Innovative backfilling longwall panel layout for better subsidence control effect-separating adjacent subcritical panels with pillars

In recent years,field trials of non-pillar longwall mining using complete backfill have been implemented successively in the Chinese coal mining industry.The objective of this paper is to get a scientific understanding of surface subsidence control effect using such techniques.It begins with a brief overview on complete backfill methods primarily used in China,followed by an analysis of collected subsidence factors under mining with complete backfill.It is concluded that non-pillar longwall panel layout cannot protect surface structures against damages at a relatively large mining height,even though complete backfill is conducted.In such cases,separated longwall panel layout should be applied,i.e.,panel width should be subcritical and stable coal pillars should be left between the adjacent panels.The proposed method takes the principles of subcritical extraction and partial extraction;in conjunction with gob backfilling,surface subsidence can be effectively mitigated,thus protecting surface buildings against mining-induced damage.A general design principle and method of separated panel layout have also been proposed.

Subsidence control method by inversely-inclined slicing and upward mining for ultra-thick steep seams

Ultra-thick steep coal seam mining will inevitably lead to the increase of greater and violent ground subsidence and deformation.A subsidence control method by inversely-inclined slicing and upward mining is proposed in this paper.By this method,the sequence of collapse of overlying strata and the direction of propagation of strata movement are changed,the extent of roof-side deformation thereby is lessened,and boundary angle of roof-side subsidence is reduced by 5°-10°.The mechanism of this mining method for control of strata movement has been evidenced by numerical simulation and experiments with similarity materials.A subsidence prediction model based on the variation of mining influence propagation angle can be used to evaluate the surface movement and deformation of the mining method.The application of the method in No.3 Mine in Yaojie mining area has yielded the expected result.

Study of “3-Step Mining” Subsidence Control in Coal Mining Under Buildings

Mining subsidence damage is the main factor of restricting coal mining under buildings. To control or ease effectively the degree of mining subsidence and deformation is essential to resolve this problem. Through analyzing both advantages and disadvantages of some technologies such as mining with stowing, partial extraction and grouting in separated beds of overburden, we used the principle of load replacement and propose a “3-step mining” method, a new pattern of controlling mining subsidence, which consists of： strip mining, i.e. grouting to fill and consolidate the caving zone and retained strip pillar mining. The mechanism of controlling mining subsidence by using the “3-step mining” pattern is analyzed. The effect of the control is numerically simulated. The preliminary analysis shows that the “3-step mining” can effectively control ground subsidence and deformation. By using this method, the ground subsidence factor can be controlled to a value of about 0.25. Coal recovery can reach 80%-90%. Coal mining without removing surface buildins can be realized and the economic loss resultin from round subsidence can be greatly reduced.

STRATA AND SURFACE SUBSIDENCE CONTROL IN STRIP-PARTIAL MINING UNDER BUILDINGS

This paper systematiedy expounds the history and present situation of tbe research &application of strip-parttal mining at home and abroad. Tbe prospect of using strip-parttal miningmcthod to mine under balldings (structures) at the present situation of market economy is also expounded here Strata & surface subsidence mechanism of atrip-partni mining the optimization ofthe width of unit goaf & coal pillar as well as the calculation method of surface subsidence pridictionbased on Holding-Ptate Control Theory and Coal Pillar Long-term Stability, which are our researchachivements in recent years about strata & surface subsidence control in strip-partial mining, arethe main points introdued bere.

FUZZY FAILURE ANALYSIS OF COAL PILLARS FOR SUBSIDENCE CONTROL

Randomness and fuzziness involved in rock failure analysis are discussed in the present paper.Fuzzy stochastic process is introduced to simulate pillar/strata deformation process.Study shows that the evolution from damage to failure of the rock materials under complex stress environments conforms to diffusion process.Coal pillar strength is analyzed using fuzzy failure analysis in two coal mines.

Subsidence prediction method based on equivalent mining height theory for solid backfilling mining

Based on the characteristics of strata movement of solid backfilling mining technology, the surface subsidence prediction method based on the equivalent mining height theory was proposed, and the parameters selection guideline of this method was also described. While comparing the parameters of caving mining with equivalent height, the subsidence efficient can be calculated according to the mining height and bulk factor of sagging zone and fracture zone, the tangent of main influence angle of solid backfilling mining is reduced by 0.2-0.5（while it cannot be less than 1.0）. For sake of safety, offset of the inflection point is set to zero, and other parameters, such as horizontal movement coefficient and main propagation angle are equal to the corresponding parameters of caving mining with equivalent height. In the last part, a case study of solid backfilling mining subsidence prediction was described. The results show the applicability of this method and the difference of the maximum subsidence point between the prediction and the observation is less than 5%.

Waste-filling in fully-mechanized coal mining and its application

A fully-mechanized coal mining (FMCM) technology capable of filling up the goaf with wastes (including solid wastes) is described. Industrial tests have proved that by using this technology not only can waste be re-used but also coal resources can be exploited with a higher recovery rate without removing buildings located over the working faces. Two special devices, a hydraulic support and a scraper conveyor, run side-by-side on the same working face to simultaneously realize mining and filling. These are described in detail. The tests allow analysis of rock pressure and ground subsidence when backfilling techniques are employed. These values are compared to those from mining without using backfilling techniques, under the same geological conditions. The concept of equivalent mining height is proposed based on theoretical analysis of rock pressure and ground subsidence. The upper limits of the rock pressure and ground subsidence can be estimated in backfilling mining using this concept along with traditional engineering formulae.