In order to reduce large deformation failure occurrences in non-pillar longwall mining entries due to roof weighting behaviors, a case study in Halagou coal mine was conducted on optimization and control techniques for entry stability in non-pillar longwall mining. The Universal Discrete Element Code (UDEC) modeling was adopted to study entry stability in non-pillar mining, and the characteristics of deformation and stress and crack propagation were revealed. The large deformation transmission between the entry-immediate roof and the gob-immediate roof could be eliminated by optimizing the entry roof structure through a directional roof-cutting method. The localized tensile stresses generated in the entry-surrounding rock caused the generation of coalescent macroscopic fractures, which resulted in the instability of the entry. The tensile stress state could be inhibited by an active flexible support system through enhancing the confining pressure on the surrounding rock. Serious rotation subsidence occurs in the entry roof due to periodic weighting of the main roof, which could be greatly reduced by a passive rigid support pattern. The numerical and field test results both showed that the roof weighting pressure was offloaded by the technique and that the deformation of the entry surrounding the rock in non-pillar mining was quite small. Thus, the technique can effectively ensure the stability of the gob-side entry, which can provide references for entry stability control in non-pillar longwall mining.
The key block of the basic roof is the main contributor to the structural stability of a roadway. Research on the stability of the key block structure is of great significance for the promotion of noncoal pillar mining with automatically formed gob-side entry (GEFANM) technology. This paper is set in the engineering context of the GEFANM experiment at the Ningtiaota Coal Mine. The study fully considered the differences in the gob roof caving on the roof-cutting-line side, and the range of rotation angles to maintain a stable key block was determined. Based on this range of rotation angles, the range of safe bulking coefficients of gangue was calculated. The bulking coefficient of the gangue on the gravel side of the roadway was used as the metric in a new monitoring method and in the calculation of the field parameters. The range of safe bulking coefficients was determined to be 1.40–1.37. Field monitoring was conducted to obtain the gangue bulking coefficient on the gravel side. Combining the roof and floor convergence data, when the bulking coefficient fell within the safe range, the convergence was 95–113 mm. In this stage, the key block structure was stable. When the gangue bulking coefficient fell outside the safe range, the convergence was larger, and cracks were observed. The key block may be vulnerable to instability. The results affirmed that the gangue bulking coefficient can be used as a monitoring metric to study the stability of key block structures.
The effective control of large roadway deformations has always been a focus and difficulty in the coal industry. At present, a “bolt + cable + mesh + shotcrete” combined support structure has been widely used in China to support roadways with large deformations, and this method has achieved some success. However, large roadway deformations supported by using the “bolt + cable + mesh + shotcrete” support structure still have a series of engineering problems. This paper describes a case study of large deformation control in a roadway surrounded with broken rock located in the Du’erping coal mine in the Shanxi Province of China. A new “shell + bolt + shotcrete” combined support structure is proposed to support the north wing main haulage roadway. Methods were adopted from theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and similarity simulation experiments to design a reinforced shell within a vertical wall semicircular arch. Roadway convergence and surrounding rock stress were monitored on the site. The monitoring data showed that the new support structure successfully controlled a potentially large deformation of the roadway. This new combined support structure provides a helpful reference for the design and engineering of support structures to prevent large roadway deformations.
The deformation of Muzhailing deep tunnel is about 2.3 m in the process of construction, which is difficult to be controlled by the traditional “anchor-grouting integration” support system. This paper deeply analyzes the geological characteristics, rock mechanics characteristics, and surrounding rock failure characteristics of Muzhailing tunnel. The deformation mechanism and the failure of the support system are analyzed through the numerical simulation, theoretical analysis, and field test. The authors propose support measures suitable for Muzhailing tunnel based on the analysis results. The maximum buried depth is 600 m, and the engineering rock mass at the depth has nonlinear physical and mechanical phenomenon. The maximum principal stress of Muzhailing tunnel is 25.7 MPa, which belongs to high-stress joint swelling soft rock tunnel. The NPR cable can achieve large deformation under the condition of constant support resistance. The authors put forward the coupling support mode of “NPR cable + steel arch frame + concrete,” which is based on the idea of transforming the composite deformation mechanism to a single type. The stress concentration appears in the range of 12 m in the surrounding rock circle, and the lateral and vertical stress distributions are relatively symmetrical after the improved support. The circumferential strain of the surrounding rock is greatly reduced, and the range of strain is reduced by 10%. The field monitoring results show that the new support system can well control the large soft rock deformation of Muzhailing tunnel (0.5 m). The support strategy proposed can effectively control the large deformation and promote the formation of new support concept for deep tunnel.
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