Research on the stability mechanism and control technique of surrounding rock in gob side entry driving

Currently, the application of coal pillars to protect an adjacent roadway is a common method in Vietnam when exploiting according to the longwall system. Therefore, the width of a coal pillar is an important issue for the stability of a roadway. In order to reduce coal loss in these coal pillars, they tend to be designed in a narrow coal pillar style but still have to ensure that the adjacent roadway can meet safe coal production conditions. The stability of roadways and coal pillars is related to many factors such as technical mechanical characteristics, physical and mechanical properties of coal, stress environment and support methods. The bearing structure of the coal pillar and the around rock a roadway is analyzed and it has been shown that enhancing roadway support and improving the carrying capacity of coal pillars can control the deformation of the surrounding rock. A study related to the stability and safety of roadways and small coal pillars in the longwall mining system has been carried out. Stabilization factors have been considered, especially the state of stress in the coal pillars and the deformation of the roadway. By applying the numerical simulation method, the stress of the coal pillar and the deformation of the adjacent roadway under different supporting solutions were analyzed and evaluated. By using this method, the rock bolt roadway support solution combined with the long cable bolt in the roadway roof and the coal pillar was selected in the safe condition of the mining process. Because cable bolt can improve the flexibility of the coal pillar such as: reducing the size of the plastic area on both sides of the pillar; enhancing coal pillar stability in the core area by providing great drag and tensile for coal pillars; contributing to improving the anchor point fixation of rock bolt. The conclusions obtained may provide a certain reference parameters to improve mining efficiency and labor safety in underground coal mines.

This study investigates the surrounding rock failure caused by the fracture line of the main roof above the gob-side roadway during fully mechanized top-coal caving mining in a 19 m thick coal seam. As mining progresses, stress concentration occurs in the roadway roof. Furthermore, the fracture line of the main roof above the roadway poses a significant threat to the structural stability of the gob-side roadway, leading to the localized failure of the roof structure, which consequently affects the safe and efficient production of the mine. This study investigates the shear failure mechanism of the roadway top coal and analyzes the failure characteristics and stress evolution law of the surrounding rock when the main roof fracture line (MRFL) is located above the roadway through three integrated approaches: theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and physical similarity modeling. To effectively mitigate damage to the top coal, it is proposed to implement a five-hole tray coupled with high-strength prestressed anchor cables for reinforcing the surrounding rock, while compact wooden piles in combination with single pillars are employed to strengthen the roadway support control measures. It is verified by field tests that these control methods significantly improve the stability of coal above the entry and greatly mitigate the likelihood of surrounding rock failure.

The roadway roof is a key factor to the roadway stability. The analysis of roof stability is mainly based on numerical calculation and on‐site observation, while the basic theory of the bearing mechanism is relatively weak. We have founded a critical pressure calculation model, on the theory of compressive bar, for the rectangle coal roadway stability. The model has been tested and verified on accuracy and feasibility while applied on a roadway case. The critical pressure for roof stability and roof bending moment and deflection under combined axial and lateral load was deduced using the theory of compressive bar stability. The numerical calculation verified the feasibility of numerical modeling of stability of compressive bar using FLAC3D, and the influence of the background ambient horizontal stress and the parameters of the contact surface to the roof stability were further studied. The result turns out that some factors lead to a higher instability tendency, including higher horizontal stress, higher cohesion force, and larger internal friction angle on the coal‐rock interface and lower cohesion force and smaller friction angle on the rock‐rock interface. The results contribute to bearing mechanisms of roadway roof stability, ground pressure and strata control theory and application, and design of bolting support.

