Failure mechanism and control technology of deep soft-rock roadways:Numerical simulation and field study

Large deformations such as roof subsidence,floor heave,and two-sided deformations occur frequently in deep soft-rock roadways.The deformation becomes more severe under the combined effect of high in-situ and mining-induced stresses,which detrimentally affect the safe mining of coal.Based on the geological conditions and roadway failure characteristics of the Nanyaotou coal mine in Shanxi province,China,we used comprehensive numerical simulations and field observations to study roadway deformation and failure.The deformation mechanism of deep soft-rock roadways under dynamic pressures is described,and the corresponding control measures are proposed.The deformation and fracture development characteristics of roadways surrounding rocks were explored with a primary support scheme,and its effects were evaluated.The radius of the plastic zone and the displacement deformation of the roadway were studied by using theoretical analysis,and a combined-support design of‘‘anchor bolt+anchor cable+shotcrete+deep and shallow borehole grouting+inverted arch”was proposed to limit deformations and relieve the stress in the surrounding rocks.Numerical simulations and field monitoring showed that the combined support scheme can effectively mitigate the large deformations of ventilation roadways and provide guidance for the stable control of deep soft-rock roadways.

Support design method for deep soft-rock tunnels in non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field

Due to the long-term plate tectonic movements in southwestern China,the in-situ stress field in deep formations is complex.When passing through deep soft-rock mass under non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field,tunnels will suffer serious asymmetric deformation.There is no available support design method for tunnels under such a situation in existing studies to clarify the support time and support stiffness.This study first analyzed the mechanical behavior of tunnels in non-hydrostatic in-situ stress field and derived the theoretical equations of the ground squeezing curve(GSC)and ground loosening curve(GLC).Then,based on the convergence confinement theory,the support design method of deep soft-rock tunnels under non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field was established considering both squeezing and loosening pressures.In addition,this method can provide the clear support time and support stiffness of the second layer of initial support.The proposed design method was applied to the Wanhe tunnel of the China-Laos railway in China.Monitoring data indicated that the optimal support scheme had a good effect on controlling the tunnel deformation in non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field.Field applications showed that the secondary lining could be constructed properly.

Theory,technology and application of grouted bolting in soft rock roadways of deep coal mines

The grouted bolt,combining rock bolting with grouting techniques,provides an effective solution for controlling the surrounding rock in deep soft rock and fractured roadways.It has been extensively applied in numerous deep mining areas characterized by soft rock roadways,where it has demonstrated remarkable control results.This article systematically explores the evolution of grouted bolting,covering its theoretical foundations,design methods,materials,construction processes,monitoring measures,and methods for assessing its effectiveness.The overview encompassed several key elements,delving into anchoring theory and grouting reinforcement theory.The new principle of high pretensioned high-pressure splitting grouted bolting collaborative active control is introduced.A fresh method for dynamic information design is also highlighted.The discussion touches on both conventional grouting rock bolts and cable bolts,as well as innovative grouted rock bolts and cables characterized by their high pretension,strength,and sealing hole pressure.An examination of the merits and demerits of standard inorganic and organic grouting materials versus the new inorganic–organic composite materials,including their specific application conditions,was conducted.Additionally,the article presents various methods and instruments to assess the support effect of grouting rock bolts,cable bolts,and grouting reinforcement.Furthermore,it provides a foundation for understanding the factors influencing decisions on grouted bolting timing,the sequence of grouting,the pressure applied,the volume of grout used,and the strategic arrangement of grouted rock bolts and cable bolts.The application of the high pretensioned high-pressure splitting grouted bolting collaborative control technology in a typical kilometer-deep soft rock mine in China—the soft coal seam and soft rock roadway in the Kouzidong coal mine,Huainan coal mining area,was introduced.Finally,the existing problems in grouted bolting control technology for deep soft rock roadways are analyzed,and the future development trend of grouted bolting control technology is anticipated.

