Roof pre-blasting to prevent support crushing and water inrush accidents

Support crushing and water inrush when mining under an unconsolidated confined aquifer in the Qidong Coal Mine was prevented by roof pre-blasting. The mechanism and applicable conditions for this method have been studied. The results show that when an overburden structure that may cause support crushing and a water inrush accident exists the weakening of the primary key stratum, which thereby reduces its weighting step, roof pre-blasting is both feasible and effective. If the position of the primary key stratum can be moved upward to exceed 10 times the mining height the possibility of support crushing and water inrush disaster caused by key stratum compound breakage will be lowered. The overburden structure of the number 7121 working face was considered during the design of a technical proposal involving roof pre-blasting. After comprehensively analyzing the applicability of roof pre-blasting the resulting design prevented support crushing and water inrush disasters from happening at the number 7121 working face and laid a solid foundation for mining safely.

Deformation mechanism and roof pre-splitting control technology of gob-side entry in thick hard main roof full-mechanized longwall caving panel

This paper explores the deformation mechanism and control technology of roof pre-splitting for gob-side entries in hard roof full-mechanized longwall caving panel(LTCC).The investigation utilizes a comprehensive approach that integrates field monitoring,theoretical analysis,and numerical simulation.Theoretical analysis has illuminated the influence of the length of the lateral cantilever beam of the main roof(LCBM)above the roadway on the stability of the gob-side entry behind the panel.Numerical simulations have further revealed that the longer LCBM results in heightened vertical stress within the coal pillar,developed cracks around the roadway,and more pronounced damage to the roadway.Moreover,numerical simulations also demonstrate the potential of roof pre-splitting technology in optimizing the fracture position of the hard roof.This technology significantly reduces the length of the LCBM,thereby alleviating stress concentration in the coal pillars and integrated coal rib while minimizing the destruction of the gob-side entry.Therefore,this manuscript first proposes the use of roof pre-splitting technology to control roadway deformation,and automatically retain the entry within a hard roof LTCC panel.Field implementation has demonstrated that the proposed automatically retained entry by roof pre-splitting technology effectively reduces gob-side entry deformation and achieves automatically retained entry.

Ground response and failure mechanism of gob-side entry by roof cutting with hard main roof

This study is the result of long-term efforts of the authors’team to assess ground response of gob-side entry by roof cutting(GSERC)with hard main roof,aiming at scientific control for GSERC deformation.A comprehensive field measurement program was conducted to determine entry deformation,roof fracture zone,and anchor bolt(cable)loading.The results indicate that GSERC deformation presents asymmetric characteristics.The maximum convergence near roof cutting side is 458 mm during the primary use process and 1120 mm during the secondary reuse process.The entry deformation is closely associated with the primary development stage,primary use stage,and secondary reuse stage.The key block movement of roof cutting structure,a complex stress environment,and a mismatch in the supporting design scheme are the failure mechanism of GSERC.A controlling ideology for mining states,including regional and stage divisions,was proposed.Both dynamic and permanent support schemes have been implemented in the field.Engineering practice results indicate that the new support scheme can efficiently ensure long-term entry safety and could be a reliable approach for other engineering practices.

Assessment and control of the mine tremor disaster induced by the energy accumulation and dispersion of thick-hard roofs

In order to solve the problem that current theory models cannot accurately describe thick-hard roof(THR)elastic energy and assess the mine tremor disasters,a theoretical method,a Timoshenko beam theory on Winkler foundation was adopted to establish the THR’s periodic breaking model.The superposition principle was used for this complex model to derive the calculation formulas of the elastic energy and impact load on hydraulic supports.Then,the influence of roof thickness h,cantilever length L_(1),and load q on THR’s elastic energy and impact load was analyzed.And,the effect of mine tremor disasters was assessed.Finally,it is revealed that:(1)The THR’s elastic energy U exhibits power-law variations,with the fitted relationships U=0.0096L_(1)^(3.5866^),U=5943.9h^(-1.935),and U=21.049q^(2).(2)The impact load on hydraulic supports F_(ZJ) increases linearly with an increase in the cantilever length,thickness,and applied load.The fitted relationships are F_(ZJ)=1067.3L_(1)+6361.1,F_(ZJ)=125.89h+15100,and F_(ZJ)=10420q+3912.6.(3)Ground hydraulic fracturing and liquid explosive deep-hole blasting techniques effectively reduce the THR’s cantilever length at periodic breakages,thus eliminating mine tremor disasters.

