Strata movement boundary is not only a parameter for the prediction of overburden strata movement and deformation but also a key index of setting shafts, roadways and protective coal pillars. Based on physical and mechanical properties of rock mass, the overburden strata are divided into bedrock and unconsolidated stratum. By means of theoretical analysis, physical simulation and numerical simulation, this paper studies the movement boundary shapes of bedrock and unconsolidated stratum, builds fitting equations of movement boundary of the two, analyzes the influence of key strata (KS) on the shape of strata movement boundary, and determines the principle of setting protective coal pillars. The results show that the movement boundaries of bedrock and unconsolidated strata are located at the outside of coal mining boundary. They are concave-upward power function curves that cannot be merged into a smooth one due to their different mechanisms of movement and deformation. The movement boundary of bedrock can approximate a straight line when lithology of the overburden is relatively uniform with thin strata in different positions; the surface movement boundary extends when the overburden has thick and stiff KS that are common in deeply buried coal seam. Therefore, the width of protective coal pillar is small if the movement boundary is regarded as a straight line. According to the curve movement boundary, the protective coal pillar for the passenger roadway of Panel 31010 of Pingdingshan No.1 mine is at least 99.4 m in width, larger than the designed one, which is the actual reason for its deformation and breakage.
In this investigation, the uniaxial short-term creep tests with multi-step loading were conducted on the sandstone-coal composite samples, and the characteristics of creep strength, creep deformation, acoustic emission (AE), and creep failure of composite samples were studied, respectively. The creep strength of the composite sample decreased with the stress-level duration, which was mainly determined by the coal and influenced by the interactions with the sandstone. The creep deformation and damage of sandstone weakened the deformation and damage accumulation within the coal, resulting in the larger strength for the composite sample compared with the pure coal sample. The axial creep strain of composite sample generally increased with the stress-level or the stress-level duration under same conditions. The AE characteristics of composite sample were related to the creep strain rate, the stress level, the stress level duration, and the local failure or fracture during creep loading. The micro or macro failure and fracture within the composite sample caused the rise in the axial creep strains and the frequency and intensity of AE signals, especially the macro failure and fracture. The creep failures of composite samples mainly occurred within the coal with the splitting ejection failure accompanied by the local shear failure, and no obvious failures were found within the sandstone. The coal in the composite sample became more broken with the stress-level duration.
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