Failure Depth Research Articles

Investigation on Failure Characteristics of Coal Seam Floor in Paste Filling Working Face

Water inrush disasters are extremely prone to occur if the coal seam floor contains a confined aquifer. To find out the failure behavior of coal seam floor of paste filling working face, a beam-based theoretical model for the floor aquifuge was built, and then, the water inrush risk was evaluated based on the thickness of floor aquifuge. Next, the floor failure characteristics of the paste filling face was numerically studied and the effects of the filling interval and long-term strength of the filling body on the floor failure depth, stress and displacement distributions, and plastic zone were explored. The results showed that the theoretical model for evaluating the safety of the floor of the paste filling face based on the empty roof distance is proved to be consistent with that of the empirical formula judged based on the assumption that the paste filling working face was regarded as a cut hole with a certain width. The filling interval has a significant effect on the stress concentration of the surrounding rock, failure depth of floor, and roof-floor convergence. The smaller the filling interval is, the smaller their values are. When the filling rate is 98%, the long-term strength of the filling body is 5 MPa, and the floor failure depth is not more than 4 m. In contrast, the strength of the filling body has no obvious influence on the floor failure depth, but it has a certain impact on the roof-floor convergence. From the perspective of reducing floor failure depth, there is no need to increase the long-term strength of backfill, but it is necessary to increase the early strength of backfill so as to reduce the width of the equivalent roadway.

Control of Water Inrush from Longwall Floor Aquifers Using a Division Paste Backfilling Method

Aiming at the problem of the safety mining problems of longwall paste filling working face under buildings on high confined water in the Daizhuang Coal Mine, the paste filling mining method was used. A series of theoretical analyses, numerical simulations, and field measurements were applied. The results showed that when the filling interval of the working face increases from 1.2 m to 3.6 m, no significant change is found in the depth of the perforated plastic zone of the floor strata. According to the types of water-conducting cracks in the floor strata of the working face 11607, the floor strata are divided into the floor intact area, the structure developed area, and the floor weak area. Based on that, the measures for preventing and controlling the floor failure in the paste filling working face are proposed. Furthermore, the failure depth of the floor of the test working face was detected by the on-site water injection method, and the results showed that the maximum failure depth of the floor of the test working face was about 3 m.

Water inrush and failure characteristics of coal seam floor over a confined aquifer

Failure behaviors of the floor rocks under coal seam mining in the conditions of hard magma rock roof and confined aquifer are studied. Based on the theory of rock stresses and elasticity mechanics, the combined effects of the abutment pressure induced by the hard roof and by the water pressure under the thin aquicludes of the floor rocks were considered, and a mechanical model was constructed along the strike of the working face. An analytical solution of stress distribution was derived in the floor rocks, the distributions of vertical, horizontal and shear stresses were calculated. In combination with the in-situ measurement, the results show that: 1) when the periodic pressure caused by the roof collapse occurs on the working face, and the maximum stress concentration in the floor appears at the elastic–plastic junction in the direction of the strike of the working face. With the increase of the depth of the floor, the horizontal stress coefficient tends to decrease, and the corresponding shear stress coefficient isoline shows a “symmetric spiral” distribution and propagates downward to the floor at a certain angle with the vertical direction. This causes the floor rocks to generate compression and shear or tension and shear failure. 2) when the immediate roof of coal seam is the magma rock, the abutment pressure shows a trend of a slow increase initially and then a rapid increase later. The peak value of abutment pressure appears at the location of 4–6 meters from the coal wall of the working face, and the concentration coefficient of the abutment pressure is between 1.4 and 1.8. 3) according to the measurement and calculation of the failure depths of the floor at different positions under the same coal seam, it is found that the maximum failure depth appears near the coal wall of the working face. The failure depth reduces by 11.6% after the floor goes through “the roof caving and re-compaction”, which causes the fractures in the floor to close and the thickness of the effective aquiclude increases. In the un-mined area of the working face, the failure depth is 55% of the maximum failure depth. 4) both the theoretical calculation and the numerical simulation show that the failure depth of the floor increases obviously under the combined action of high vertical stress and the water pressure. Under the condition that the thickness of the aquiclude is relatively thin, the water pressure of the floor and pressure intensity of the roof are the sensitive factors to affect the maximum failure depth of the floor. As the mining depth increases, the coal seam is getting closer to the Ordovician Limestone. This study provides an improved understand and theoretical support for the safe mining of coal seams under similar conditions.

