Rockburst mechanism and the law of energy accumulation and release in mining roadway: a case study

Rockburst, one of the leading types of disaster in mining and rock engineering causing serious injuries and the loss of property, frequently occurs, involving various features and complex evolutionary mechanisms. Compared to rockbursts occurring at mining faces, those occurring in main roadways cause more serious problems for mine production. This paper first analyzes the characteristics of rockbursts in main roadways using two case studies involving the Gaojiapu and Cuimu coal mines. The causes of rockbursts in main roadways were studied using microseismic monitoring, energy density cloud maps, and seismic velocity tomography. During the mining of the 22306 working face in the Cuimu coal mine, targeted measures, such as deep-hole blasting of the roof strata and deep-hole blasting of the coal seam, were implemented to prevent rockbursts in the main roadways. The effectiveness of these measures was verified through long-term analysis of tremor activities. The study found that the influence of mining at two working faces on both sides of main roadways was significantly greater than that from a single-sided working face. The intensity of the tremor activities occurring near the main roadways was correlated with the distance from the working face to the main roadways. The closer the working face was to the main roadways, the stronger the tremor activities were near the main roadways. According to the distribution range of the tremors, the influence area of working face mining exceeded 800 m, with tremors distributed linearly along the main roadways. Even five months after the completion of working face mining, there were still a large number of tremors near the main roadways, which gradually disappeared after another five months. Mining activities were the main reason for the occurrence of main roadway rockbursts and the stress concentration within the main roadways themselves was another reason for the occurrence of rockbursts. The influence of working face mining could be reduced by deep-hole blasting of roof strata and the stress concentration within main roadways themselves could be reduced by large-diameter drilling. Those joint preventive measures effectively prevented the occurrence of rockbursts in main roadways. This study is of important theoretical and practical significance for further studies of rockburst mechanisms and prevention in regard to main roadways in coal mines, and the findings are significant in terms of the enhancement of safety in coal mines.

With the development of society and the progress of science and technology, people’s living standard has been raised gradually. Behind these, it the development and utilization of energy. China is a large coal production country. Coal is the basic energy in China, and will be the major energy in the current decades and even in the coming decades. As coal is a non-renewable resource, plus the irrational exploitation in the first few years, a great deal of coal resources were wasted, which is contrary to the sustainable development strategy of the country. In recent years, to respond to national policies, vigorously promote sustainable development strategy, improve energy efficiency, major mining areas are enhancing the mining of residual coal, especially in isolated island state of coal. At present, there are some effective safety measures for mining coal under the condition of isolated island in China, but most of the safety research focuses on the mining face, but only a few studies focus on the safety of roadway. Through investigation, it is found that there are a series of problems in roadway driving and working face mining, such as strip wall and coal cannon. This seriously restricts the mining speed of isolated island working face, and always threatens the safety of workers. In this paper, the stress distribution characteristics of coal body under isolated island state are analyzed by numerical simulation. On the basis of this, the stress distribution characteristics of roadway surrounding rock and working face mining are analyzed, and the stress variation law is summarized. It is found that there exists a stress concentration zone in the coal pillar under the condition of isolated island. The stress concentration zone is mainly affected by the geological conditions of isolated island. There is a second stress concentration zone 7 m away from the side of the roadway, which is smaller than the stress concentration zone in the protected coal pillar, but the dynamic change is larger and the stress concentration zone moves with the advance of the working face because of the influence of mining in the working face. Therefore, in the aspect of maintaining the stability of roadway surrounding rock, the effective maintenance mode is determined according to the stress distribution characteristics and variation law of roadway surrounding rock under isolated island working face.

