Experimental investigation on behaviors of bolt-supported rock strata surrounding an entry in large dip coal seam

In order to investigate the behaviors and stability of rock strata surrounding an entry with bolt supporting in large dip coal seams (LDCSs) dipping from 25° to 45°, a self-developed rotatable experimental frame for similar material simulation test was used to build the model with the dip of 30°, based on analyses of geological and technological conditions in Huainan mine area, Anhui, China. The strata behaviors, such as extracting- and mining-induced stresses development, deformation and failure modes, were synthetically integrated during working face advancing. Results show that the development characteristics of mining-induced stress and deformation are asymmetrical in the roadway. The strata behaviors are totally different in different sections of the roadway. Because of asymmetrically geometrical structure influenced by increasing dip, strata dislocating, rock falling and breaking occur in roof. Then, squeezing, collapsing and caving of coal happen in upper- and lower-rib due to shearing action caused by asymmetrical roof bending and dislocating. Owing to the absence of supporting, floor heaving is very violent and usually the zone of floor heaving develops from the lower-rib to upper-rib. Engineering practices show that, due to the asymmetrical characteristics of rock pressure and roadway configuration, it is more difficult to implement bolt supporting system to control rock stability of roadways in LDCSs. The upper-rib and roof of entries are the key sections. Consequently, it is reliable to use asymmetrical bolt-mesh-cable supporting system to control rock stability of roadways based on the asymmetrical characteristics of roadway configuration and strata behaviors.

Investigation of natural ventilation performance of large space circular coal storage dome

Large space circular coal storage dome(LSCCSD)offers an environmental and dependable alternative to open stockpiles,and it has been consequently widely applied in China.However,due to the lack of scientific guidelines,its natural ventilation performance is lower than expected.Natural ventilation potential strongly depends on the roof geometry and opening mode,which have not yet been investigated for LSCCSD.This paper presents a detailed evaluation of the impact of dome geometry(rise span ratio),opening height,and opening modes on the ventilation performance of LSCCSD.The evaluation is based on computational fluid dynamics(CFD)methods and is validated by available wind tunnel testing.We employed three evaluation indicators,which are wind pressure coefficient,effective ventilation rate,and wind speed ratio.The results demonstrate that the rise span ratio has a significant effect on the wind pressure difference and the effective ventilation rate increases by approximately 9%–42%with a single-annular opening.When double-annular openings are set in a strong positive pressure zone,the effective ventilation rate increases by 100%and the average wind speed ratio increases by 50%.When it is compared with single one with similar opening height,the effective ventilation rate increases by 25%.The optimum natural ventilation performance for LSCCSD is achieved at a rise span ratio of 0.37.In addition,the lateral middle opening is kept higher than the ridge top of the coal pile.The proposed evaluation approach and design parameters provided instructive information in the building design and ventilation control for LSCCSDs.