Grouting theories and technologies for the reinforcement of fractured rocks surrounding deep roadways

Grouting is an effective method to improve the integrity and stability of fractured rocks that surround deep roadways.After years of research and practice,various theories and a complete set of grouting technologies for deep roadways with fractured rocks have been developed and are widely applied in Chinese coal mining production.This paper systematically summarizes and analyzes the research results concerning the theory,design,materials,processes,and equipment for the grouting and reinforcement of fractured rocks surrounding deep roadways.Specifically,in terms of grouting methods,pregrouting,groutingwhile-excavation,and postgrouting methods are explored;in terms of grouting theory,backfill grouting,compaction grouting,infiltration grouting,and fracture grouting theories are studied.In addition,this paper also studies grouting borehole arrangement,water-cement ratio,grouting pressure,grouting volume,grout diffusion radius,and other grouting parameters and their determination methods.On this basis,this paper explores the physical and mechanical properties of organic and organic-inorganic composite grouting materials,and assess grouting reinforcement quality testing methods and instruments.Taken as the field cases,the application of pregrouting in front of heading faces,groutingwhile-excavation,and postgrouting in the Kouzidong coal mine are then introduced,and the effects of the grouting reinforcements are evaluated.This paper proposes a development direction for grouting technology based on problems existing in the grouting reinforcement of fractured rocks surrounding deep roadways.

Support failure of a high-stress soft-rock roadway in deep coal mine and the equalized yielding support technology： a case study

Abstract There are many soft-rock roadway coal mines in China. The surrounding rocks of the high-stress soft-rock roadways in deep mine are especially difficult to be supported using the traditional supporting way. In this study, the south wing rail roadway on the second level of Yunjialing coal mine in China was used as an example to analyze the deformation and failure characteristics and influencing factors of roadway. On this basis, this study proposed the equalized yielding support idea which employs the yielding rings to realize the pressure equalization on the bolts and cables in the section. To achieve this purpose, the first bolt-mesh-cable equalizing pressure yielding support was integrated with the second grouting reinforcement. The results proved that the yield rings of the bolts and cables on the spandrel of the arched roadway firstly developed yielding deformation; then the deformation extended to the vault of the roadway; the bolts and cables achieved a yielding extreme value of 15 and 18 tonnes, respectively. The roadway surrounding rock tended to be stable at the 26th day after the maintenance. The equalizing pressure yielding supporting technology plays a moderate pressure-releasing and actively controlling role on the surrounding rocks in the soft-rock roadway with large deformation.

Comparison of large deformation failure control method in a deep gob-side roadway: A theoretical analysis and field investigation

Under the dual influence of the mining disturbance of the previous working face and the advanced mining of the working face,the roadway is prone to large deformation,failure,and rockburst.Roadway stabilization has always significantly influenced deep mining safety.In this article we used the research background of the large deformation failure roadway of Fa-er Coal Mine in Guizhou Province of China to propose two control methods:bolt-cable-mesh+concrete blocks+directional energy-gathering blasting(BCM-CBDE method)and 1st Generation-Negative Poisson’s Ratio(1G NPR)cable+directional energy-gathering blasting+dynamic pressure stage support(πgirder+single hydraulic prop+retractable U steel)(NPR-DEDP method).Meantime,we compared the validity of the large deformation failure control method in a deep gob-side roadway based on theoretical analysis,numerical simulations,and field experiments.The results show that directional energy-gathering blasting can weaken the pressure acting on the concrete blocks.However,the vertical stress of the surrounding rock of the roadway is still concentrated in the entity coal side and the concrete blocks,showing a’bimodal’distribution.BCM-CBDE method cannot effectively control the stability of the roadway.NPR-DEDP method removed the concrete blocks.It shows using the 1G NPR cable with periodic slipping-sticking characteristics can adapt to repeated mining disturbances.The peak value of the vertical stress of the roadway is reduced and transferred to the deep part of the surrounding rock mass,which promotes the collapse of the gangue in the goaf and fills the goaf.The pressure of the roadway roof is reduced,and the gob-side roadway is fundamentally protected.Meantime,the dynamic pressure stage support method withπgirder+single hydraulic prop+retractable U steel as the core effectively protects the roadway from dynamic pressure impact when the main roof is periodically broken.After the on-site implementation of NPR-DEDP method,the deformation of the roadway is reduced by more than 45%,and the deformation rate is reduced by more than 50%.

