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By Linsheng Xu

When coal seam is under the integral thick sandstone (or conglomerate), the structure of thick sandstone is integral and its strength is rather high. After coal is extracted, the roof is hanging and caving is difficult. When the method of full caving is adopted in the longwall working face to control this kind of hard and difficult caving roof, the effect of roof-controlling affects directly the production and safety. In China Datong Coal Mines the extracting coal deposit is Datong Jurassic period. Most of the roof is sandstone and conglomerate. It is hard and difficult to cave. Having used special hydraulic power supports and other special ways to deal with the roof, the hard and difficult caving roof has been controlled.

Jan 1, 1986

By Winton Gale

"Rock and coal fractures and micro seismic vibration are common occurrences during development mining. It is very uncommon for coal and rock to be propelled into the roadway during normal mining operations. However, such occurrences do occur and appear to require significantly more energy than is available from strain energy release during coal cutting. The sources of energy, which can contribute to the propulsion of coal from the face or ribs, are typically strain energy from the surrounding ground, seismic energy from a rapid rupture of the ground in the vicinity, or rapid expansion of gas from within the burst source area.The aim of this paper is to briefly review the bursts that could be related to strain energy or seismic energy. However, the greatest emphasis is placed on the effect that gas within the coal could play in moderate to gassy mines.It has been found that the bursts related to the expansion of gas can occur in coal and stone. The volume of gas involved in coal bursts is typically lower than in gas outbursts; however, the process is generally similar.INTRODUCTIONA coal burst is defined as a rapid expulsion of coal (and potentially gas) from the boundary of the roadway. The volume of a burst can be variable, but volumes above 10-50m3 are noted and cause significant disruption to operations.Rock and coal fracturing is common about roadways, particularly under the influence of elevated stresses, either tectonic or related to mining abutment stress. Shear fracture is very common; however, it is very uncommon that the coal is propelled from the face or ribs as a result of fracture of the material. The nature of rock fracture about roadways under elevated stress is presented in Figure 1.A burst requires energy to propel the coal or rock from the rib or face of the roadway. The depth of material impacted may vary from 0.5m to greater than 3m inside the roadway boundary. The strength of the ground in this zone is variable depending on the nature of the coal seam (or surrounding material). Typically, this material has significant residual strength as confinement increases into the ribside.The energy required to propel this material is typically in addition to that which is associated with normal fracturing about the roadway."

Jan 1, 2018

By Xianming Zhou

Mining economics is such that too conservative in safety will result in a considerable penalty in mining cost. However, initial planning and design of a mining project often must be done without complete information. The assurance of economical and safe mining is thus difficult. This study is focused on the improvement of the mine design associated with Zhaoyuan Gold Mine in P.R. China as more information becomes available. Attention is given to the selection of backfill structures. Based on a proposed practical finite element model, a design, which is believed to be not only reliable but also cost-effective, is recommended for further mining operations in this mine.

Jan 1, 1989

By Yingda Zhai

The range of interburden thickness between coal seams in Datong Mining District of China is large. From mining operation point of view, the closer is between the two seams, the greater is the impact from the upper seam when the lower seam is mined. This impact is most notable when the two seams are ultra-close. In this paper the definition of ultra-close seams and its practical method of determination are presented. Based on the difference in strata thickness in the interburden and the concept of "yield depth ratio" which is defined as the yield zone depth in the interburden to the total thickness of interburden, the roofs of the ultra-close multiple seams in the Datong District of China were divided into 3 types: (1) false roof or rock partings in coal seam. This type of roof does not require special handling except mining them simultaneously as one single seam. The roof thickness is slightly less than 0.5 m; (2) completely broken roof. In this type of roof, the yield depth ratio is larger than (or equal to) 1. When the roof thickness is larger than 0.5 m but less than 2.0 m, the yield depth ratio must be smaller than 1; and (3) fractured roof. In this type of roof, the yield depth ratio is less than 1 while the roof thickness is larger than 2.0 m. In retreat longwall mining, if the gateroads of the lower seam are located under the gob of upper seam, roof bolting can be used in the 3rd type of roof. But if the 2nd type roof exists, powered supports must be used.

