Mechanical Properties of Rock–Coal–Rock Composites at Different Inclined Coal Seam Thicknesses

A comprehensive understanding of the mechanical properties of coal and rock sections is necessary for interpreting the deformation and failure modes of such underground sections and for evaluating the potential dynamic hazards. However, most studies have focused on horizontal coal–rock composites and the mechanical properties of inclined coal–rock composites have not been considered. To explore the influence of different confining pressures and inclined coal seam thicknesses on the mechanical properties and failure characteristics of rock–coal–rock (RCR) composites, a numerical model based on the particle flow code was used to perform simulations on five inclined RCR composites at different confining pressures. The results show that the mechanical properties and failure characteristics of the RCR composites are affected considerably by the inclined coal seam thickness and the confining pressure. (1) When the inclined coal seam thickness is constant, the elasticity modulus of the inclined RCR composite increases nonlinearly with the confining pressure at first, and then remains constant. At the same confining pressure, the elasticity modulus of the inclined RCR composite decreases nonlinearly with the inclined coal seam thickness. (2) When the confining pressure is constant, the peak stress of the inclined RCR composite decreases with the increase of the inclined coal seam thickness. When the inclined coal seam thickness is constant, the peak stress increases with the confining pressure. (3) As the inclined coal seam thickness increases, the peak strain of the inclined RCR composite first decreases rapidly, and then remains constant when there is no confining pressure. When the confining pressure is between 5 and 20 MPa, the peak strain of the inclined RCR composite gradually increases. (4) In the absence of confining pressure, there are few microcracks in the rock at an inclined coal seam thickness of 10 mm, whereas all the other cracks are in the coal section. When the confining pressure ranges between 5 and 20 MPa, the failure modes of the RCR composite can be divided into Y- and X-types.

Height prediction of water-flowing fracture zone with a genetic-algorithm support-vector-machine method

Prediction of the height of a water-flowing fracture zone (WFFZ) is the foundation for evaluating water bursting conditions on roof coal. By taking the Binchang mining area as the study area and conducting an in-depth study of the influence of coal seam thickness, burial depth, working face length, and roof category on the height of a WFFZ, we proposed that the proportion of hard rock in different roof ranges should be used to characterise the influence of roof category on WFFZ height. Based on data of WFFZ height and its influence index obtained from field observations, a prediction model is established for WFFZ height using a combination of a genetic algorithm and a support-vector machine. The reliability and superiority of the prediction model were verified by a comparative study and an engineering application. The results show that the main factors affecting WFFZ height in the study area are coal seam thickness, burial depth, working face length, and roof category. Compared with multiple-linear-regression and back-propagation neural-network approaches, the height-prediction model of the WFFZ based on a genetic-algorithm support-vector-machine method has higher training and prediction accuracy and is more suitable for WFFZ prediction in the mining area.

The Key Stratum Structure Morphology of Longwall Mechanized Top Coal Caving Mining in Extra-Thick Coal Seams: A Typical Case Study

Longwall mechanized top coal caving mining (LMTCCM) in extra-thick coal seams has its own characteristics. The law of mining pressure and overlying strata failure height in extra-thick coal seams are much larger than those of medium-thick and thick coal seams. The key stratum structure morphology also has an important influence on the law of overlying strata movement and stability of surrounding rock. Based on the engineering geological conditions, this paper used the method of theoretical analysis and numerical simulation to study the key stratum structure morphology of LMTCCM in extra-thick coal seams. The results show that under the condition of LMTCCM in extra-thick coal seams, the key stratum forms the structure of low cantilever beam and high hinged rock beam. With the increase of coal seam thickness, the breaking position of cantilever beam is closer to the coal wall. Through theoretical calculation, it is obtained that the breaking length of cantilever beam is 31.5 m and the breaking position of cantilever beam is 15.4 m away from coal wall. With the increase of cycle, key strata will undergo the evolution law from the generation of longitudinal cracks to the hinged structure and then to the cantilever beam structure. The breakage of key strata will cause the expansion of longitudinal cracks and the overall synchronous movement of overlying strata. With the increase of coal seam thickness, the distribution of longitudinal cracks will gradually transfer from the upper part of goaf to the deep part of coal body in space and increase in quantity. This research is of great significance for improving the stability of overlying strata and ensuring the safe and efficient mining of extra-thick coal seams.