Surrounding Rock Control Technology of Strong Dynamic Pressure Roadway in Hudi Coal Industry

Aiming at the problems of large deformation and difficult maintenance of deep soft rock roadway under the influence of high ground stress and strong dynamic pressure, taking the surrounding rock control of 1105 lane in Hudi Coal Industry as an example, the deformation characteristics and surrounding rock control measures of deep soft rock roadway are analyzed and discussed by means of geological data analysis, roadway deformation monitoring, rock crack drilling and field test. The results show that the main causes of roadway deformation are high ground stress, synclinal tectonic stress, advance mining stress, roadway penetration and surrounding rock fissure development. Based on the deformation characteristics and mechanism of lane 1105, the supporting countermeasures of “roof synergic support, layered grouting, anchor cable beam support, closed hardening of roadway surface” are proposed, which can provide reference for the control of deep roadway surrounding rock under similar conditions.

Non-destructive testing and pre-warning analysis on the quality of bolt support in deep roadways of mining districts

The bolt support quality of coal roadways is one of the important factors for the efficiency and security of coal production. By means of a self-developed technique and equipment of random non-destructive testing, non-destructive detection and pre-warning analysis on the quality of bolt support in deep roadways of mining districts were performed in a number of mining areas. The measured data were obtained in the detection instances of abnormal in-situ stress and support invalidation etc. The corresponding relation between axial bolt load variation and roadway surrounding rock deformation and stability was summarized in different mining service stages. Pre-warning technology of roadway surrounding rock stability is proposed based on the detection of axial bolt load. Meanwhile, pre-warning indicators of axial bolt load in different mining service stages are offered and some successful pre-warning cases are also illustrated.The research results show that the change rules of axial bolt load in different mining service stages are quite similar in different mining areas. The change of axial bolt load is in accord with the adjustment of surrounding rock stress, which can consequently reflect the deformation and stability state of roadway surrounding rock. Through the detection of axial bolt load in different sections of roadways, the status of real-time bolt support quality can be reflected; meanwhile, the rationality of bolt support design can be evaluated which provides reference for bolting parameters optimization.

Support technologies for deep and complex roadways in underground coal mines:a review

Based on geological and mining characteristics,coal mine roadways under complex conditions were divided into five types,for each type the deformation and damage characteristics of rocks surrounding roadways were analyzed.The recent developments of roadway support technologies were introduced abroad,based on the experiences of supports for deep and complex roadways from Germany,the United States and Australia.The history and achievements of roadway support technologies in China were detailed,including rock bolting,steel supports,grouting reinforcement and combined supports.Four typical support and reinforcement case studies were analyzed,including a high stressed roadway 1,000 m below the surface,a roadway surrounded by severely weak and broken rocks,a chamber surrounded by weak and broken rocks,and a roadway with very soft and swelling rocks.Based on studies and practices in many years,rock bolting has become the mainstream roadway support form in China coal mines,and steel supports,grouting reinforcement and combined supports have also been applied at proper occasions,which have provided reliable technical measures for the safe and high effective construction and mining of underground coal mines.

Support technology of deep roadway under high stress and its application

Roadway instability has been a major concern in the fields of mining engineering. This paper aims to provide practical and efficient strategy to support the roadways under high in-situ stress. A case study on the stability of deep roadways was carried out in an underground mine in Gansu province, China. Currently,the surrounding rock strata is extremely fractured, which results in a series of engineering disasters, such as side wall collapse and severe floor heave in the past decades. Aiming to solve these problems, an improved support method was proposed, which includes optimal bolt parameters and arrangement, floor beam layout by grooving, and full length grouting. Based on the modeling results by FLAC3D, the new support method is much better than the current one in terms of preventing the large deformation of surrounding rock and restricting the development of plastic zones. For implementation and verification, field experiments, along with deformation monitoring, were conducted in the 958 level roadway of Mining II areas. The results show that the improved support can significantly reduce surrounding rock deformation, avoid frequent repair, and maintain the long-term stability of the roadway. Compared to the original support, the new support method can greatly save investment of mines, and has good application value and popularization value.

