Weakening effects of hydraulic fracture in hard roof under the influence of stress arch

Abstract

For the problem of hydraulic fracture propagation when weakening the hard roof in fully mechanized top-coal caving stope of ultra-thick coal seam, based on the stress arch theory and the fracture mechanics, a two-dimensional model for hydraulic fracture of the roof in the stope was established to investigate the propagation laws of hydraulic fracture. The result shows that, after mining, the principal stress direction of overlaying rock deflects to form the stress arch, whose arrow height and arch thickness increase with the increase of the mining width and the side pressure coefficient. Within the influence range of stress arch, the hydraulic fracture in hard roof deflects towards the stope direction in the course of propagation and forms the “arch” fracture, which cuts off the roof below the fracture in a laminated way. The deflection angle of hydraulic fracture increases with the increase of the mining width, but decreases with the increase of the side pressure coefficient and the fractured horizon. This research can provide theoretical basis for the application of hydraulic fracturing method in the stope roof weakening.