Numerical Simulation of Underground Mining-Induced Fault-Influenced Rock Movement and Its Application

Abstract

The F317 fault, as a major tectonic zone in the Jianshan mine area, influences the geotectonic features and geomechanical properties of the mine area. Mining operations need to be conducted within these tectonic systems, so it is important to fully study and understand the characteristics and evolution of these tectonic systems to develop reasonable mining plans and safety measures. Aiming at the problem that the existence of the F317 fault affects the stability of the west road during the mining of the security pillar at The Jianshan underground mine in Panzhihua Iron Mine, the mechanical model of the fault surface was established through the theory of material mechanics. The mechanical criterion of fault slip during the security pillar retrieval process was obtained and combined with the contact surface theory in the numerical analysis software FLAC3D. Two numerical calculation models with and without the F317 fault were established to analyze the change characteristics of the maximum tensile stress and displacement of the road protection zone under different simulation scenarios. The influence of the fault’s presence on the surface road’s stability during the security pillar retrieval process was obtained. The study results show that changes in positive and shear stresses at the fault face caused by the security pillar retrieval process are the main factors influencing the fault slip. The upper side of the fault tends to slip along the fault face during the security pillar retrieval process, which theoretically prevents the transfer of subsidence displacement caused by underground mining to the roadside (foot side of the fault). The presence of the F317 fault has less effect on the tensile stresses at the road protection zone. Still, the fault allows the tensile stresses to be concentrated at the top and bottom of the quarry and at the isolated pillar, which is more likely to cause the rock to be stretched and squeezed. Without the F317 fault, the maximum subsidence displacement at the road protection zone is 30.59 mm, the maximum X-directional displacement is 42.17 mm (both of which are greater than the safe displacement limit by 20 mm), and the maximum Y-directional displacement is 19.75 mm, which is less than the safe displacement limit by 20 mm. Compared with the case without the F317 fault, the displacement at the road protection zone with the F317 fault is smaller, with a maximum subsidence displacement of 16.92 mm, a maximum X-directional displacement of 19.63 mm, and a maximum Y-directional displacement of 3.35 mm, all of which are less than the safe displacement limits. Therefore, the presence of the F317 fault provides some protection to the west side of the road from collapse due to underground mining.