In the process of mining, a large area of hard roof will be exposed above a goaf and may suddenly break. This can easily induce rock burst and has a significant impact on production safety. In this study, based on the engineering background of the hard roof of the 2102 working face in the Balasu coal mine, the spatial and temporal characteristics of the strain energy of the roof during the initial mining process were explored in depth. Based on a theoretical calculation, it is proposed that hydraulic fracturing should be carried out in the medium-grained sandstone layer that is 4.8–22.43 m above the roof, and that the effective fracturing section in the horizontal direction should be within 30.8 m of the cutting hole of the working face. The elastic strain energy fish model was established in FLAC3D to analyze the strain energy accumulation of the roof during the initial mining process. The simulation and elastic strain energy results show that, as the working face advances to 70–80 m, the hard roof undergoes significant bending deformation. The energy gradient increases with the rapid accumulation of strain energy to a peak value of 140.54 kJ/m3. If the first weighting occurs at this moment in time, the sudden fracture of the roof will be accompanied by the release of elastic energy, which will induce rock burst. Therefore, it is necessary to implement roof cutting and pressure relief before reaching the critical step of 77 m. To this end, the comprehensive hydraulic fracturing technology of ‘conventional short drilling + directional long drilling’ is proposed. A field test shows that the hydraulic fracturing technology effectively weakens the integrity of the rock layer. The first weighting interval is 55 m, and it continues until the end of the pressure at the 70 m position. The roof collapses well, and the mining safety is improved. This study provides an important reference for hard roof control.

The stability control of mining roadways is crucial in ensuring the safe and efficient mining of deep coal resources. Given the effect of mining stress on the working face, the support scheme of such roadways, which is designed based on the original in-situ stress parameters, often presents support-related problems. A mining roadway on the 1131 working face of Zhujidong Coal Mine in the Huainan mining area, China was taken as the engineering background of this study. To explore the influence of mining stress on the stability control of this roadway, the 2-dimensional (2D) Particle Flow Code (PFC) numerical simulation software was used to perform a simulation study on the stress distribution characteristics and deformation failure laws of the surrounding rocks under the change in the roadway lateral pressure coefficient caused by the mining stress. An improved support scheme that considers the influence of varying lateral pressure coefficient on the mining roadway was then proposed. Results show that when the lateral pressure coefficient increased from 1 to 1.4, the maximum principal stress (61.2 MPa) is observed at 2.9 m inside the roof of the surrounding rocks in the roadway. When the lateral pressure coefficient decreases from 1 to 0.4, the maximum principal stress (46.2 MPa) is observed at 2.2 m inside the surrounding rock of sidewalls of the roadway, and failure occurs. These findings suggest that the deformation and failure of surrounding rocks are affected regardless of the lateral pressure coefficient increase or decrease. On this basis, the lengths of the anchor bolts in the roof and sidewalls in the original support method are increased from 2,200 mm to 3,000 mm and 2,500 mm, respectively. The field monitoring results indicate that the improved support method mitigates the deformation and realizes the stability control of the roadway surrounding rocks. The findings of this study could provide a scientific basis for the parameter design of roadway support.

The steeply inclined and extremely thick coal seams (SIETCS) under the condition of gob filling frequently suffer from the occurrence of rockbursts. Figuring out the mechanisms of rockbursts under this condition for taking targeted measures to mitigate rockburst hazards in SIETCS is of great significance. Using the typical SIETCS with an average dip angle of 87° at Wudong Coal Mine (WCM) as a case study, a mechanical model and elastic deformation energy (EDE) function of a “steeply inclined suspended roof structure” was developed, and the influence factors were analyzed by theoretical analysis. Simultaneously, the rockburst risk assessment was carried out based on the theory of a rockburst start-up. The pressure relief measures are optimized by comparing the pressure relief effects of three kinds of destress blasting schemes. The results indicate that the damage characteristics of rockburst are mainly floor heave, the sidewall’s inward deformation and roof subsidence. The damage degree of headentry on the roof side is more severe than that of tailentry, and the resultant impacts showed the directionality from the roof side to the coal side. The steeply inclined and suspended roof breakage is one of the main causes for the occurrence of rockbursts. The EDE of the roof increases with an increasing dip angle of the coal seam from 0° to 72.6° and then decreases as the dip angle increases. Furthermore, that increase is accompanied by the decrease of the lateral pressure coefficient and the supporting force coefficient. The EDE stored in the roof is sufficient to cause roof breakage and induce rockburst after the complete roof exceeds a certain length. The mechanism of rockburst in SIETCS for fully mechanized top-coal caving mining under gob filling conditions was proposed, i.e., “high compressive stress concentration plus breakage of the suspended roof-induced stress” rockburst, and this is further verified by ground destruction, microseismic (MS) monitoring and numerical modeling. The results also indicate that alternate deep and shallow hole-blasting modes are more suitable for pressure relief in SIETCS.