Detection and numerical simulation of blasting-induced damage in shallow-buried twin tunnels with small spacing

In order to study the damage effect of blasting load on the surrounding rock of shallow-buried small spacing twin tunnels, the shallow-buried tunneling section of the south extension project of Shunhe Expressway is taken as the engineering background. Firstly, based on the dynamic damage evolution and Hoffman failure criterion, an anisotropic dynamic damage constitutive model for rock materials is established. Then, by using the secondary development function of the LSDYNA software, the constitutive model is applied to the numerical simulation of the tunnel blasting damage. Finally, based on the acoustic wave measurement theory, the wave velocities in the surrounding rock of the shallow-buried small spacing twin tunnels before and after blasting were measured by using non-metallic ultrasonic detectors, and the damage of the surrounding rock is evaluated from changes in wave velocity. The applicability of the anisotropic dynamic damage constitutive model and the accuracy of the numerical results are verified by comparing the numerical simulation results with the field test results. The numerical simulation results show that the maximum damage radius of single-hole blasting is 0.58 m, and the maximum damage depth is 1.88 m. According to the damage threshold of the rock mass, the horizontal failure range of the rock mass can reach 0.14 m, and the failure depth is 1.70m. According to the field test, the damage degree of the middle intercalated rock is higher than that of the other parts of the surrounding rock in the alternate blasting excavation of the double track tunnel. The damage depth of the surrounding rock caused by blasting excavation is about 0.5 m, which is close to the simulation results, and verifying the accuracy of the anisotropic dynamic damage constitutive model. The research results have a certain guiding role on the blasting excavation and damage control of shallow-buried twin tunnels with small spacing..

Failure evolution of collapse column area in deep mine based on numerical calculation and microseismic monitoring

With the depletion of China’s coal resources and the increase in mining depth, high ground stress and high confined water cause frequent accidents. Taking the 12123 working face of Pan’er coal mine in Huainan Coalfield as the background, this study discussed the water disaster caused by the connection of water channels induced by mining disturbance with the collapse column. The catastrophic process of water inrush induced by the collapse column was studied through the numerical simulation of stress field and failure evolution of acoustic emission (AE) interpretation. The grouting method of plugging and reinforcement was introduced, and the effect was evaluated and analyzed. Results showed that the inrush formation of fracture channels was related to the coupling of the physical and mechanical properties of the collapse column and the surrounding rock, mining stress disturbance, and other complex factors. Obvious spatiotemporal effects were observed during structure activation, fracture initiation, fracture expansion, and channel formation of water disaster. The surrounding rock of the collapse column was deformed and split under stress and high water pressure. When the mining face was near the collapse column, the number of AE signals increased sharply from its adjacent top region. After passing through the threatening area, the water channels evolved from the structural bottom to top and produced water gushing. After optimized grouting reinforcement was carried out in the surrounding rock area, microseismic monitoring revealed that the failure depth of the floor in the adjacent area was generally large. The events showed obvious deflection and detour in the collapse column. Few microseismic events occurred on top of the collapse column and its boundary rock, and the spatial distribution of microseismic signals was significantly different from that before grouting, which proved the effectiveness of the grouting method. This study will be conducive to the prevention and control of mine water disasters and promote the wide application of effective grouting technology in mining engineering.

