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Effect of Strata Conditions on Shield Pressure and Surface Subsidence at a Longwall Top Coal Caving Working Face

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Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of roof strata conditions, shield pressure, and ground surface subsidence above Panel 42105 of the Buertai Coal Mine in Inner Mongolia, China. A 3D geological model and a 2D numerical simulation model are established to examine the roof strata structures with varying strata conditions. Numerical simulation results demonstrate that the hard rock 1 and 2 roof layers are, on average, likely to break 20 m and 57 m behind the coal face, respectively. It is concluded that when the immediate roof is relatively thin, a cantilever beam is formed, whereas a Voussoir beam is formed when the immediate roof is relatively thick. The patterns of shield pressure and surface subsidence under different roof conditions are also examined. The shield working pressure under the Voussoir beam structure appears to be lower than that under the cantilever beam structure. The average horizontal distance behind the working coal face at which the maximum surface subsidence occurs is 92.1 m. On-site monitoring data are used to explain the causes of the unusual shield pressure and its relation to surface subsidence. Finally, guidelines to predict the shield pressure under similar conditions are provided.

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Abbreviations

Δhi :

Subsidence of hard rock

Δmax :

Limiting subsidence of hard rock

m :

Mining height

K p :

Bulking factor

∑h :

Sum of the thicknesses of the first to (i − 1) rock layers above the coal seam

\({h_i}\) :

Thickness of ith rock layer above the coal seam

K 1 :

Ratio of extrusion stress to compressive strength

K 2 :

Empirical coefficient

σ p :

Extrusion stress

σ c :

Compressive strength

n :

Ratio of compressive strength to tensile strength

\({P_i}\) :

Average support pressure

P s :

Setting pressure of shield

P t :

Time-weighted average pressure

σ :

Standard deviation

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of Prof. JF Chen, Associate Prof. CS Song and F Du, and Mr. C Wang and JL Zheng, among others. This research is funded by the National key special projects no. 2018YFC0604500 and Chinese Natural Science Committee under Grant no. U1261207. The authors are grateful for their support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Safety Engineering, Henan University of Engineering, Zhengzhou, 451191, Henan, China

    Chuang Liu

  2. School of Energy Science and Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, 454003, Henan, China

    Chuang Liu & Huamin Li

  3. Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 0E8, Canada

    Hani Mitri

  4. School of Civil Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, 454003, Henan, China

    Hani Mitri

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  1. Chuang Liu
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  2. Huamin Li
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Correspondence to Chuang Liu.

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Liu, C., Li, H. & Mitri, H. Effect of Strata Conditions on Shield Pressure and Surface Subsidence at a Longwall Top Coal Caving Working Face. Rock Mech Rock Eng 52, 1523–1537 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-018-1601-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-018-1601-3

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