Numerical investigation on the assessment and mitigation of coal bump in an island longwall panel

This study presents a numerical investigation to assess the risk of coal bumps and produces a stress–relief technology using boreholes to mitigate risk during the extraction of an island longwall panel.Based on the geological condition in an island longwall panel in the Tangshan Coal Mine,Tangshan,China,a numerical FLAC3D(Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua in 3 Dimensions) model was established to determine and to map the zones in the panel with a high risk for coal bumps.The results of the numerical modeling show that the roof deformation starts to occur at more than 30 m ahead of the longwall face and the deformation starts to accelerate after a distance of 10 m in front of the longwall face.Large and rapid roof deformation is considered to be an important precursor of coal bump occurrence during the extraction of an island longwall panel.Based on the numerical results,a stress–relief technology using boreholes,which was employed to release abutment pressure,was investigated through numerical methods.The modeled results suggest that the peak stress concentration could be released by drilling boreholes in the zones prone to coal bumps.The effectiveness of the stress release increased with the borehole length and decreased with the borehole spacing.

A review of mechanism and prevention technologies of coal bumps in China

Coal bump refers to a sudden catastrophic failure of coal seam and usually can cause serious damages to underground mining facilities and staff. In this circumstance, this paper focuses on the recent achievements in the mechanism and prevention techniques of coal bumps over the past five years in China.Based on theoretical analysis, laboratory experiment, numerical simulation and field test, the characteristics of coal bumps occurrence in China's coal mines were described, and the difference between coal bumps and rockbursts was also discussed. In addition, three categories of coal bumps induced by"material failure" were introduced, i.e. hard roof, floor strata and tectonic structures, in which the mechanism of coal bumps induced by geological structures was analyzed. This involves the bump liability and microstructure effects on bump-prone coal failure, the mechanism of coal bumps in response to fault reactivation, island face mining or hard roof failure. Next, the achievements in the monitoring and controlling methods of coal bumps were reviewed. These methods involve the incorporated prediction system of micro-seismicity and mining-induced pressure, the distributed micro-seismic monitoring system, energy absorption support system, bolts with constant resistance and large elongation,and the "multi-stage" high-performance support. Finally, an optimal mining design is desirable for the purpose of coal bump mitigation.

Using LaModel to analyze coal bumps

Coal bumps have long been a safety hazard in coal mines, and even after decades of research, the exact mechanics that cause coal bumps are still not well understood. Therefore, coal bumps are still difficult to predict and control. The LaModel program has a long history of being used to effectively analyze displacements and stresses in coal mines, and with the recent addition of energy release and local mine stiffness calculations, the LaModel program now has greatly increased capabilities for evaluating coal bump potential. This paper presents three recent case histories where coal stress, pillar safety factor, energy release rate and local mine stiffness calculations in LaModel were used to evaluate the pillar plan and cut sequencing that were associated with a number of bumps. The first case history is a longwall mine where a simple stress analysis was used to help determine the limiting depth for safely mining in bump-prone ground. The second case history is a room-and-pillar retreat mine where the LaModel analysis is used to help optimize the pillar extraction sequencing in order to minimize the frequent pillar line bumps. The third case history is the Crandall Canyon mine where an initial bump and then a massive pillar collapse/bump which killed 6 miners is extensively back-analyzed. In these case histories, the calculation tools in LaModel are ultimately shown to be very effective for analyzing various aspects of the bump problem, and in the conclusions, a number of critical insights into the practical calculation of mine failure and stability developed as a result of this research are presented.

2D-ball simulations on stiffness influences for coal bump

Coal bump is a dynamic process,thus it is necessary to reveal the process validly.2D-ball code is an efficient approach developed by the authors based on the basicDEM rationale proposed by Cundall.Numerical simulations show that the coal bump experiencesa process of energy accumulation,sudden release of energy and energy decrease.The stiffness of coal particles has a great influence on the coal bump morphosisand particle velocity.Generally,the larger the stiffness of particles,the longer the shootingoff period and the larger the bump velocity.This is in agreement with the results of laboratoryexperiment and in-situ studies.However,the stiffness of particles has an influence onthe quantity value energy and no influence on the releasing energy pattern of the coalbump.