Landslide Scarp Assessments by Means of an Ellipse-Referenced Idealized Curved Surface

The importance of scenario investigation in landslide-related hazard mitigation planning has long been recognized, where numerical simulation with physics-based models plays a crucial role because of its quantitative information. However, a plausible failure surface is a prerequisite in conducting the numerical simulation, but it often has a high degree of uncertainty due to the complex geological structure. The present study is devoted to proposing a methodology to mimic the plausible landslide failure surface (with some uncertainty) for investigating the consequent flow paths when failure takes place. Instead of a spherical shape, an idealized curved surface (ICS) is used, where two constant curvatures are, respectively, assigned in the down-slope and cross-slope directions. A reference ellipse is introduced for constructing the associated ICS with a specified failure depth regarding these two curvatures. Through translating, rotating, or side-tilting the reference ellipse, the most appropriate ICS is figured out with respect to the assigned constraints (failure area, volume of released mass, depth of sliding interface, etc.). The feasibility and practicability of this ellipse–ICS method are examined by application to a historical landslide event and one landslide-prone area. In application to the historical event, the fitness versus the landslide scarp area and its impacts on the consequent flow paths are investigated. For the landslide-prone area, five scenarios are arranged based on the surface features and the records of gaging wells. The most plausible failure scenario is therefore suggested as the prerequisite for mimicking the consequential flow paths.

Failure Mechanisms and the Control of a Longwall Face with a Large Mining Height within a Shallow-Buried Coal Seam

The capabilities of mining equipment and technology in China have been improving rapidly in recent years. Correspondingly, in the western part of the country, the mining heights of longwall faces in shallow-buried coal seams have shown an increasing trend, resulting in enhanced mining efficiency. However, the problems associated with the possible failure of the coal wall then increase and remain a serious difficulty, restricting safe and efficient mining operations. In the present study, the 12401 longwall face of the Shangwan Coal Mine, Inner Mongolia, China, with a mining height of 8.8 m, is taken as an example to study the mechanisms underlying failure phenomena of coal walls and their control methods. Our results show that the failure region inward of the longwall face is small in shallow-buried coal seams, and the damage degree of the exposed coal wall is low. The medium and higher sections of the coal wall display a dynamic failure mode, while the broken coal blocks, given their initial speed, threaten the safety of coal miners. A mechanical model was developed, from which the conditions for tensile failure and structural instability are deduced. Horizontal displacement in the lower part of the coal wall is small, where no tensile stress emerges. On the other hand, in the intermediate and higher parts of the coal wall, horizontal displacement is relatively large. In addition, tensile stress increases first with increasing distance from the floor and then decreases to zero. Experiments using physical models representing different mining heights have been carried out and showed that the horizontal displacement increases from 6 to 12 mm and load-bearing capacity decreases from 20 to 7.9 kN when the coal wall increases in height from 3 to 9 m. Furthermore, failure depth and failure height show an increasing trend. It is therefore proposed that a large initial support force, large maximum support force, large support stiffness, and large support height of a coal wall-protecting guard are required for the improved stability of high coal walls, which operate well in the Shangwan coal mine.

Reasonable Scope of Kilometer Drilling in Lower Layer of Extrathick Coal Seam: A Case Study of Tingnan Coal Mine, China

When stratified mining is adopted in high-gas and extrathick coal seam, a large amount of pressure-relief gas of the lower layer flows into the upper layer goaf along the cracks in the layer, resulting in upper layer working face to frequently exceed the gas limit. And ordinary drilling can no longer meet the requirements of the pressure-relief gas drainage of the lower layer. The 205 working face of Tingnan Coal Mine is taken as the test background in this paper, and based on the “pressure-relief and flow-increase” effect of the lower layer under the action of mining stress during the upper layer mining, the gas drainage of kilometer directional drilling in lower layer is studied. According to the distribution characteristics of support pressure before and after the working face, the pressure-relief principle, fracture development characteristics, and gas migration law of the lower layered coal body are analyzed in the process of advancing the upper layered working face in the extrathick coal seam with high gas. The maximum depth of goaf damage is calculated theoretically, and the Flac3D numerical simulation of the failure deformation of the 205 working face floor is carried out. It is found that the maximum depth of plastic failure of the lower layer is about 13 m. According to the plastic deformation of the lower layer under different vertical depths and the movement of coal and rock mass, it is determined that the reasonable range of kilometer directional drilling in the lower layer is 6–9 m below the floor vertical depth. From 15 m to 45 m in the two parallel grooves, there is no fracture failure with a sharp increase or decrease in the displacement in the local range. Meanwhile, in this part, the roof falling behind is not easy to compaction, and the displacement of the floor is large, which does not cause plastic damage. The degree of pressure relief is more sufficient, and the permeability of the lower layer is good. Therefore, drilling should be arranged as much as possible along the working face in this tendency range. The determination of reasonable arrangement range of kilometer directional drilling in extrathick coal seam provides reference index and theoretical guidance for industrial test of working face and also provides new ideas for gas control of stratified mining face in high-gas and extrathick coal seam.