With the increase of mining depth, rock burst disasters frequently occur in steeply inclined coal seams. Firstly, this paper analyzes the rock burst of 5521-20 working face in Yaojie No. 3 coal mine and summarizes the characteristics of rock burst in horizontal section mining of steeply inclined extra-thick coal seam (SIETCS). Then, the static load distribution characteristics and the influence of dynamic load in the horizontal section mining of SIETCS are systematically studied by combining theoretical analysis with numerical simulation. On this basis, the mechanism of rock burst in horizontal section mining of SIETCS is put forward, verified by actual measurement. The results show that the SIETCS is “clamped” under the combined action of the same change trend of roof and floor. The maximum principal stress peak values on the roof and floor sides reach 22.0 MPa and 20.5 MPa. The maximum shear stress earned 8.7 MPa and 8.4 MPa, which makes the shear stress concentration in the coal body high and tends to “shear dislocation.” Under this “shear-clamping” action, an approximate “trapezoidal” plastic zone and a “rectangular” stress concentration zone are formed under the section. With the increase of mining depth, the “shear-clamping” action of SIETCS becomes more and more intense. When the roof cantilever reaches the ultimate span and breaks, the intense dynamic load increases the shear stress and failure of coal, which is easy to induce rock burst. The superimposed load greatly affects the area from the roof side to the middle of the working face, and the rock burst is intense. The rock burst is weak on the floor side due to the pressure relief of the surrounding plastic zone. The monitoring results show that the supports pressure and MS events activity on the roof side and near the middle part of the working face is considerable, while the floor side is opposite, which verifies the research results.

A fault is a common geological structure encountered in underground coal mining. Interactions between the discontinuous structure of a fault and mining activities are the key factors in controlling the rock bursts induced by the fault. It is of great importance to study the rock burst mechanism of an extra-thick coal seam under the combined influence of reverse faults and coal mining for the prediction and prevention of rock burst. In this study, we establish a sliding dynamics model of rock mass in a fault zone and analyze the mechanical distribution of fault-induced rock bursts under the combined action of mining disturbances. Additionally, we utilize theoretical calculation and a 3D numerical simulation method to clarify the rockburst mechanism in an extra-thick coal seam controlled by a thrust fault under mining disturbance and a fault. The results showed that the distribution range of the shear stress increment in the fault footwall was larger than that in the hanging wall, revealing a skewed distribution. The fault dip angle and mining thickness exhibit significant influence on the structure around the fault. With increases in the dip angle of the fault and mining thickness, the maximum vertical stress and peak stress first increase and then decrease. A position 80 m away from the fault is the dividing line between the fault-non-affected area and the fault-affected area. The 13,200 working face of the Gengcun coal mine is used as a case study to study the influence of mining disturbances on microseismic events. The results of this study are in good agreement with the theoretical calculations and numerical simulation results.

The occurrence of rock bursts due to penetrating faults are frequent in China, thereby limiting the safe production of coal mines. Based on the engineering background of a 501 working face in a TB coal mine, this paper investigates stress and energy evolution during the excavation of this working face due to multiple penetrating faults. Utilizing both theoretical analysis and numerical simulations, this study reveals the rock burst mechanism within the triangular coal pillar influenced by the penetrating faults. Based on the evolution of stress within the triangular coal pillar, a stress index has been devised to categorize both the rock burst danger regions and the levels of rock burst risks associated with the triangular coal pillar. Furthermore, targeted stress relief measures are proposed for various energy accumulation areas within the triangular coal pillar. The results demonstrate that: (1) the superimposed tectonic stress resulting from the T6 and T5 penetrating faults exhibits asymmetric distribution and has an influence range of about 90 m in the triangular coal pillar, reaching a peak value of 11.21 MPa at a distance of 13 m from the fault plane; (2) affected by the barrier effect of penetrating faults, the abutment stress of the working face is concentrated in the triangular coal pillar, and the magnitude of the abutment stress is positively and negatively correlated with the fault plane barrier effect and the width of the triangular coal pillar, respectively; (3) the exponential increase in abutment stress and tectonic stress as the width of the triangular coal pillar decreases leads to a high concentration of static stress, which induces pillar burst under the disturbance of dynamic stress from fault activation; (4) the numerical simulation shows that when the working face is 150 m away from the fault, the static stress and accumulated energy in the triangle coal pillar begins to rise, reaching the peak at 50 m away from the fault, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis; (5) the constructed stress index indicates that the triangular coal pillar exhibits moderate rock burst risks when its width is between 73 to 200 m, and exhibits high rock burst risks when the width is within 0 to 73 m. The energy accumulation pattern of the triangular coal pillar reveals that separate stress relief measures should be implemented within the ranges of 50 to 150 m and 0 to 50 m, respectively, in order to enhance the effectiveness of stress relief. Blasting stress relief measures for the roof and coal are proposed, and the effectiveness of these measures is subsequently verified.