Unloading-slippage mechanism of coal bump in gateroad of longwall

Coal bump seriously threatens the safe and efficient mining of coal,and the research on the occurrence mechanism of coal bump is of great significance.The roadway coal bump accounts for 86.8%of the total.The occurrence of coal bump in gateroad is summarized.It is considered that hard roof and hard coal are the geological characteristics of coal bump,and the sliding instability of rib coal mass is the failure characteristics of coal bump.Based on the elastic foundation theory,the upward deflection characteristics of the front and lateral roof of the working face under the condition of hard roof are analyzed,and compared with the engineering practice of roof rebounding.Taking the roadway coal mass as the research object,the unloading sliding mechanical model of roof-coal-floor composite structure is established.By analyzing the relationship between horizontal ground stress of coal mass,frictional force of coal-roof and coal-floor and tensile resistance of coal mass,the critical equation of coal bump is established.It is proposed that the vertical pressure of coal seam is reduced due to the upward deflection of the roof,and the coal mass loses its clamping and moves into the roadway after overcoming the friction between roof and floor and the tensile strength of coal mass under the action of horizontal ground stress,that is,the unloading and slippage mechanism of coal bump in hard roof mining roadway.The model reasonably explains the causality of coal bump in hard roof mining roadway.Based on the unloading-slippage model,the principle of influencing factors of coal bump,includes the buried depth,roof strength,roof elastic modulus and roof thickness,coal mass strength and elastic modulus.Finally,two coal bump events,''8.2''coal bump in Tangshan coal mine and''11.11''coal bump in Hongyang mine are analyzed and the unloading-slippage mechanism are the reasoning of two events.

Investigation on the Microstructure Features of Bump-Prone Coal

A series of experiments,using X-ray diffraction, electronic microscope investigation and SEM observation,are carried out to investigate the microstructure characteristics of bump-prone coal. The samples are from four coal seams in two different coal mines,which compose of No.7,No.9 and No.12 coal seams in Zhaogezhuang mine and No.11 seam in Xinzhouyao mine.The microstructure parameters of coal are adopted to calculate the bump liability of

Coal pillar mechanics of violent failure in U.S. Mines

This paper seeks to enhance the understanding that the horizontal stresses build up and release during coal pillar loading and unloading(post-failure) drawing upon three decades of observations, geomechanical monitoring and numerical modeling in bump-prone U.S. mines. The focus is on induced horizontal stress in mine pillars and surrounding strata as highly stressed pillars punch into the roof and floor, causing shear failure and buckling of strata; under stiff stratigraphic units of some western US mines, these events could be accompanied by violent failure of pillar cores. Pillar punching eventually results in tensile stresses at the base of the pillar, facilitating transition into the post-failure regime; this transition will be nonviolent if certain conditions are met, notably the presence of interbedded mudstones with low shear strength properties and proper mine designs for controlling seismicity and dynamic loads. The study clearly shows high confining stress build-up in coal pillars resulting in up to twice higher peak vertical stress and high strain energy accumulations in some western US mines in comparison with peak stresses predicted using common empirical pillar design methods. It is the unstable release of this strain energy that can cause significant damage resulting from pillar dilation and ground movements. These forces are much greater than the capacity of most common internal support systems, resulting in horizontal stressinduced roof falls locally, in mines under unremarkable far-field horizontal stress. Attention should be placed on pillar designs as increasing support density may prove to be ineffective. This mechanism is analyzed using field measurements and generic finite-difference stress analyses. The study confirms the higher load carrying capacity of confinement-controlled coal seams in comparison with structurally controlled coal seams. Such significant differences in confining stresses are not taken into account when estimating peak pillar strength using most common empirical techniques such as those proposed by Bieniawski and Salamon. While using lower pillar strength estimates may be considered conservative,it underestimates the actual capacity of pillars in accumulating much higher stress and strain energies,misleading the designer and inadvertently diminishing mine safety. The role of induced horizontal stress in mine pillars and surrounding strata is emphasized in coal pillar mechanics of violent failure. The triggering mechanism for the violent events is sudden loss of pillar confinement due to dynamic loading resulting from failure of overlying stiff and strong strata. Evidence of such mechanism is noted in the field by observed red-dust at the coal-rock interfaces at the location of coal bumps and irregular, periodic caving in room-and-pillar mines quantified through direct pressure measurements in the gob.

Occurrence, predication, and control of coal burst events in the U.S.