Physical and numerical investigations of target stratum selection for ground hydraulic fracturing of multiple hard roofs

Ground hydraulic fracturing plays a crucial role in controlling the far-field hard roof,making it imperative to identify the most suitable target stratum for effective control.Physical experiments are conducted based on engineering properties to simulate the gradual collapse of the roof during longwall top coal caving(LTCC).A numerical model is established using the material point method(MPM)and the strain-softening damage constitutive model according to the structure of the physical model.Numerical simulations are conducted to analyze the LTCC process under different hard roofs for ground hydraulic fracturing.The results show that ground hydraulic fracturing releases the energy and stress of the target stratum,resulting in a substantial lag in the fracturing of the overburden before collapse occurs in the hydraulic fracturing stratum.Ground hydraulic fracturing of a low hard roof reduces the lag effect of hydraulic fractures,dissipates the energy consumed by the fracture of the hard roof,and reduces the abutment stress.Therefore,it is advisable to prioritize the selection of the lower hard roof as the target stratum.

Combined blasting for protection of gob-side roadway with thick and hard roof

The deformation control of surrounding rock in gobside roadway with thick and hard roof poses a significant challenge to the safety and efficiency of coal mining.To address this issue,a novel approach combining directional and non-directional blasting techniques,known as combined blasting,was proposed.This study focuses on the experimental investigation of the proposed method in the 122108 working face in Caojiatan Coal Mine as the engineering background.The initial phase of the study involves physical model experiments to reveal the underlying mechanisms of combined blasting for protecting gob-side roadway with thick and hard roof.The results demonstrate that this approach effectively accelerates the collapse of thick and hard roofs,enhances the fragmentation and expansion coefficient of gangue,facilitates the filling of the goaf with gangue,and provides support to the overlying strata,thus reducing the subsidence of the overlying strata above the goaf.Additionally,the method involves cutting the main roof into shorter beams to decrease the stress and disrupt stress transmission pathways.Subsequent numerical simulations were conducted to corroborate the findings of the physical model experiments,thus validating the accuracy of the experimental results.Furthermore,field engineering experiments were performed,affirming the efficacy of the combined blasting method in mitigating the deformation of surrounding rock and achieving the desired protection of the gob-side roadway.

Weakening effects of hydraulic fracture in hard roof under the influence of stress arch

For the problem of hydraulic fracture propagation when weakening the hard roof in fully mechanized top-coal caving stope of ultra-thick coal seam, based on the stress arch theory and the fracture mechanics, a two-dimensional model for hydraulic fracture of the roof in the stope was established to investigate the propagation laws of hydraulic fracture. The result shows that, after mining, the principal stress direction of overlaying rock deflects to form the stress arch, whose arrow height and arch thickness increase with the increase of the mining width and the side pressure coefficient. Within the influence range of stress arch, the hydraulic fracture in hard roof deflects towards the stope direction in the course of propagation and forms the ‘‘arch" fracture, which cuts off the roof below the fracture in a laminated way. The deflection angle of hydraulic fracture increases with the increase of the mining width, but decreases with the increase of the side pressure coefficient and the fractured horizon. This research can provide theoretical basis for the application of hydraulic fracturing method in the stope roof weakening.

Pressure relief and structure stability mechanism of hard roof for gob-side entry retaining

In order to explore the pressure relief and structure stability mechanism of lateral cantilever structure in the stope under the direct coverage of thick hard roof and its impact on the gob-side entry retaining, a lateral cantilever fractured structural mechanical model was established on the basis of clarification for the stress environment of gob-side entry retaining, and the equation of roof given deformation and the balance judgment for fracture block were obtained. The optimal cantilever length was proposed based on the comparison of roof structural characteristics and the stress, deformation law of surrounding rocks under six different cantilever lengths by numerical simulation method. Double stress peaks exist on the sides of gob-side entry retaining and the entry located in the low stress area. The pressure of gob-side entry retaining can be relieved by reducing the cantilever length. However, due to the impact of arch structure of rock beam, unduly short cantilever would result in insufficient pressure relief and unduly long cantilever would bring larger roof stress which results in intense deformation. Therefore, there is optimal cantilever length, which was 7-8 m in this project that enables to achieve the minimum deformation and the most stabilized rock structure of entry retaining. An engineering case of gob-side entry retaining with the direct coverage of 10 m thick hard limestone roof was put forward, and the measured data verified the reasonability of conclusion.