Muscle efficiency is emerging as a key factor in both health and disease. Two problems in understanding in vivo muscle efficiency are that 1) indirect calorimetry measurement of energy consumption includes the variable efficiency of O2 conversion to ATP and 2) release of elastic energy could erroneously raise the measured work output. We constructed an apparatus that incorporates a simple lever linked to a pulley system to measure work in the bore of a magnet. This apparatus 1) eliminates the release of stored elastic energy, 2) permits the generation of both positive and negative muscle work and 3) allows for simultaneous determination of muscle work and ATP flux. Mechanical tests indicate that the design of our system limits maximum force fluctuation to 1.01 N (S.D. ±0.64) and limits the maximum amount of elastic energy released to 0.01% (0.05 mJ) of the work per contraction. In agreement with past observations, our measurement of muscle efficiency is 50±6% for contractions producing positive work. In order to compare this efficiency with the costs associated with negative work we determined the energetic cost of generating force (CoF). The CoF for concentric contractions (53±9 ATP/(kN·s)) is more than double the CoF of eccentric contractions (20±4 ATP/(kN·s)). Thus, reduced cost, rather than the release of elastic energy, likely underlies the greater efficiency of eccentric vs. concentric contractions.

Innovation and future of mining rock mechanics

After large-scale underground mining operations in coal mines, the stress of the overlying strata above the goaf is transferred to the surrounding support areas, creating support pressures. These pressures can easily trigger dynamic disasters such as gas outbursts and roof collapses, seriously threatening mine safety and production. To ensure the safety of underground mining operations, directional long borehole segment hydraulic fracturing technology was used in the roof strata of the 2305 comprehensive caving working face of Cuijiagou Coal Mine in Shaanxi Province to conduct experimental research on the technology of directional long borehole segment fracturing for pressure relief and anti-impact. The hydraulic fracturing of the roof’s directional long borehole reduced the stress peak coefficient of the coal body in front of the working face (K≈2.9), blocked the propagation of mining stress and high stress in the goaf to the mining roadway, reduced the deformation of the mining roadway, and reduced the average working resistance of the working face support by 22% compared to the working face without any measures. The effective reduction of the length of the hanging roof, the improvement of the support resistance, and timely roof collapse during the working face mining period helped ensure the initial pressure did not form a strong impact. The initial pressure interval of the thick hard roof calculated theoretically was shortened by 53%, and the periodic pressure interval during normal mining was reduced by 27% compared with the 2303 working face under the same geological conditions. The experimental results show that the coverage of the directional long hole on the roof is extensive, with the utilization rate of segmented hydraulic fracturing wells reaching up to 80%. This technology effectively diminishes the strength of the roof above the coal seam on a large scale, thereby reducing the periodic pressure interval and intensity. As a result, it prevents the impact caused by the hanging roof during the mining period of the working face, ensuring a safe working environment for underground workers and facilitating the safe and efficient progress of mining operations.

Based on the engineering background of providing advance support for the working face of mining roadways, this paper studies the reasonable support technology of advance roadway roofs by combining theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and field tests. Based on the geological conditions of the 1304 working face of Yineng Coal Mine, the FLAC3D numerical simulation software was used to compare and analyze the effects of the original single hydraulic prop advance support and the bolt-mesh-cable support without the single hydraulic prop. The results show that although the deformation of the surrounding rock is reduced under the support of the single hydraulic prop, the convergence of the roof and floor of the roadway and the left and right sides are still as high as 288 mm and 308 mm, respectively, which does not meet the requirements for safe production. Based on this problem, this study proposes full-stress anchoring technology. FLAC3D numerical simulation software is used to simulate and analyze the supporting effect of the full-stress anchoring support technology in advanced mining roadways. The results of numerical simulation experiments show that the convergence of the roof and floor and the convergence of the left and right sides of the roadway surrounding rock are 33 mm and 52 mm, respectively, which have a good control effect on the roadway surrounding rock. The field test of bolt full-stress anchoring support technology was carried out in the return air roadway of the 1304 working face. The deformation of the surrounding rock of the roadway was monitored by setting up stations. The measured results show that the maximum roof and floor convergence of the roadway is 42 mm, and the maximum convergence of the two sides of the roadway is 69 mm, which meets the requirements for safe mining on site. In this study, by comparing with the advance support effect of the original single hydraulic prop, the rationality of the full-stress anchoring technology of the mining roadway in the advance section of the working panel is determined. The use of bolt full-stress anchoring instead of the traditional single hydraulic prop for advanced support has a better surrounding rock control effect and a lower support cost. This is a new technology for advanced support of surrounding rock in mining roadways, which enriches the control technology of roadway surrounding rock and also provides technical reference for other similar engineering cases.