Coal burst represented a major hazard for some U.S. mining operations. This paper provides an historical review of the coal burst hazards,identifies the fundamental geological factors associated with these events,and discusses mechanisms that can be used to avoid their occurrences. Coal burst are not common in most underground mines. Their occurrence almost always has such dramatic consequences to a mining operation that changes in practice are required. Fundamental factors influencing coal burst events include strong strata,abnormal strata caving,elevated stresses,critical size pillars and the lack of sufficiently sized barrier pillars during extraction. These factors interact to produce excessive stress,seismic shock and loss of confinement mechanisms. Over the 90 years of dealing with these hazards,many novel prevention controls have been developed including novel mine designs and extraction sequences,most of which are site specific in their application. Without an accurate assessment of the fundamental factors that influence coal burst and knowledge of their mechanisms of occurrence,control techniques may be misapplied and risk inadequately mitigated.

Dynamic failure risk of coal pillar formed by irregular shape longwall face:A case study

Irregular shape workface would result in the presence of coal pillar, which leads to high stress concentration and possibly induces coal bumps. In order to study the coal bump mechanism of pillars, static and dynamic stress overlapping(SDSO) method was proposed to explain the impacts of static stress concentration and tremors induced by mining activities. The stress and deformation in surrounding rock of mining face were analyzed based on the field case study at 1303 workface in Zhaolou Coal Mine in China.The results illustrate that the surrounding rock of a workface could be divided into four different zones,i.e., residual stress zone, stress decrease zone, stress increase zone and original stress zone. The stress increase zone is prone to failure under the SDSO impact loading conditions and will provide elastic energy for inducing coal bump. Based on the numerical modelling results, the evolution of static stress in coal pillar as the size of gob increasing was studied, and the impact of dynamic stress was investigated through analyzing the characteristics of tremor activities. The numerical results demonstrate the peak value of vertical stress in coal pillar rises from about 30 MPa with mining distance 10 m to 52.6 MPa with mining distance 120 m, and the location of peak stress transfers to the inner zone of coal pillars as the workface moves forward. For the daily tremor activities, tremors with high energy released indicate high dynamic stress disturbance on the surrounding rock, therefore, the impact of dynamic stressing is more serious during workface extension period because the tremor frequency and average energy after workface extension are higher than those before the workface extension.

A limit equilibrium fracture zone model to investigate seismicity in coal mines

This paper explores possible synergies between techniques used to minimise seismicity in deep South African gold mines and their applicability to control coal bumps. The paper gives a summary of the techniques used in the deep gold mines and a critical appraisal if these are useful in coal mines. The techniques typically include control of mining rate, preconditioning, optimisation of extraction sequences and centralised blasting. Of particular interest to the coal bump problem is an experimental limit equilibrium fracture zone model implemented in a displacement discontinuity code. This was recently developed for the gold mines to enable the interactive analysis of complex tabular mine layout extraction sequences. The model specifically accommodates energy dissipation computations in the developing fracture zone near the edges of these excavations. This allows the released energy to be used as a surrogate measure of ongoing seismic activity and addresses a number of the weaknesses in the traditional usage of this quantity as a criterion for the design of seismically active layouts. This paper investigates the application of the model to a hypothetical coal longwall layout and the specific problem of coal bumps.

Change of the mode of failure by interface friction and width-to-height ratio of coal specimens

Bumps in coal mines have been recognized as a major hazard for many years. These sudden and violent failures around mine openings have compromised safety, ventilation and access to mine workings.Previous studies showed that the violence of coal specimen failure depends on both the interface friction and width-to-height(W/H) ratio of coal specimen. The mode of failure for a uniaxially loaded coal specimen or a coal pillar is a combination of both shear failure along the interface and compressive failure in the coal. The shear failure along the interface triggered the compressive failure in coal. The compressive failure of a coal specimen or a coal pillar can be controlled by changing its W/H ratio. As the W/H ratio increases, the ultimate strength increases. Hence, with a proper combination of interface friction and the W/H ratio of pillar or coal specimen, the mode of failure will change from sudden violent failure which is brittle failure to non-violent failure which is ductile failure. The main objective of this paper is to determine at what W/H ratio and interface friction the mode of failure changes from violent to non-violent. In this research, coal specimens of W/H ratio ranging from 1 to 10 were uniaxially tested under two interface frictions of 0.1 and 0.25, and the results are presented and discussed.