Field investigation into directional hydraulic fracturing for hard roof in Tashan Coal Mine

t Research and development of safe and effective control technology of hard roof is an inevitable trend at present. Directional hydraulic fracturing technology is expected to become a safe and effective way to control and manage hard roof. In order to make hard roof fracture in a directional way, a hydraulic fracture field test has been conducted in the third panel district of Tashan Coal Mine in Datong. First, two hydraulic fracturing drilling holes and four observing drilling holes were arranged in the roof, followed by a wedge-shaped ring slot in each hydraulic fracturing drilling hole. The hydraulic fracturing holes were then sealed and, hydraulic fracturing was conducted. The results show that the hard roof is fractured directionally by the hydraulic fracturing function of the two fracturing drilling holes; the sudden drop, or the overall downward trend of hydraulic pressure from hydraulic monitoring is the proof that the rock in the hard roof has been fractured. The required hydraulic pressure to fracture the hard roof in Tashan coal mine, consisting of carboniferous sandstone layer, is 50.09 MPa, and the fracturing radius of a single drilling hole is not less than 10.5 m. The wedge-shaped ring slot made in the bottom of the hydraulic fracturing drilling hole plays a guiding role for crack propagation. After the hydraulic fracturing drill hole is cracked, the propagation of the resulting hydraulic crack, affected mainly by the regional stress field, will turn to other directions.

Mechanism and control technology of strong ground pressure behaviour induced by high-position hard roofs in extra-thick coal seam mining

This work aimed at revealing the mechanism of strong ground pressure behaviour(SGPB)induced by high-position hard roof(HHR).Based on the supporting structures model of HHR,a modified voussoir beam mechanical model for HHR was established by considering the gangue support coefficient,through which the modified expressions of limit breaking span and breaking energy of HHR were deduced.Combined with the relationship between the dynamic-static loading stress of supporting body(hydraulic support and coal wall)and its comprehensive supporting strength,the criteria of ground pressure behaviour(GPB)induced by HHR were discussed.The types of Ⅰ_(1),Ⅰ_(2),Ⅱ_(1),andⅡ_(2) of GPB were interpreted.Results showed that types Ⅰ_(1) and Ⅰ_(2) were the main forms of SGPB in extra-thick coal seam mining.The main manifestation of SGPB was static stress,which was mainly derived from the instability of HHR rather than fracture.Accordingly,an innovative control technology was proposed,which can weaken static load by vertical-well separated fracturing HHR.The research results have been successfully applied to the 8101 working face in Tashan coal mine,Shanxi Province,China.The results of a digital borehole camera observation and stress monitoring proved the rationality of the GPB criteria.The control technology was successful,paving the way for new possibilities to HHR control for safety mining.

THEORY AND TECHNOLOGY FOR HARD ROOF CONTROL OF LONGWALL FACE IN CHINESE COLLIERIES

This paper introduced systematically the present situation of the research on theory and technology for hard roof control of coal face in Chinese collieries.

STUDY ON HARD ROOF ROCKBURST IN COAL MINE

Based on practical observation in Mentougou Mine, a general law of roof rockburst is put forward. The destabilization theory of roof rockburst has been established. The general laws of microquake premonition and earth sound in roof rockburst is advanced. The relationship between roof rockburst and rockburst of coal body is studied.

Influencing factors analysis of hard limestone reformation and strength weakening under acidic effect

Roof disaster has always been an important factor restricting coal mine safety production.Acidic effect can reform the rock mass structure to weaken the macroscopic strength characteristics,which is an effective way to control the hard limestone roof.In this study,the effects of various factors on the reaction characteristics and mechanical properties of limestone were analyzed.The results show that the acid with stronger hydrogen production capacity after ionization(pK_(a)<0)has more prominent damage to the mineral grains of limestone.When pKa increases from−8.00 to 15.70,uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus of limestone increase by 117.22%and 75.98%.The influence of acid concentration is manifested in the dissolution behavior of mineral crystals,the crystal defects caused by large-scale acid action will lead to the deterioration of limestone strength,and the strength after 15%concentration reformation can be reduced by 59.42%.The effect of acidification time on limestone has stages and is the most obvious in the initial metathesis reaction stage(within 60 min).The key to the strength damage of acidified limestone is the participation of hydrogen ions in the reaction system.Based on the analytic hierarchy process method,the influence weights of acid type,acid concentration and acidification time on strength are 24.30%,59.54% and 16.16%,respectively.The research results provide theoretical support for the acidification control of hard limestone roofs in coal mines.