Bolt-grouting combined support technology in deep soft rock roadway

Analyzing the mineral composition, mechanical properties and ground stress testing in surrounding rock,the study investigated the failure mechanism of deep soft rock roadway with high stress. The boltgrouting combined support system was proposed to prevent such failures. By means of FLAC3D numerical simulation and similar material simulation, the feasibility of the support design and the effectiveness of support parameters were discussed. According to the monitoring the surface and deep displacement in surrounding rock as well as bolt axial load, this paper analyzed the deformation of surrounding rock and the stress condition of the support structure. The monitor results were used to optimize the proposed support scheme. The results of field monitors demonstrate that the bolt-grouting combined support technology could improve the surround rock strength and bearing capacity of support structure, which controlled the great deformation failure and rheological property effectively in deep soft rock roadway with high stress. As a result, the long term stability and safety are guaranteed.

Deformation and failure characteristics of anchorage structure of surrounding rock in deep roadway

This paper investigated the stress evolution,displacement field,local deformation and its overall distribution,and failure characteristics of the anchorage structure of surrounding rock with different rockbolt spacing through the model experiments.The influences of the pre-tightening force and spacing of rockbolt on the support strength of the anchorage structure of surrounding rock were analyzed by the simulation using FLAC3D numerical software.The support scheme of the excavated roadway was then designed,and the effectiveness of this support scheme was further verified by the displacement measurement of the roadway.The results showed that the maximum displacement between the roof and floor of the west wing track roadway in Kouzidong coal mine,China is about 42 mm,and the maximum displacement between its both sides is about 72 mm,indicating that the support scheme proposed in this study can ensure the stability and safety of the excavated roadway.

Numerical analysis of deformation and failure characteristics of deep roadway surrounding rock under static-dynamic coupling stress

In actual production,deep coal mine roadways are often under typical static-dynamic coupling stress(SDCS)conditions with high ground stress and strong dynamic disturbances.With the increasing number of disasters and accidents induced by SDCS conditions,the safe and efficient production of coal mines is seriously threatened.Therefore,it is of great practical significance to study the deformation and failure characteristics of the roadway surrounding rock under SDCS.In this paper,the effects of different in-situ stress fields and dynamic load conditions on the surrounding rock are studied by numerical simulations,and the deformation and failure characteristics are obtained.According to the simulation results,the horizontal stress,vertical stress and dynamic disturbance have a positive correlation with the plastic failure of the surrounding rock.Among these factors,the influence of the dynamic disturbance is the most substantial.Under the same stress conditions,the extents of deformation and plastic failure of the roof and ribs are always greater than those of the floor.The effect of horizontal stresses on the roadway deformation is more notable than that of vertical stresses.The results indicate that for the roadway under high-stress conditions,the in-situ stress test must be strengthened first.After determining the magnitude of the in-situ stress,the location of the roadway should be reasonably arranged in the design to optimize the mining sequence.For roadways that are strongly disturbed by dynamic loads,rock supports(rebar/cable bolts,steel set etc.)that are capable of maintaining their effectiveness without failure after certain dynamic loads are required.The results of this study contribute to understanding the characteristics of the roadway deformation and failure under SDCS,and can be used to provide a basis for the support design and optimization under similar geological and geotechnical circumstances.

In-situ measure to internal stress of shotcrete layer in soft-rock roadway

In order to solve the difficult conditions of soft rock,water-trickling and hard-maintain of main air-return roadway in Tarangaole Colliery,high pretensioned stress and intensive bolt-shotcrete support program was designed and mechanical property of shotcrete layer was specially monitored through utilizing a type of concrete stress meter with oscillating chord after the program was carried out.It was indicated that,due to rock pressure and support resistance,the interior of shotcrete layer would emerge diverse stresses in axial,radial and tangential directions.With time passing internal stresses in three directions,whose average values were-0.061,0.043 and 0.517 MPa respectively,fluctuated first and then tended to stability slowly.The axial and radial stresses were relatively smaller than tangential stress which was 11,12 times the two formers respectively.Along the section of roadway,axial and tangential stresses distributed symmetrically and increased gradually from the top of arch to the waist of wall,but reduced at the foot of wall.Radial stresses reduced from the top of arch to the waist of arch first,and then increased in the waist of wall.Axial stresses were tensile substantially,except for stresses in arch vault tending to compressive,but all the radial stresses were compressive.Nevertheless,tangential stresses in the wall were compressive and tangential stresses in the arch were tensile.During the period of roadway excavating,the stress of shotcrete layer was less than its ultimate bearing capacity,with no significant stress concentration.At the end of this article,some suggests are given to shotcrete support design.