This study addresses the critical challenge of optimizing coal pillar width in burst-prone mines with thick, hard roof strata, balancing resource recovery, roadway stability, and coal burst mitigation. Through integrated analytical modeling and rigorously calibrated numerical simulations, the research reveals the complex interplay between pillar width, roof mechanics, and stress redistribution. Key findings demonstrate that pillar width dictates roof failure mechanics and energy accumulation. The case study indicates that increasing the coal pillar width from 6 m to 20 m shifts the tensile fracture location from solid coal toward the pillar center, migrates shear failure zones closer to roadways, and relocates elastic strain energy accumulation to the pillar area. This concentrates static and dynamic loads directly onto wider pillars upon roof fracture, escalating instability risks. A risky coal pillar width is identified as 10–20 m, where pillars develop severe lateral abutment pressures perilously close to roadways, combining high elastic energy storage with exposure to roof fracture dynamics. Conversely, narrow pillars exhibit low stress concentrations and limited energy storage due to plastic deformation, reducing burst potential despite requiring robust asymmetric support. Strategic selection of narrow or wide pillars provides a safer pathway. The validated analytical–numerical framework offers a scientifically grounded methodology for pillar design under hard roof conditions, enhancing resource recovery while mitigating coal burst risks.

Roadway instability has always been a major concern in deep underground coal mines where the surrounding rock strata and coal seams are weak and the in situ stresses are high. Under the high overburden and tectonic stresses, roadways could collapse or experience excessive deformation, which not only endangers mining personnel but could also reduce the functionality of the roadway and halt production. This paper describes a case study on the stability of roadways in an underground coal mine in Shanxi Province, China. The mine was using a longwall method to extract coal at a depth of approximately 350 m. Both the coal seam and surrounding rock strata were extremely weak and vulnerable to weathering. Large roadway deformation and severe roadway instabilities had been experienced in the past, hence, an investigation of the roadway failure mechanism and new support designs were needed. This study started with an in situ stress measurement programme to determine the stress orientation and magnitude in the mine. It was found that the major horizontal stress was more than twice the vertical stress in the East–West direction, perpendicular to the gateroads of the longwall panel. The high horizontal stresses and low strength of coal and surrounding rock strata were the main causes of roadway instabilities. Detailed numerical modeling was conducted to evaluate the roadway stability and deformation under different roof support scenarios. Based on the modeling results, a new roadway support design was proposed, which included an optimal cable/bolt arrangement, full length grouting, and high pre-tensioning of bolts and cables. It was expected the new design could reduce the roadway deformation by 50 %. A field experiment using the new support design was carried out by the mine in a 100 m long roadway section. Detailed extensometry and stress monitorings were conducted in the experimental roadway section as well as sections using the old support design. The experimental section produced a much better roadway profile than the previous roadway sections. The monitoring data indicated that the roadway deformation in the experimental section was at least 40–50 % less than the previous sections. This case study demonstrated that through careful investigation and optimal support design, roadway stability in soft rock conditions can be significantly improved.

The filling belt of gob-side entry retaining with the character of soft rock composite roof,deforms violently,affected by the fracture and rotation of the main roof,and is prone to instability.This essay,considering characteristecs of coal mine pressure behavior on -790m 1311 (1) working face ventilation roadway at DingJi coal mine in HuaiNan,puts forward structural mech -anics model of the key block of gob-side entry retaining,which is used to forecast the position of the fracture line of the main roof, and analyze the roof subsidence at the side of the filling belt;It applies FLAC and UDEC to simulate distribution of plastic zones of surrounding rock of gob-side entry retaining,and stress variation law of the immediate roof and the main roof along coal seam inclination.The results show that:stress concentration factor of the immediate roof on the filling belt is about 1.6,first decreasing and then increasing with increasing width of the filling belt,which indicates that reasonable width of the filling belt is 3.0 m in accordance with the requirement of economic security requirment. The filling belt has significantly wide distribution of the plastic zones,with its four corners obviously plasticized,and overlying strata above the filling belt at side of goaf suffering upward plasticization,which is the result of rotation of the main roof; Deform- ation instability of filling belt is mainly caused by fracture rotation of the main roof;Finally, the measures to reduce the instability of gob-side entry retaining with the character of soft rock comp- osite roof are put forward.