Numerical Simulation on Energy Concentration and Release Process of Strain Rockburst

Rockburst mechanism has been a hot topic in the stability analysis of underground carven excavation, and the accurate description of energy evolution process is very critical to rockburst prediction. To study the evolution process of rockburst, such as V-shaped rockburst pit, theoretical formula derivation and numerical simulation are adopted to research the dynamic response characteristics during the formation process of rockburst pits quantitatively. The results show that rockburst intensity distribution varies with failure depth. It can be divided into three zone: slow-increase, rapid-increase and slow-decrease. For a circular tunnel with radius R, the strain energy release rate and vibration response of surrounding rock increases gradually within (0–0.06) R; reaches the peak value around (0.06–0.1) R and drops to a balance beyond 0.1R. Due to the same law of them, the rockburst risk can be conveniently predicted by monitoring vibration of surrounding rock with a certain depth. This work is beneficial to provide a good reference for rockburst prediction.

Rock temperature prior to failure: Analysis of 209 rockfall events in the Mont Blanc massif (Western European Alps)

AbstractPeriglacial rock walls are affected by an increase in rockfall activity attributed to permafrost degradation. While recent laboratory tests have asserted the role of permafrost in bedrock stability, linking experimental findings to field applications is hindered by the difficulty in assessing bedrock temperature at observed rockfall locations and time. In this study, we simulated bedrock temperature for 209 rockfalls inventoried in the Mont Blanc massif between 2007 and 2015 and 209,000 random events artificially created at observed rockfall locations. Real and random events are then compared in a statistical analysis to determine their significance. Permafrost conditions (or very close to 0°C) were consistently found for all events with failure depth > 6 m, and for some events affecting depths from 4 to 6 m. Shallower events were probably not related to permafrost processes. Surface temperatures were significantly high up to at least 2 months prior to failure, with the highest peaks in significance 1.5–2 months and 1–5 days before rockfalls. Similarly, temperatures at scar depths were significantly high, but steadily decreasing, 1 day to 3 weeks before failure. The study confirms that warm permafrost areas (> −2°C) are particularly prone to rockfalls, and that failures are a direct response to extraordinary high bedrock temperature in both frozen and unfrozen conditions. The results are promising for the development of a rockfall susceptibility index, but uncertainty analysis encourages the use of a greater rockfall sample and a different sample of random events.

Effect of Unimodal and Bimodal Soil Hydraulic Properties on Slope Stability Analysis

Rainfall infiltration is the primary triggering factor of slope instability. The process of rainfall infiltration leads to changes in the water content and internal stress of the slope soil, thereby affecting slope stability. The soil water retention curve (SWRC) was used to describe the relationship between soil water content, matric suction, and the water retention characteristics of the soil. This characteristic is essential for estimating the properties of unsaturated soils, such as unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function and shear strength. Thus, SWRC is regarded as important information for depicting the properties of unsaturated soil. The SWRC is primarily affected by the soil pore size distribution (PSD) and has unimodal and bimodal features. The bimodal SWRC is suitable for soils with structural or dual-porous media. This model can describe the structure of micropores and macropores in the soil and allow the hydraulic behavior at different pore scales to be understood. Therefore, this model is more consistent with the properties of onsite soil. Few studies have explored the differences in the impact of unimodal and bimodal models on unsaturated slopes. This study aims to consider unimodal and bimodal SWRC to evaluate the impact of unsaturated slope stability under actual rainfall conditions. A conceptual model of the slope was built based on field data to simulate changes in the hydraulic behavior of the slope. The results of seepage analysis show that the bimodal model has a better water retention capacity than the unimodal model, and therefore, its water storage performance is better. Under the same saturated hydraulic conductivity function, the wetting front of the bimodal model moves down faster. This results in changes in the pressure head, water content, and internal stress of the soil. The results show that the water content and suction stress changes of the bimodal model are higher than those of the unimodal model due to the difference in water retention capacity. Based on the stability of the slope, calculated using the seepage analysis, the results indicate that the potential failure depth of the bimodal model is deeper than that of the unimodal model.