Influence of dynamic pressure on deep underground soft rock roadway support and its application

Due to high ground stress and mining disturbance, the deformation and failure of deep soft rock roadway is serious, and invalidation of the anchor net-anchor cable supporting structure occurs. The failure characteristics of roadways revealed with the help of the ground pressure monitoring. Theoretical analysis was adopted to analyze the influence of mining disturbance on stress distribution in surrounding rock,and the change of stress was also calculated. Considering the change of stress in surrounding rock of bottom extraction roadway, the displacement, plastic zone and distribution law of principal stress difference under different support schemes were studied by means of FLAC3D. The supporting scheme of U-shaped steel was proposed for bottom extraction roadway that underwent mining disturbance. We carried out a similarity model test to verify the effect of support in dynamic pressure. Monitoring results demonstrated the change rules of deformation and stress of surrounding rock in different supporting schemes. The supporting scheme of U-shaped steel had an effective control on deformation of surrounding rock. The scheme was successfully applied in underground engineering practice, and achieved good technical and economic benefits.

Stability influence factors analysis and construction of a deep beam anchorage structure in roadway roof

Deep beam anchorage structures based on spatial distribution analysis of the cable prestressed field have been proposed for roadway roof support, Stability and other factors that influence deep beam structures are studied in this paper using mechanical calculations, numerical analysis and field measurements, A mechanical model of deep beam structure subjected to multiple loading is established, including analysis of roof support in the return airway of S1203 working face in the Yuwu coal mine, China, The expression of maximum shear stress in the deep beam structure is deduced according to the stress superposition criterion, It is found that the primary factors affecting deep beam structure stability are deep beam thickness, cable pre-tension and cable spacing, The variation of maximum shear stress distribution and prestressed field diffusion effects according to various factors are analyzed using Matlah and FLAC3DTM software, and practical support parameters of the S1203 return airway roof are determined, According to the observations of rock pressure, there is no evidence of roof separation, and the maximum values of roof subsidence and convergence of wall rock are 72 and 48 mm, respectively, The results show that the proposed roof support design with a deep beam structure is feasible and achieves effective control of the roadway roof,

Failure analysis and control technology of intersections of large‑scale variable cross‑section roadways in deep soft rock

In deep underground mining,achieving stable support for roadways along with long service life is critical and the complex geological environment at such depths frequently presents a major challenge.Owing to the coupling action of multiple factors such as deep high stress,adjacent faults,cross-layer design,weak lithology,broken surrounding rock,variable cross-sections,wide sections up to 9.9 m,and clusters of nearby chambers,there was severe deformation and breakdown in the No.10 intersection of the roadway of large-scale variable cross-section at the−760 m level in a coal mine.As there are insufcient examples in engineering methods pertaining to the geological environment described above,the numerical calculation model was oversimplifed and support theory underdeveloped;therefore,it is imperative to develop an efective support system for the stability and sustenance of deep roadways.In this study,a quantitative analysis of the geological environment of the roadway through feld observations,borehole-scoping,and ground stress testing is carried out to establish the FLAC 3D variable cross-section crossing roadway model.This model is combined with the strain softening constitutive(surrounding rock)and Mohr–Coulomb constitutive(other deep rock formations)models to construct a compression arch mechanical model for deep soft rock,based on the quadratic parabolic Mohr criterion.An integrated control technology of bolting and grouting that is mainly composed of a high-strength hollow grouting cable bolt equipped with modifed cement grouting materials and a high-elongation cable bolt is developed by analyzing the strengthening properties of the surrounding rock before and after bolting,based on the Heok-Brown criterion.As a result of on-site practice,the following conclusions are drawn:(1)The plastic zone of the roof of the cross roadway is approximately 6 m deep in this environment,the tectonic stress is nearly 30 MPa,and the surrounding rock is severely fractured.(2)The deformation of the roadway progressively increases from small to large cross-sections,almost doubling at the largest cross-section.The plastic zone is concentrated at the top plate and shoulder and decreases progressively from the two sides to the bottom corner.The range of stress concentration at the sides of the intersection roadway close to the passageway is wider and higher.(3)The 7 m-thick reinforced compression arch constructed under the strengthening support scheme has a bearing capacity enhanced by 1.8 to 2.3 times and increase in thickness of the bearing structure by 1.76 times as compared to the original scheme.(4)The increase in the mechanical parameters c andφof the surrounding rock after anchoring causes a signifcant increase inσt;the pulling force of the cable bolt beneath the new grouting material is more than twice that of ordinary cement grout,and according to the test,the supporting stress feld shows that the 7.24 m surrounding rock is compacted and strengthened in addition to providing a strong foundation for the bolt(cable).On-site monitoring shows that the 60-days convergence is less than 30 mm,indicating that the stability control of the roadway is successful.