Study on stability mechanism and control techniques of surrounding rock in gob-side entry retaining with flexible formwork concrete wall

Support technology of deep roadway under high stress and its application

Research on the failure mechanism and control technology of surrounding rock in gob-side entry driving under unstable overlying strata

In situ stress is one of the most important factors affecting surrounding rock stability classification of coal roadway. Most surrounding rock stability classification methods do not fully consider the influence of in situ stress. In this paper, the author applied a fuzzy clustering method to the classification of surrounding rock stability of coal roadway. Taking into account the complexity of the classification of surrounding rock, some factors such as the strength of surrounding rock, in situ stress, the main roof first weighting interval, the size of the chain pillar, and the immediate roof backfilled ratio are selected as the evaluation indexes. The weight coefficients of these evaluation indexes are determined by unary regression and multiple regression methods. Using fuzzy clustering and empirical evaluation method, the classification model of surrounding rock stability of coal roadway is proposed, which is applied to 37 coal roadways of Zibo Mining Group Ltd., China. The result is in good agreement with practical situation of surrounding rock, which proves that the fuzzy clustering method used to classify the surrounding rock in coal roadway is reasonable and effective. The present model has important guiding significance for reasonably determining the stability category of surrounding rock and supporting design of coal roadway.

Extra‐thick coal seams are widely distributed in the Datong mine area in China. The rapid stopping of mining and the support withdrawal technology for extra‐thick coal seams need to be developed urgently. The reasonable stopping top coal caving distance, main roof's fracture line position, and large section roadway during the stopping period (LSRSP) support method of the header face of 15 m extra‐thick coal seam are systematically studied by using field measurement, experiment, numerical simulation, and similar material simulation methods. With the increase in stopping coal caving distance, the range of the medium and low displacement zone of the LSRSP overburden gradually expands. In contrast, the depth of the plastic zone decreases. The scope and intensity of the high‐stress area of the overlying rock in front gradually decrease and shift from deep to the outside, while the peak stress area shifts from the top coal area to the coal rib of the retracement channel. Comparing the stopping of medium‐thick and thick coal seam working face, the interaction between “main roof−unmined top coal−supports” is analyzed. The unique characteristics of the extra‐thick coal seam working face are derived: when the stopping coal caving distance is shorter than the length of the key block, the dropped coal body cannot effectively restrict the movement of key blocks. Mutual compression and subsidence occur between key blocks, making the broken coal rock block squeeze into the supports. By the simulation study of each index, the stopping coal caving distance of the extra‐thick coal seam is optimal when it is slightly larger than the length of the key block (i.e., the periodic weighting step), simultaneously, the main roof fracture line behind the supports is most favorable for stopping mining. After ensuring the stability of the LSRSP's overburden structure, the differentiated support scheme of “controlled zoning−strength grading” was proposed, and the scheme was modified and verified by simulating the support prestress field. After field practice, the roof of the retracement channel is better controlled in deformation under the joint horizontal and vertical support, the robust control effect of the combined anchor cable is noticeable, the integrity of the polyurethane network is more substantial, and the working face supports have successfully achieved a safe and rapid evacuation.

Under the condition that the working face was directly covered with hard roof, the abrupt breaking of hard roof release significant amount of energy, thus prone to triggering dynamic disasters such as roadway instability or rockburst. This paper based on the engineering background of the Xieqiao Coal Mine's 11,618 working face, a numerical simulation method was put forward to study the dynamic response of roadway under the disturbance of hard roof breaking and proposed an evaluation index IC for roadway stability. Research indicates that the elastic energy released during the periodic weighting of the hard roof is higher than that released during the first weighting. Under the dynamic disturbance caused by hard roof breaking, the peak stresses of the roadway was slight decreased, accompanied by a significant increase in the range of stress concentration and plastic zone expansion. Roadway deformation patterns are significantly influenced by hard roof breaking, with noticeable increases in deformation on the roof and right side. During the period of hard roof breaking, the possibility of instability of the roadway increase significantly due to the disturbance caused by the dynamic load. The research results reveal the instability mechanism of roadway under the condition of hard roof, and provide a more reliable basis for evaluating the stability of roadway.