Performance Analysis of Natural γ-Ray Coal Seam Thickness Sensor and Its Application in Automatic Adjustment of Shearer’s Arms

The technology of coal-rock interface recognition is the core of realizing the automatic heightening technology of shearer’s rocker. Only by accurately and quickly identifying the interface of coal and rock can we realize the fully automatic control of shearer. As the only one used in the actual detection of coal mining machine drum cutting coal seam after the thickness of the remaining coal seam detection method, natural γ-ray has a very practical advantage. Based on the relationship between the attenuation of the natural γ-ray passing through the coal seam and the thickness of the coal seam, the mathematical model of the attenuation of the natural γ-ray penetrating coal seam is established. By comparing the attenuation intensity of γ-ray with or without brackets, it is verified that the hydraulic girders will absorb some natural γ-rays. Finally, this paper uses the ground simulation experiment and the field experiment to verify the correctness of the mathematical model and finally develop the natural γ-ray seam thickness sensor. The sensor has the function of indicating the thickness of the coal seam, measuring the natural γ-ray intensity, and storing and processing the data.

Using pillar-free mining technologies in gently dipping and self-ignitable coal seams

Gently dipping coal seams of the Kuznetsk Coal Basin are cut exclusively by longwalls with preliminary drivage of twin gate ways. At the same time, the source of self-ignition in mines is pillars of coal left in mined-out areas. Endogenous fire hazard grows with higher losses of loose coal in mined-out areas due to a persistent increase in mining depth and in size of longwalls. This research aims at development of an alternative mining technology for gently dipping coal seams to reduce the risk of initiation of self-ignition sources in mined-out areas and at the determination of parameters of the technology elements as functions of coal seam thickness and mining depth. A new concept of preparatory works and actual mining in selfignitable coal seams is described. The study results obtained with numerical modeling of the stress-state behavior of rock mass and the developed technology elements at different stages of longwalling are presented. The studies show that endogenous fire hazard is reduced by means of extraction of coal pillar on the same line with face and due to elimination of aerological connection between the operating longwall and earlier mined-out area owing to construction of a separation belt made of solidifying materials between them. The cross-effect of the widths of the solidifying material belt and coal pillar as the elements of the developed technology is estimated.

Dynamic capacity balance between stripping and mining of a dragline stripping system

The reliability factors of a dragline stripping system were analyzed using system reliability theory to improve its reliability and ensure the stability of surface coal mine production. The relationship between the dragline scheduled stripping volume with both the weighted average thickness of the coal seam and the height of the blast casting bench was derived. The results show that the reliability of the dragline stripping system decreases with the weighted average thickness of the coal seam and increases with a reduced casting blast bench height and monthly raw coal production capacity. Furthermore, the dynamic monthly advance distance of the dragline stripping system was found, a new concept of the dragline stripping system reliability and measurement methodology were proposed, and a prediction model for the dragline production capacity was established using a generalized regression neural network. In addition, the steps and processes of the reliability were improved. The study on the Heidaigou surface mine shows that the height of the casting blast bench should be reduced to 10.5 m when its raw coal production capacity is improved from 20 to 30 Mt/a. During the normal production of surface coal, the system reliability can be improved by dynamically determining the weighted average coal seam thickness, accurately predicting the dragline production capacity, and taking other corresponding measures.

Coal Seam Thickness Prediction Based on Transition Probability of Structural Elements

Coal seam thickness prediction is crucial in coal mine design and coal mining. In order to improve the prediction accuracy, an improved Kriging interpolation method on the basis of efficient data and Radial Basis Function (RBF-Kriging) is firstly proposed to interpolate the cutting data that is obtained in pre-mining, especially at the edge of the geological surface of coal seam by taking into account the spatial structure and the efficient spatial range, ensuring the integrity of the edge data during the movement of structural elements. Subsequently, a structural element transition probability based Gaussian process progression (STTP-GPR) method is proposed to predict the coal seam thickness from the interpolated coal seam data. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed STTP-GPR method has superior performance in coal seam thickness prediction. The average absolute error of thickness prediction for thin coal seams is 0.025 m, which significantly improves the prediction accuracy in comparison to the existing back propagation (BP) neural networks, support vector machine, and Gaussian process regression methods.

ABOUT THE PRE-OUTBURST STATE OF THE COAL AND SANDSTONE AND THE POSSIBLE MECHANISM OF COAL AND GAS OUTBURST PROCESS

The paper aims to examine the suitability of A. S. Balankin brittle fracture criterion in predicting the of large-scale coal and gas outbursts in underground coal mines under compression load. Formation of dissipative structures as cracks and clusters of local microcracking occurs under the influence of the rock pressure. The formation of microdefects in dissipative structures occurs mainly on local anisotropic inclusions. Mechanism of pre-outburst spalling of gas-saturated coal is analyzed. Destruction (primary outburst) occurs when the brittle fracture conditions are met. And also in the case of such a ratio of “coal seam thickness – the size of micro defects aggregations”, which provides reduction in coal strength to a minimum. Further destruction occurs by known scenario.