Suction feeding in teleost fish is a power-dependent behavior, requiring rapid and forceful expansion of the orobranchial cavity by the hypobranchial and trunk muscles. To increase power production for expansion, many species employ in-series tendons and catch mechanisms to store and release elastic strain energy. Suction feeding sharks such as Chiloscyllium plagiosum lack large in-series tendons on the hypobranchials, yet two of the hypobranchials, the coracohyoideus and coracoarcualis (CH and CA; hyoid depressors), are arranged in-series, and run deep and parallel to a third muscle, the coracomandibularis (CM, jaw depressor). The arrangement of the CH and CA suggests that C. plagiosum is using the CH muscle rather than a tendon to store and release elastic strain energy. Here we describe the anatomy of the feeding apparatus, and present data on hyoid and jaw kinematics and fascicle shortening in the CM, CH and CA quantified using sonomicrometry, with muscle activity and buccal pressure recorded simultaneously. Results from prey capture show that prior to jaw and hyoid depression the CH is actively lengthened by shortening of the in-series CA. The active lengthening of the CH and pre-activation of the CH and CA suggest that the CH is functioning to store and release elastic energy during prey capture. Catch mechanisms are proposed involving a dynamic moment arm and four-bar linkage between the hyoidiomandibular ligament (LHML), jaws and ceratohyals that is influenced by the CM. Furthermore, the LHML may be temporarily disengaged during behaviors such as bite processing to release linkage constraints.

It is important to evaluate the deformation and failure of sandstone in the foundation engineering of coast, river bank and lake shore. While the deformation and failure of sandstone is a comprehensive result of energy release and dissipation, and energy release is the internal reason which leads to global failure of the sandstone. The experimental analysis is conducted on the character of energy revolution of the sandstone specimen by rating loading and unloading, and the catastrophe model is followed in analyzing elastic strain energy accumulation and release in rock deformation and failure. The index based on elastic energy release is proposed to assess the rock brittleness. It is found that increasing water content is to relieve energy release and catastrophe failure of the rock specimen, and weakening the capacity of elastic energy storage. The peak and residual values of elastic energy are raised as the confining pressure increases, and the post-peak released energy decreases progressively. The confining pressure strengthens energy storage and inhibits energy release of the rock specimen, and saturation of rock will weaken this inhibit effect. The brittleness index decreases with increasing confining pressure as the rock specimen transforming from brittle to ductile.

Safe, efficient, and green mining of deep coal seams is a major problem to ensure the healthy development of China’s national modern energy economy. To explore the prevention and control effect of superhigh-water backfilling mining on rockburst, taking CG1302 working face of Shandong Yineng coal mine as the engineering background, it is explored through theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and field monitoring. It is concluded that mining depth, mechanical properties of coal and rock mass, overburden conditions, geological structure, and roadway layout of the working face are the main influencing factors to induce rockburst, and it is determined that the Yineng coal mine has the conditions for rockburst. Based on the energy theory, the distribution law of coal deformation energy is analyzed, and the minimum kinetic energy of rockburst is calculated as Emin=77 kJ/m3. The energy accumulation in coal seams under different backfilling rates is simulated. Compared with caving mining, superhigh-water backfilling mining can effectively reduce the energy accumulation degree of coal seams and prevent the occurrence of impact dynamic disasters. Field microseismic and coal body stress monitoring results show that superhigh-water backfilling mining can effectively reduce the working face pressure and achieve the effect of preventing rockburst.