The roadway instability in deep underground conditions has attracted constant concerns in recent years, as it seriously affects the efficiency of coal mining and the safety of personnel. The large rheological deformations normally occur in deep roadway with soft coal mass. However, the failure mechanism of such roadways is still not clear. In this study, based on a typical soft coal roadway in the field, the in-situ measurements and rock mass properties were obtained. The rheological deformation of that roadway was revealed. Then a time-dependent 3D numerical model was established and verified. Based on the verified model, the deformation properties and evolutionary failure mechanism of deep coal roadway were investigated in detail. The results showed that the deformation of the soft coal roadway demonstrated rheological behavior and the applied support structures failed completely. After roadway excavation, the maximum and minimum stresses around the roadway deteriorated gradually with the increase of time. The failure zones in soft coal mass expanded increasingly over time, which had a negative effect on roadway stability in the long-term. According to the findings, helpful suggestions were further presented to control the rheological deformation in the roadway. This research systematically reveals the instability mechanism of the deep coal roadway and provides some strategies for maintaining roadway stability, which can significantly promote the sustainability of mining in deep underground coal mines.

To reveal the critical factors of the main roof influencing stability of surrounding rocks of roadways driven along goaf in fully‐mechanized top‐coal caving faces, this paper builds a structural mechanics model for the surrounding rocks based on geological conditions of the 8105 fully‐mechanized caving face of Yanjiahe Coal Mine, and the stress and equilibrium conditions of the key rock block B are analyzed, and focus is on analyzing rules of the key rock block B influencing stability of roadways driven along goaf. Then, the orthogonal experiment and the range method are used to confirm the sensitivity influencing factors in numerical simulation, which are the basic main roof height and the fracture location, the length of the key rock block B, and the main roof hardness in turn. It is revealed that the basic main roof height and its fracture location have a greater influence on stability of god‐side entry driving. On the one hand, the coal wall and the roof of roadways driven along goaf are damaged, and the deformation of surrounding rocks of roadways and the vertical stress of narrow coal pillars tend to stabilize along with the increase of the basic main roof height. On the other hand, when the gob‐side entry is located below the fracture line of the main roof, the damage caused by gob‐side entry is the most serious. Therefore, on‐site gob‐side entry driving should avoid being below the fracture line of the main roof. At last, industrial tests are successfully conducted in the fully‐mechanized top‐coal caving faces, 8105 and 8215, of Yanjiahe Coal Mine.

With the increase of mining depth in underground engineering, deep ground pressure has an extremely unfavorable impact on safety production and the economic benefits of coal mines and the control of the roadway stability in deep mines are gradually highlighted. In this study, the working face 14203 of the Zaoquan coal mine was taken as the engineering background, the deformation mechanism of surrounding rock in the deep‐buried high‐stress roadway was analyzed, and the hydraulic fracturing pressure relief technology in the advanced roadway was proposed for surrounding rock control. Finally, the numerical simulation and field tests were used to validate the comprehensive effect of the proposed technology. Without damaging the roadway stability in the working face, the hydraulic fracturing pressure relief technology can optimize the stress environment and stability of the roadway through the artificial control of the roof fracture position. The numerical simulation shows that under the action of hydraulic fracturing, the cutting slot is formed, the deformation and failure mode of the roof are changed, the stress of surrounding rock is reduced, and the development of the plastic zone of surrounding rock is limited. As a result, the stability of surrounding rock in the roadway is effectively protected. The field test shows that after the adoption of hydraulic fracturing pressure relief technology, the roof subsidence, floor separation, bolt stress, and cable stress decrease, and the deformation of surrounding rock is reduced significantly. Therefore, hydraulic fracturing pressure relief technology is verified as an effective method to control the large deformation of the surrounding rock in the deep‐buried roadway.