COMPARISON OF PREDICTED FAILURE AREA AROUND THE BOREHOLES IN THE STRIKE-SLIP FAULTING STRESS REGIME WITH HOEK-BROWN AND FAIRHURST GENERALIZED CRITERIA

Breakout is a shear failure due to compression that forms around the borehole due to stress concentration. In this paper, the breakout theory model is investigated by combining the equilibrium elasticity equations of stress around the borehole with two Hoek-Brown and Fairhurst generalized fracture criteria, both of which are based on the Griffith criterion. This theory model provides an explicit equation for the breakout failure width, but the depth of failure is obtained by solving a quartic equation. According to the results and in general, in situ stresses and rock strength characteristics are effective in developing the breakout failure area, As the ratio of in-situ stresses increases, the breakout area becomes deeper and wider. Because in the shear zone, the failure envelope of the Fairhurst criterion is lower than the Hoek-Brown failure criterion, the Fairhurst criterion provides more depth for breakout than the Hoek-Brown criterion. However, due to the same compressive strength of the rock in these two criteria, the same failure width for breakout is obtained from these two criteria. Also, the results obtained for the depth of failure from the theoretical model based on the Fairhurst criterion are in good agreement with the laboratory results on Westerly granite.

Recycled Cellulose Fiber Reinforced Plaster.

This paper aims to develop recycled fiber reinforced cement plaster mortar with a good workability of fresh mixture, and insulation, mechanical and adhesive properties of the final hardened product for indoor application. The effect of the incorporation of different portions of three types of cellulose fibers from waste paper recycling into cement mortar (cement/sand ratio of 1:3) on its properties of workability, as well as other physical and mechanical parameters, was studied. The waste paper fiber (WPF) samples were characterized by their different cellulose contents, degree of polymerization, and residues from paper-making. The cement to waste paper fiber mass ratios (C/WPF) ranged from 500:1 to 3:1, and significantly influenced the consistency, bulk density, thermal conductivity, water absorption behavior, and compressive and flexural strength of the fiber-cement mortars. The workability tests of the fiber-cement mortars containing less than 2% WPF achieved optimal properties corresponding to plastic mortars (140–200 mm). The development of dry bulk density and thermal conductivity values of 28-day hardened fiber-cement mortars was favorable with a declining C/WPF ratio, while increasing the fiber content in cement mortars led to a worsening of the water absorption behavior and a lower mechanical performance of the mortars. These key findings were related to a higher porosity and weaker adhesion of fibers and cement particles at the matrix-fiber interface. The adhesion ability of fiber-cement plastering mortar based on WPF samples with the highest cellulose content as a fine filler and two types of mixed hydraulic binder (cement with finely ground granulated blast furnace slag and natural limestone) on commonly used substrates, such as brick and aerated concrete blocks, was also investigated. The adhesive strength testing of these hardened fiber-cement plaster mortars on both substrates revealed lime-cement mortar to be more suitable for fine plaster. The different behavior of fiber-cement containing finely ground slag manifested in a greater depth of the plaster layer failure, crack formation, and in greater damage to the cohesion between the substrate and mortar for the observed time.

Effect of fisheye failure on material performance inducing error circle under high cycles

In the engineering application of high strength steel and surface strengthening steel, fisheye failure is often happened in high cycle fatigue. To explore the effect of fisheye failure on high cycle fatigue properties of materials, a high cycle fatigue life model was established based on the Murakami and Tanaka’s fatigue strength models. The model introduces the error circle to evaluate fisheye size, and discusses the influencing factors of fatigue strength. The results show that the size and depth of fisheye failure will affect performance of materials. The proposed model considering the size and depth of defect quantitatively shows the influence of fisheye details on material performance, and effectively predicts the high/ultra-high cycle fatigue life.

