies and equipment developed provide a way for extracting ultra-thick coal seams. Currently, the technologies and equipment are used in 13 mining areas in China including Datong, Pingshuo, Shendong and Xinjiang. With the exploitation of coal resources in Western China, there is great potential for the application of the technologies and equipment developed.

Development of ensemble learning models to evaluate the strength of coal-grout materials

In the loose and fractured coal seam with particularly low uniaxial compressive strength(UCS),driving a roadway is extremely difficult as roof falling and wall spalling occur frequently.To address this issue,the jet grouting(JG)technique(high-pressure grout mixed with coal particles)was first introduced in this study to improve the self-supporting ability of coal mass.To evaluate the strength of the jet-grouted coal-grout composite(JG composite),the UCS evolution patterns were analyzed by preparing 405 specimens combining the influential variables of grout types,curing time,and coal to grout(C/G)ratio.Furthermore,the relationships between UCS and these influencing variables were modeled using ensemble learning methods i.e.gradient boosted regression tree(GBRT)and random forest(RF)with their hyperparameters tuned by the particle swarm optimization(PSO).The results showed that the chemical grout composite has higher short-term strength,while the cement grout composite can achieve more stable strength in the long term.The PSO-GBRT and PSO-RF models can both achieve high prediction accuracy.Also,the variable importance analysis demonstrated that the grout type and curing time should be considered carefully.This study provides a robust intelligent model for predicting UCS of JG composites,which boosts JG design in the field.

Research on the width of filling body in gob-side entry retaining with high-water materials

To determine the filling body's width along the gob-side remained roadway which is underneath the gob,the authors analyzed the interaction mechanism between the roof and the supporting body along the remained roadway, based on the elastic thin plate theory of the stope roof. The stress state and mechanical response of the filling body along the remained roadway were studied. Specifically, firstly, the supporting pressure of the coal pillar which is on one side of the gob-side remained roadway was deduced.Also, an equation that is used to calculate the width of the balance area in the stress limit state was acquired. Then, an equation that is used to calculate the roof cutting force on one side of the supporting body was obtained. By using FLAC3D, the authors investigated the displacement field and stress field response laws of rock masses around the roadway with different filling body's widths. The results show that with the filling body's width increasing, the supporting ability of the filling body increases.Meanwhile, the rock mass displacement around the roadway and the filling body deformation decrease.The better the filling body's supporting effect is, the higher the roof cutting force will be. When the filling body's width is larger than 3.0 m, its internal bearing ability becomes stable and the filling body's deformation became non-apparent. Finally, analysis shows that the filling body's width should be 2.5 m.Furthermore, the authors conducted field tests in the supply roadway 1204, using high-water materials and acquired expected outcomes.

THE THEORY OF SUPPORTING BROKEN ZONE IN SURROUNDING ROCK

The first topic discussed in this paper is to evaluate the present supporting theories,among which the typical two are collapse arch and elasto-plastic theories. The former is rather limited in practical application,and the latter is built up on some assumptions which is inconsis-tent with the reality,for it is of no need to support a roadway of which the surrounding rock is in elasto-plastic state. The second topic is to prove the objective existence of the broken zone in surrounding rock(BZSR) by a series of laboratory experiments and field measurements. The paper indicates that the object to be supported mainly is the bulking or expanding force resulted from the development of BZSR. This is remarkably different from the existing points of view which have been generally recognized nowadays. So far ,this theory has been tested in supporting more than ten thousand meters roadways located in various strata and has proved itself to have a great technoeconomical benefit.

DETERMINATION METHOD OF OPTIMAL SUPPORTING TIME IN HEADING FACE

This paper has put forward a concept of optimal supporting time through analysing the influence of the supporting time in the heading face on the supporting result of surrounding rock.The method Of the optimal Supporting time determined by graphical method is discussed, and the calculating formula for determining the optimal supporting time through the analysis method is derived.

Mechanism and practice of rock control in deep large span cut holes

Deep large span cut holes are difficult to stabilize. The 7801 cut hole in the Lu'an Wuyang Mine was used as this project's background. The main factors affecting large span cut hole stability are analyzed. Pre- stressed bolting theory was used to design a roof control method for a large span roadway. By reducing the span and applying equal strength coordinated supports the rock could be stabilized. The control prin- ciples and methods are given herein along with the analysis. A double micro arch cross section roadway is defined and its use in solving the current problem is described. Beam arch theory was used to build a model of the double micro arch cross section roadway. A support reverse force model for the arch foot intersection was also derived. A support method based upon reducing the width of the large span in the cut hole is presented. These results show that the reduced span of the roadway roof plus the use of cable anchors and single supports gives an effective way to control the large span cut hole. On site monitoring showed that the reduced span support from the double micro arch cross section roadway design had a significant effect. The roadway surface displacement was small and harmful deformation of the cut hole was effectively controlled. This will ensure its long term stability.

Roof bolting and underground roof falls

Roof bolting has been used in underground entry(roadway)support in U.S.coal mines since the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969(US Congress,1977)recognized roof bolting as the only means of underground entry(roadway)support.For U.S.underground coal mines,roof bolting pattern is fixed at 4
4 ft(1.2
1.2 m),except in the Pittsburgh Seam where longwall mining is practiced,with occasional 3.6
4 ft(1.1
1.2 m)pattern.However,roof falls or roof failure often occurs in roof-bolted entries in U.S.coal mines.Roof falls can roughly be divided into four types:skin falls,large falls,cutter roofs,and massive falls.Based on this situation,the roof is initially strengthened by bolt based on suspension and friction mechanism.By comparing roof bolting patterns in different coal producing countries,bolt density in all other countries is much higher(except South Africa)than that used in the U.S.In spite of its long history of successful application with hundreds of millions of units installed,roof bolting design is still the lack of a commonly accepted method.