The influence of borehole arrangement of soundless cracking demolition agents(SCDAs)on weakening the hard rock

The hard roof difficult to collapse easily causes gas accumulation,which threatens the production safety of coal mine.Therefore,roof pre-cracking is required.Although blasting and hydraulic fracturing can also crack the roof,blasting can easily induce rock bursts,whereas hydraulic fracturing needs complex equipment.In contrast,soundless cracking demolition agents(SCDAs)with noise-free,dust-free,and safe characteristics have obvious advantages.The main component of SCDA is calcium oxide,which reacts with water to produce higher expansion pressure.In this paper,focused on the angles of the borehole,the effect of SCDA is analyzed by numerical simulation based on Pingdingshan coal mine.The research results showed that the azimuthal angle a(between borehole projection and the roadway direction)does not significantly affect the efficacy of SCDAs,whereas the influence of borehole elevation angle b is far more significant than that of the azimuthal angle.Therefore,the angle b is a dominant factor influencing the effect of SCDAs.Based on different effects of SCDAs at different angle of boreholes,the weakening unit was established,so the SCDAs could give full play to roof fracturing.Moreover,field tests validated the importance of borehole angle on weakening the hard roofs.

Synergistic instability of coal pillar and roof system and filling method based on plate model

The security challenges from room and pillar gobs include land subsidence, spontaneous combustion of coal pillars and mine flood caused by gob water. To explore the instability mechanism of room and pillar gob, we established a mechanical model of elastic plate on elastic foundation in which pillars and hard roofs were considered as continuous Winkler foundations and elastic plates, respectively. The synergetic instability of pillar and roof system was analyzed based on plate bending theory and catastrophe theory. In addition, mechanical conditions and math criterion of roof failure and overall instability of coal pillar and roof system were given. Through analyzing both advantages and disadvantages of some technologies such as induced caving, filling, gob sealing and isolation, we presented a new filling method named box-filling, in view of box foundation theory, to control the disasters of ground collapse, water inrush and mine fire. In a gob's treatment project in Ordos, safety assessment and filling design of a room and pillar gob have been done by the mechanical model. The results show that the gob will collapse when the pillars' average yield band is wider than 0.93 m, and box-filling can control land collapse, mine flood and mine fire economically and efficiently. So it is worth to study further and popularize.

Experimental investigation on the reformation and strength weakening of hard limestone by acidizing

Several derivative disasters such as ground pressure disasters and methane explosions can be caused by the hard roof in coal mines.For limestone roofs with fine integrity and extreme hardness,collapse is difficult and the effect of conventional roof control methods is limited.Acidizing reformation is an effective way to weaken the strength of roof strata based on acid-rock reaction.In this study,the rock strength damage law and acid reaction characteristics were tested by the limestone acidification experiment.Besides,the strength degradation mechanism of limestone under the acidity effect was analyzed.The results show that the acid corrosion characteristics of limestone are obvious,as numerous mineral grains generate voids under the effects of acid corrosion,and more defects are formed inside.The acid-rock reaction is the most intense at the early stage and then gradually reaches dynamic equilibrium,and the acid corrosion rate of limestone is 4.24%(10%HCl,360 min).The hard limestone is damaged after acidification.Furthermore,the internal cracks can be induced to rapid initiation and unstable propagation under load,which reduces the strain required for rock failure by 33.33%.The failure morphology is more complicated,and the uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus decrease by 52.42%and 34.44%respectively.The strength weakening of hard roof after acidification is due to the defects such as intergranular cracking caused by the corrosion of rock crystals under acidity effect,which accelerate the initiation and propagation of internal cracks with external force.Macroscopically,acidification induced the deterioration of rock mechanical properties by reforming the roof structure.The feasibility of acidizing reformation method to control hard roof is confirmed in this study.

Controlling mine pressure by subjecting high-level hard rock strata to ground fracturing

When mining extra-thick coal seams,the main cause of strong ground pressure are the high-level thick and hard strata,but as yet there is no active and effective control technology.This paper proposes the method of subjecting hard roofs to ground fracturing,and physical simulation is used to study the control effect of ground fracturing on the strata structure and energy release.The results show that ground fracturing changes the structural characteristics of the strata and reduces the energy release intensity and the spatial extent of overburden movement,thereby exerting significant control on the ground pressure.The Datong mining area in China is selected as the engineering background.An engineering test was conducted on site by ground horizontal well fracturing,and a 20-m-thick hard rock layer located 110 m vertically above the coal seam was targeted as the fracturing layer.On-site microseismic monitoring shows that the crack propagation length is up to 216 m and the height is up to 50 m.On-site mine pressure monitoring shows that(1)the roadway deformation is reduced to 100 mm,(2)the periodic weighting characteristics of the hydraulic supports are not obvious,and(3)the ground pressure in the working face is controlled significantly,thereby showing that the ground fracturing is successful.Ground fracturing changed the breaking characteristics of the high-level hard strata,thereby helping to ameliorate the stress concentration in the stope and providing an effective control approach for hard rock.