Theoretical and Numerical Investigations of the Failure Characteristics of a Faulted Coal Mine Floor Above a Confined Aquifer

Mechanical models were used to analyze the failure depth of faulted and faultless mine floors based on the limit equilibrium theory of rock mass. In addition, the failure characteristics and water-inrush pathways were numerically investigated. The results were then compared, along with in-situ observations to validate these models. The mining-induced failure zone (an asymmetric “inverted saddle” shape) near the mined-out area was larger in the floor strata beneath the area around the coalface than that near the open-off cut. The maximum fault-induced failure depth was approximately twice that of the intact floor, which was generally equivalent to the in-situ observations. Three characteristic zones in the floor strata were observed during the mining process in the numerical models: a mining-induced failure area, a water-impervious area, and a fault reactivation area. The formation of the failure zone can be roughly divided into an initial stage, a stable stage, and a mutation stage. This study provides an improved understanding for predicting fault-induced mine water-inrushes.

Deformation and Failure Mechanism of Surrounding Rock in Mining-Influenced Roadway and the Control Technology

Aiming at the problem of surrounding rock deformation and failure of mining roadway and its control, a mechanical model of the circular roadway under the mining environment is established, and the implicit equation of the plastic zone boundary is derived. By analyzing the morphologic evolution law of the surrounding rock plastic zone in the mining roadway, the key factors affecting the morphologic change of the plastic zone are obtained, that is, the magnitude and direction of principal stress. The influence law of the magnitude and direction of principal stress on the plastic zone of the mining roadway is analyzed by using numerical simulation software, and the deformation and failure mechanism of surrounding rock of the mining roadway is revealed. The results showed that the size and morphology of the plastic zone were closely related to the confining pressure ratio (η). Taking the boundary of η valuing 1, the larger or smaller η value was, the more serious the deformation and failure of surrounding rock would be; the morphology of the plastic zone changed with the deflection of the principal stress, with the location of the maximum plastic zone influenced by the principal stress direction. For the surrounding rock control in the mining-influenced roadway, it is advised to take the following methods: firstly, it is necessary to consider how to reduce or remove the influence of mining on surrounding rock, improve the stress environment of surrounding rock, and reduce the failure depth of the plastic zone, so as to better maintain the roadway. Secondly, in view of the deformation and failure characteristics of the mining roadway, the fractional support method of “yielding first and then resisting” should be adopted, which applies the cable supplement support after mining instead of the one-off high-strength support during roadway excavation, so as to control the malignant expansion of the surrounding rock plastic zone and prevent roof falling accidents.

Rockburst prediction and analysis of activity characteristics within surrounding rock based on microseismic monitoring and numerical simulation

The access tunnel in the main powerhouse of the Shuangjiangkou hydropower station is located in an area with high in-situ stress and complex geological conditions in Southwest China. Strain-structure rockbursts occurred frequently and posed serious threats to the safety of personnel and equipment during the tunnel excavation. The maximum depth of the rockburst failure reached 1.8 m at the left sidewall of the tunnel. A three-dimensional microseismic (MS) monitoring technology was introduced to monitor microcracks within the tunnel surrounding rock in real time. Using Matlab software to write a program, the main frequency values of MS signals were extracted. Based on MS monitoring, some source parameters were obtained. Three parameters, including apparent stress, apparent volume and main frequency value, were used to analyze the activity state within the surrounding rock. This method had a high time resolution and can guide the on-site construction in real time. The combination of the three parameters can better characterize different damage characteristics of the surrounding rock in real time. When the apparent stress of some events was relatively high, the apparent volume of some events was relatively large and the main frequency values of some events were relatively low, the risk of rockbursts was relatively high. Finally, a 3D numerical simulation software (RFPA3D) was used for a numerical calculation to explore strain-structure rockburst mechanisms. An area where the rockburst risk was relatively high and rockburst prediction was relatively difficult was delineated, and this paper provided a new idea for predicting the stronger strain-structure rockbursts. Understanding of activity state within surrounding rock is very important for controlling rockburst occurrence or weakening rockburst strength. The research results have significant value for safe and efficient construction on site.

