Numerical Study on the Mechanism of Water Inrush by Floor Damage and Fault Activation during Longwall Mining

Abstract

This study evaluated the damage and fracture patterns in mine floors and the fault activation caused by longwall mining, as well as the associated effects on mine water inrush. Numerical simulations were used for this evaluation. The results indicated that higher water pressures in confined aquifers and the existence of faults can increase the probability of water inrush in deep coal seams. A wider coal pillar at the fault can help prevent water inrush events. Numerical simulations were used to demonstrate the complete process of fracture development in the floor, fault activation, and formation of water inrush channels during longwall mining. This study improved the understanding of the mechanisms of water inrush through the fault zone. The results of this study are important to the design of water-resistant coal pillars in active coal seams above confined aquifers with faults Keywords-hydro-mechanical coupling, floor damage, fault activation, mechanism of water inrushThe 9th Russian-Chinese Symposium. Coal in the 21st Century: Mining, Intelligent Equipment and Environmental Protection

Experimental Study on Shear Failure Characteristics and Crack Propagation Laws of Rocks with Various Joint Angles under Hydro-Mechanical Coupling

“…A comparative analysis was conducted to examine the energy variation characteristics between specimens subjected to water pressure and those without water pressure at the same joint angle. The progression of damage in the flawed rock mass was elucidated by employing the damage variable and acoustic emission event energy proposed by Zhang (2018). The adjusted damage variable, which incorporates the count of acoustic emission events and cumulative specimen count, is defined as follows:…”