巨厚砾岩层下综放工作面冲击地压危险性评价和矿震发生特征分析

为有效监测和防治综采工作面冲击地压事故,以耿村煤矿巨厚砾岩层下综放工作面为工程背景,采用综合指数法评价综放工作面冲击地压危险性,利用微震监测结果研究综放工作面回采期间矿震特征。结果表明:(1)13230综放工作面冲击危险性指数为0.65,属于中等冲击地压类型;(2)综放工作面回采期间矿震主要发生在工作面前方顶底板煤岩体中,工作面处于“见方区”时发生矿震的频次、最大能量和总能量均明显高于“非见方区”的,“见方区”矿震的震源主要位于工作面前方中部顶底板煤岩体和运输平巷上帮顶板煤岩体中;(3)综放工作面顶板周期来压期间通常伴随大能量的矿震事件。研究结果可为耿村煤矿综放开采冲击地压监测和防治提供参考。

煤层钻孔钻进煤粉自动测量方法及试验研究

钻屑法是煤矿常用的冲击地压危险性检测方法,钻孔煤粉量的高效准确采集是工程现场比较关注的技术难点,直接影响检测评价效率和结果。基于钻孔排粉特征及流体质量称重原理,自主研发了一套适用于不同孔径钻孔的煤粉量自动测量装置,该装置由集粉装置、称重装置、数据处理系统和固定机构组成,可根据钻孔排出煤粉的流动质量及标定函数获得煤粉实际质量,通过室内试验和现场测试,检验了该方法的测量准确性。研究表明:根据煤粉流动质量–时间曲线可以有效辨识钻杆钻进及接杆工序;每米钻孔的煤粉流动质量累加值与实际质量呈明显的线性关系,标定函数与称重装置的称重滑道倾角、采样频率等装置测试参数相关;与常规称重法相比,煤粉自动测量方法的实验室测量误差最大值小于6.5%,现场测试平均误差为5.13%,误差小于10%的数据占比86.91%,装置测试参数和钻孔煤粉流量、粒径等不可控的工程因素对测量结果准确性影响很小;在保证准确性的同时,常规孔径钻屑法的接杆工序时长减少了25.16%,施工效率提升了11.84%。大直径钻孔浅部煤粉分布规律与常规孔径钻屑法一致,同时可获得更深处巷帮煤粉量分布。所提出的煤粉自动测量方法,提高了大直径钻孔钻屑法的施工操作性,可实现大直径钻孔的强排粉卸压–煤粉测量同步作业。

不规则工作面开采矿震活动规律及其致冲风险控制研究

针对不规则工作面开采期间矿震频繁问题,以陕西某矿21306工作面为工程背景,采用理论分析、数值模拟和现场实践等方法,分析了21306工作面上覆岩层破断特征及开采期间围岩应力分布特征,研究了不规则工作面开采矿震活动规律,优化了降载释能的矿震致冲风险控制方案。结果表明:35 m的区段煤柱可一定程度上制约两工作面覆岩协同运动,21306工作面开采期间覆岩结构呈“O-X”型破断结构,与相邻采空区形成对称长臂T型结构;工作面推进过程超前区域及运输大巷侧应力影响范围不断扩大,以区段煤柱区域应力集中程度最大,回采至480m时垂直应力最大,已达到54.67 MPa,约是回采前垂直应力的1.41倍;随着工作面推进形成“刀把型”不规则结构,工作面缩面拐角区域应力集中程度明显较高,工作面缩面后降低了对运输大巷的影响;工作面开采期间震源事件主要分布于回采工作面前方,强矿震主要集中在工作面开采缩面区域、见方区域,且强矿震主要发生在工作面前方50 m及底板上方22~74 m范围内;强矿震诱发力源主要由关键层破断引起;实施了降载释能的矿震致冲风险控制优化方案,有效降低了强矿震的发生频次,保障了工作面后期的安全回采。

多级围压变应力下限循环加卸载煤体冲击倾向性特征研究

围压作用下煤体冲击倾向性研究对于探明地下深部矿井中煤体冲击地压形成机理起着关键作用。为了探究不同围压作用对煤体冲击倾向性的影响,对煤体进行了多级围压下不同应力下限循环加卸载。结果表明:在3、6、9 MPa围压环境下变应力下限循环加卸载作用后煤试件抗压强度分别增加了3.1%、4.7%、6.2%,最后一级循环加卸载过程中轴向应变分别增加了0.61%、0.42%、0.28%,体积应变分别增长了0.32%、0.24%、0.17%,表明煤体受到的围压越大对煤体变形约束越强;随着围压的提高,声发射事件累积数量逐渐降低,峰后声发射累积数量不断降低,累积能量同样逐步降低,表明随着围压的升高,煤试件变得更加致密,破坏形式逐渐由脆性破坏过渡到韧性破坏;经过3、6、9 MPa围压作用,输入能Uinn与弹性应变能Uen不断升高,较之常压条件下煤试件剩余弹性能指数CEF分别提高了21.76%、42.92%、71.69%,说明围压对煤体冲击倾向性具有增强作用,且剩余弹性能指数CEF与围压σ3具有线性函数关系。

