To solve the problem of strong ground pressure behaviour under a residual coal pillar in the overlying goaf of a close-distance coal seam, this paper proposes the technology of weakening and relieving the residual coal pillar in the overlying goaf by a high-pressure water jet. Based on the geological occurrence of the No. 3 coal seam and mountain No. 4 coal seam in the Yanzishan coal mine, the high-pressure water jet pressure relief technology of residual coal pillars in the overlying goaf of close-distance coal seams was studied by theoretical analysis and field industrial tests. First, the elastic-plastic zone of the residual coal pillar and the stress distribution law of the floor are obtained by theoretical analysis, and the influence degree of the residual coal pillar on the support of the lower coal seam working face is revealed. Then, a high-pressure water jet combined with mine pressure is proposed to weaken the residual coal pillar. Finally, through the residual coal pillar hydraulic cutting mechanical model and “double-drilling double-slot” model, the high-pressure water jet drilling layout parameters are determined, and an industrial field test is carried out. The single knife cutting coal output and 38216 working face hydraulic support monitoring data show that high-pressure hydraulic slotting can weaken the strength of the coal body to a certain extent, destroy the integrity of the residual coal pillar, cut off the load transmission path of the overlying strata, and reduce the working resistance of the hydraulic support under the residual coal pillar to a certain extent, which is beneficial to the safe mining of the working face.

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To study paste backfill corrosion mechanisms in chloride and sulfate environments, we studied the effect of chloride and sulfate on the strength of paste backfill after 7, 14, 28, and 40 days. The chloride solutions and sulfate solutions in concentrations are 0 g/L, 0.5 g/L, 1.5 g/L, 4.5 g/L, or 15 g/L. The obtained specimens were analyzed by performing uniaxial compressive strength tests, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that chloride and sulfate significantly increased the uniaxial compressive strength of the specimen at a very fast speed in the early stage of the test, and the original structure of the specimen was destroyed and its uniaxial compressive strength decreased with the gradual corrosion. The reason for this characteristic is because the chloride reacts with the paste backfill to form calcium chloroamine hydrate (Ca4Al2O6Cl2·10H2O), and the sulfate reacts with the paste backfill to form dihydrate gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O), mirabilite, and ettringite. In the early stage, these substances can fill the pores to improve the compressive strength, and then expand to damage the structure of the backfill and reduce its compressive strength. In addition, sulfate can enhance the decomposition of C-S-H, which results in a faster destruction of specimens than in chloride environments.

Owing to the shortcomings of blindness and inaccuracy when backfilling in goafs and based on the key stratum theory, we propose the “multi-arch pier-column” backfilling method. This method involves drilling holes at specific locations on the surface to inject filling and slurry materials into the goaf and separation area under the key stratum. This allows the broken gangue to be cemented to form a stone body, to improve its overall strength. This process, along with filling in the separation area under the key stratum, ensures that the key stratum does not break, forming a joint medium of “separation area filling body + backfilled pier-columns + key stratum + coal column”, which prevents new subsidence on the surface layer. Using the Gaojialiang coal mine as an example, the effects of the proposed method on controlling surface subsidence were determined using a numerical simulation based on FLAC3D simulation software. The results indicate that this method can effectively control the key stratum and ensure that the surface subsidence is within a safe range. The multi-arch pier-column backfilling method utilises the self-bearing capacity of the overburden structure and greatly reduces the backfilling workload and the cost of backfilling for controlling surface subsidence. At present, the multi-arch pier-column system of the new backfill method is an unexplored and new area of research.