巷帮煤体整体滑脱型冲击地压锚杆防冲支护原理及工程实践

冲击地压是目前严重影响煤炭安全有效开采的灾害之一,研究锚杆防冲支护原理和技术对防治巷道冲击地压灾害具有重要意义和价值。通过对巷帮煤体整体冲入型冲击地压发生的地质条件以及破坏特征进行总结分析,认为坚硬顶板与坚硬煤层是此类型冲击地压的重要地质特征,而巷帮煤体整体滑脱是其主要冲击破坏特征。在此基础上,以巷帮滑脱煤体为研究对象,建立了顶板-巷道-底板复合结构体力学模型,建立了巷帮煤体发生水平滑移的极限平衡方程,并对各个参数进行分析。结果表明:由于顶板反弹使巷帮煤体竖直方向压力降低,巷帮煤体被构造应力推入巷道发生冲击地压。基于该发生机制模型,认为目前的锚杆支护设计体系在防治巷帮煤体冲入型冲击地压存在不足,并基于其发生和破坏特征,建立了针对巷帮煤体整体滑脱型冲击地压的锚杆防冲支护设计原则,即将顶和底帮锚杆锚固端分别穿层打入稳定的顶底板内,并使用长锚索取代中部帮锚杆,提供锚杆支护的防冲作用。基于新建立的锚杆防冲支护设计方法,以大屯矿区孔庄煤矿7305工作面防冲支护为工程背景,在宽煤柱段巷帮锚杆支护采取了防冲设计,帮顶、底部锚杆及补强锚索均锚固于顶底板内部,能够有效吸收煤体滑动动能,提高安全性。

上覆坚硬厚顶板煤岩卸压增透数值模拟及应用研究

基于榆树田煤矿上保护层开采时被保护煤层上覆岩层为坚硬厚岩层的实际情况,采用物理实验、数值模拟和现场应用等方法,研究上保护层开采推进时被保护区域的应力变化尤其是垂直应力演化规律和原岩应力区、应力增高区和降低区的演化规律,继而设计保护层开采方案并选定高位定向长钻孔进行瓦斯抽采。结果表明,被保护层上覆的坚硬厚岩层会形成关键层直接影响保护层效果;上保护层开采后被保护层的卸压程度为50%,膨胀变形量为0.391%,被保护层工作面回风瓦斯浓度降低至0.35%。现场应用结果表明,被保护煤层上覆坚硬厚岩层时,采用上保护层开采配合高位定向长钻孔抽采能够取得理想的卸压增透和瓦斯抽采效果。

冲击地压矿井充填工作面超前采动应力对充填体充实率的反馈机制

高应力是深部矿井冲击地压灾变频率走高的主要原因,充填开采则是控制岩层运动,缓解采动应力集中程度,降低围岩破坏和冲击风险的有效手段。为研究采空区充填体对超前采动应力的控制能力,以山东古城煤矿1123充填工作面为工程背景,采用理论分析、室内试验、现场实测手段探究充填开采工作面采动应力分布规律,揭示超前采动应力对充填体充实率的反馈机制,指导冲击地压矿井充实率确定。结果表明:工作面开采初期充填体充实率低于80%,坚硬顶板下沉量大,超前采动影响范围大于30 m,应力集中系数达到1.5,断层影响区采动应力影响范围和集中系数分别增至60 m和1.65,片帮冒顶等围岩失稳现象增多;实测了采空区充填体承载应力全程动态演化特征,承载应力分布曲线划分为“快速降低—短暂稳定—快速升高—缓慢降低—二次稳定”5个阶段,低充实率条件下采空区上、中、下3个区域承载应力稳定值分别为1.9、5.2、2.8 MPa;将采空区充填体划分为非充分压实区和充分压实区,构建了充填体支撑作用下坚硬顶板连续沉降模型,得到了坚硬顶板“ʅ”型沉降曲线,非充分压实区范围随充实率近似呈线性减小;试验得到充填体弹性模量和单轴抗压强度随凝固时间的演化曲线,结合顶板沉降曲线和推进速度得到工作面前后采动应力全区域分布曲线;建立了超前采动应力集中程度与充填体承载能力的负指数函数关系,揭示了超前采动应力对充填体充实率的负向反馈机制,实现充填开采降载防冲效果的定量评价;提出了充填体充实率“三位一体”协同提升措施,将1123工作面充实率升高至90%,增强了充填体承载能力,超前采动应力集中系数降至1.3,厚顶煤膨胀变形量减少至50 mm,坚硬顶板破断致冲风险显著降低。