我国煤炭开采中的冲击地压机理和防治

总结了我国煤矿冲击地压灾害发生的特点,分析了冲击地压、岩爆和矿震之间存在的联系和区别,建立了煤矿冲击地压的3种力学模型:材料失稳型冲击地压、滑移错动型冲击地压和结构失稳型冲击地压。提炼出煤炭开采中的冲击地压研究需要解决的4个方面的科学问题:地质赋存环境对冲击地压的作用机制及量化分析方法、深部断续煤岩体的变形破坏规律和工程动力响应特征、采动应力分布和能量场的时空演化规律与多因素耦合致灾机理、煤矿冲击地压的监测预警与防治方法,总结归纳了近年来我国在冲击地压机理与防治技术方面的研究成果以及存在问题,指出了今后我国煤矿提高冲击地压防治水平的努力方向。

冲击地压后瓦斯异常涌出条件及致灾原因分析

针对冲击发生后瓦斯异常涌出的现象,分析了煤岩微裂隙状态、温度等因素在冲击地压发生前后的变化以及冲击地压引起矿体震动对瓦斯吸附能力的影响,从多角度分析了冲击地压发生后导致瓦斯异常涌出的条件和原因。通过理论计算,瓦斯渗透试验等手段,研究了煤体受载过程中孔隙度和渗透性的变化规律;在含气煤本构方程的基础上,利用三轴加载条件下应力-渗透率关系计算得到了煤样加载过程中的渗透率的变化曲线。结果表明:冲击地压的发生确实存在导致瓦斯异常涌出的条件,而瓦斯对煤体存在力学和非力学的作用,可以导致煤体强度下降,脆性增强,并能够加速煤体的失稳破坏;煤体孔隙度和渗透率在三轴加载条件下会有先降低后增大的趋势,在应力达到破坏载荷的70%左右时,孔隙度和渗透率急剧增长;煤岩体内裂纹扩展,渗透性能增加是高瓦斯矿井冲击地压发生后瓦斯大量涌出的最直接的原因,矿体震动、煤岩体温度升高等冲击地压的伴生现象在一定程度上会促进瓦斯解吸和逸出。

冲击地压层次化监测及其预警方法的研究与应用

为能有效地预警冲击地压灾害,总结了冲击地压常用监测方法及其优缺点,指出了目前冲击地压监测所存在的问题,并以其发生机理为基础,建立了冲击地压层次化监测的应用模型,认为采用互补性较强的层次化监测模式,可综合彼此的特点,弥补各自的不足。结合大同忻州窑煤矿现场实例,认为微震监测技术可在矿井全局范围内实时监测冲击危险区域以及掌握其动态发展情况;通过电磁辐射监测的配合,能动态了解采掘空间近场围岩应力的变化情况,从而确定更小的局部危险区,加上钻屑法的具体地点检测可进一步判定冲击危险程度。并较为全面、深入地研究了微震、电磁辐射及钻屑量预警冲击地压的分析方法。实践证明:具有互补性较强的层次化监测技术能够在空间内形成"全局—区域—局部"的全方位监测,在时间上可达到"实时—连续—动态"的监测目的,能有效预警冲击地压灾害。

长壁孤岛工作面冲击失稳能量释放激增机制研究

煤矿开采中跳采形成的孤岛工作面由于容易产生应力集中,来压强度高,极容易发生冲击地压。基于唐山矿孤岛工作面的地质条件和周期来压步距的监测结果,通过数值分析的方法,研究孤岛工作面煤岩体能量释放的动态特征,揭示工作面前方能量释放激增机制,对比普通工作面和孤岛工作面能量场的区别,介绍冲击地压预警防治措施。数值模拟结果显示,长壁孤岛工作面回采时随着直接顶的随采随冒,采空区悬空面积的不断增大,使得老顶积聚大量的弹性能。若老顶发生周期性垮落,弹性能将瞬间释放,此时工作面和顺槽巷道极易冲击失稳。由研究结果可知,孤岛工作面周期来压时顶底板和煤层的能量激增可做为判断冲击失稳的前兆信息之一。因此,微震监测等手段可以根据此结论预测潜在的矿山动力灾害。针对老顶周期性断裂时积聚能量的突然释放规律,运用强制放顶、超前卸压孔、开切卸压槽和卸压爆破、煤层注水等技术可以提前释放煤层内积聚的弹性能,达到良好的冲击地压防治效果。