Mechanical model for controlling floor heave in deep roadways with U-shaped steel closed support

Open U-shaped steel arch supports are commonly used in large-section static-pressure roadways in coal mines that are more than 900 m deep;however,it is very difficult to control floor heave of roadways.In this paper,a U-shaped steel closed support with an inverted U-shaped steel arch in the floor is proposed as a method for improving the support effect of the surrounding rock during the process of floor heaving.This research established a mechanical model for the U-shaped steel closed support,and determined the reaction forces at the connection of a camber angle.Using the limit load method calculated the critical buckling load of the inverted U-shaped steel arch,and use of a strength check method tested the strength of the U-shaped steel material.A numerical simulation was conducted using the finite difference software FLAC3 D.The simulation results show that the U-shaped steel closed support is able to control the floor heave of roadways,which is successfully used in the West 11-2 development roadway of the Zhuji Mine in the Huainan mining area in China.The cumulative floor heave over two years was less than50 mm.

Similar simulation device for unloading effect of deep roadway excavation and its application

The unloading effect of the excavation of deep roadways has been considerably studied, but most research methods have been limited to numerical simulations and field measurements. Only a few have adopted experimental methods for similar simulations. On the basis of the theory of mechanics,the testing system is designed considering initial geostress and dynamic unloading. The system includes an impact unloading gear and in-situ stress loading equipment, and a designed three-link structure and the impact hammer can effectively realize the dynamic excavation of roadways.Meanwhile, a cyclic excavation similar simulation experiment on a deep roadway is conducted in a laboratory. The testing system and the relevant monitoring facilities are utilized, and the unloading effect inside the surrounding rock under the cyclic dynamic excavation is studied. Results show that the cyclic dynamic excavation causes significant unloading only in the nearby rock mass, and the unloading indicators show nonlinear changes.Moreover, when the lateral pressure coefficient is 1.2,the damage is concentrated on both roadsides due to the excavation unloading. Meanwhile, the damage gradually decays as the span increases.

Research on space-time coupling action laws of anchor-cable strengthening supporting for rock roadway in deep coal mine

In order to obtain space-time coupling relationship of anchor-cable to improve supporting effect for deep coal mine rock roadway, FLAC3D was used to investigate into mechanical characteristics of the roadway whose crosssection shape was vertical wall and semi-circular arch when the roadway was supported by bolts and metal mesh. The results show that the extent of stress concentrations, the range failure zone, and the deformation at the roof center and two spandrels of roadway are greater than those at other positions, except at the floor. The reasonable positions of anchor-cable supporting are the roof center and two spandrels of roadway. The anchor-cable should be installed at good time with bolts supporting after roadway driving be- cause it can improve the stress states of deep surrounding rock around the roadway and control the roadway deformation effec- tively. The engineering practice has proven that the sustained deformation of deep surrounding rocks is effectively controlled when the anchor-cable supporting is adopted at reasonable positions of the roadway at good time.