Numerical Investigation on the Ground Response of a Gob-Side Entry in an Extra-Thick Coal Seam

This study was aimed at the large deformation phenomenon of rock mass surrounding the gob-side entry driven in a 20 m extra-thick coal seam. Taking tailgate 8211 as the engineering background, a numerical investigation was employed to analyze the deformation law of the gob-side entry. The study results are as follows. (1) Because the immediate roof was composed of weak coal mass with a thickness of 17 m, the roof coal mass was vulnerable to fail with the effect of overlying strata pressure; thus, a visual subsidence of roof coal mass with a maximum convergence of 800 mm was observed in the field. (2) The bearing capacity of the coal pillar was significantly less than that of the panel rib, resulting in the pillar failing more easily under the ground pressure and then generating large-scale squeezing deformation. (3) The roof and panel rib were in a state of shear failure with a failure depth of about 5 m. The coal pillar was entirely in a state of plastic failure. (4) A support scheme including an asymmetric anchor beam truss, roof angle anchor cable, and anchor cable combination structure was proposed. The field work confirmed that this support scheme could efficiently control the deformation and failure of the rock mass surrounding the gob-side entry. This study provides the theoretical basis and technical support for the control of rocks surrounding the gob-side entry in similar conditions.

Failure Mechanism of Back-Break in Bench Blasting of Thin Terrane

The shape of a free surface is an important factor that determines the effect of bench blasting. The structural dynamics theory was applied to establish a structural failure model of the layered rock considering the impact of a blasting gas intrusion. Combined with the continuous-discontinuous element method (CDEM), the influence of rock strata on the failure mechanism of back-break was analyzed. The results show that structural failure characteristics of stratum with different dip angles are different. The bending failure characteristics of dipping-in-face stratum are stronger than that in dipping-out-of-face stratum. With the increase of the dip angle and height of rock stratum, the bending failure length of dipping-in-face stratum increases and the maximum value reaches 5.24 m. The trend of failure along the stratum surface towards the bottom increases, which is an important reason for the formation of an unfavorable shape of free surface. However, the failure depth of the gently dipping stratum and dipping-out-of-face stratum is relatively uniform; the average value is about 0.5 m. Finally, combined with the results of the bench blasting field test of the Changjiu (Shenshan) limestone mine, which is the largest in the production of sand and gravel aggregates, we verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis results. Relevant research results can provide a theoretical basis and technical support for controlling the bench blasting effect.

Prevention and Control of Water Inrushes from Subseam Karstic Ordovician Limestone During Coal Mining Above Ultra-thin Aquitards

Horizontal directional drilling technology was used to prevent and control water inrushes from the Ordovician limestone strata at the Sangshuping coal mine in the Hancheng mining area by drilling and grouting the contact zone along the top of the aquifer. Considering the hydraulic conductivity of the floor failure zone, we used the modified water inrush coefficient method to estimate the critical thickness of Ordovician limestone that had to be grouted. We carried out directional borehole exploration from both ends of the mining face and combined the results with borehole water pressure tests to determine appropriate grouting techniques and parameters; we then analysed the effectiveness of the grouting. 3-D seismic and ground transient electromagnetics (TEM) were used to detect areas of anomalous resistivity and geologic structure in the mining area, while DC and TEM geophysics were used to detect water-bearing areas ahead of the roadway. After the roadway was developed, TEM, DC resistivity sounding, and audio-magnetotellurics were used to explore water-bearing areas under the roadway and the mine floor. Radio waves were used to detect the structure of the mining face and changes in coal thickness. Finally, based on the results of exploration, an inspection program was devised using conventional boreholes supplemented by directional boreholes to comprehensively evaluate the feasibility of mining under pressure. The study showed that the failure depth of the floor was 15 m and that the top of the Ordovician limestone was no longer water-bearing and was now a relative aquitard. The water inrush coefficient was reduced to less than 0.073 MPa/m, which will ensure safe mining and extend the lower limit of safe mining in the area. This provides a technical reference for prevention and control of Ordovician limestone water disasters in similar coal mines.