Jan 1, 2005

By Rossen A. Halatchev

This study introduces a new probabilistic approach to seismic stability analysis of embankments and slopes. The approach is based on Sarma's solution, which is modified through presentation of the seismic force by its horizontal and vertical components; i.e. the force may have an arbitrary inclination. The probabilistic modelling includes Monte Carlo simulation of the shear strength parameters of the soil mass, which are assumed to have a normal distribution. The probability of failure is determined based on the seismic co-efficient, which is treated as a random quantity. The probabilistic approach is illustrated through a solution of a numerical example from an opencast coal mine.

Jan 1, 1992

The formation of tension cracks in slopes is well known. Analytical studies require the determination of a critical slip surface for any slope and, in doing so, it is necessary to consider an appropriate tension crack. A general yet simple approach is proposed for identifying the critical slope failure surfaces associated with critical tension cracks. The minimum factor of safety consequently reflects both safety against shear sliding and tensile failure. In general, the critical slope failure surface for a slope determined in this way differs from that which is obtained without optimizing the position and depth of the tension crack. In particular situations, the difference is significant.

Jan 1, 1989

By David H. Y. Tang

The reinforcement mechanism of suspension effect is analyzed based on beam-column theory. The equations of the maximum bending stress, deflection and transferred bolt load for the bolted roof strata are derived. In the analysis, the bolt load is assumed to be point load and the horizontal stress is uniformly applied to each stratum. The reinforcement mechanism of friction effect is also analyzed. The major function of roof bolting in this case is to create the friction¬al resistance by tensioning the roof bolts, thereby the individual thin strata are "welded" into one single thick stratum. Based on the results, equal spacing of roof bolts is used in the suspension effect while for friction effect, the bolts should be spaced based on equal shear force concept. The design nomographs for the proper bolting pattern and bolt ten¬sion of mechanical roof bolting systems are presented for practical applications.

Jan 1, 1984

By Robert R. Thompson

Retreat pillar mining is highly productive but dangerous. The primary danger during pillar removal is premature caving of the roof. Because the safety of the miners is dependent on successfully controlling the roof, the roof must cave in a predictable and dependable manner. Temporary support during retreat is usually obtained by setting posts. They are set manually by a miner working in a dangerous area. A solution to this problem would be a system which could set and retrieve roof supports remotely and safely. The Bureau of nines has developed a remotely operated Mobile Roof Support (PIPS) machine which will place and retrieve temporary roof support. Two PIPS machines were fabricated under a cost-sharing agreement with Southern Utah Fuel Company and mining equipment manufacturer. Each machine carries four 50-ton jacks and is remotely- Controlled by radio. The machines are presently being used by Southern Utah Fuel Company under a long-team cooperative agreement. Not only have there been material and manpower cost savings in not having to set posts, but also the time saved bas resulted in increased productivity. The projected costs of mass-produced machines with tethered remote control rather than radio remote control are estimated at $150,000 each. The radio remote control is more expensive and is considered an optional extra.

Jan 1, 1986

A procedure fm the estimation of pilla1 strength is presented where the design of underground coal pillars is emphasized. An analytical approach has been developed, proposing that the effect of end constraints on the pillar strength and the ductile behavior of coal material should be incorporated in the computation of the stability of coal pillars. Bad on this approach, it has been found that end constraint has a significant influence on the pillar strength. The study indicates that when the end constraint is zero the computed strength of the pillar is the same as the unconfiied compressive strength of the coal mass and will not increase with the increase in the width to height ratio. However. when the end constraint is greater than zero the pillar strength will increase exponentially as the width to height ratio increases.

Jan 1, 1990

By Mietek Rataj

Installation of pre-tensioned Strand Bolts i.e. resin grouted cable bolts is very common now in Australian coal mines. A short historical development of this type of rock reinforcement is outlined Various systems have been developed to apply 20 to 25 tonnes of pre-load to these bolts but there are still some technical problems which have to be overcome. One of the major problems encountered is bleed off tension which is highly undesirable as required "over loading" rocks the immediate roof thus inducing fractures iii weak strata. The major reason for the loss of tension apart from the design of the tensioning jack, is the design of the conventionally used barrels and wedges. Due to a roof plate tilting during tensioning the cable moves out of the barrel centre which impedes proper positioning of the wedges and subsequent excessive return of the cable once load of the jack is released. This problem has been largely resolved by the design of a special barrel having a centralizing rim allowing for significant reduction of the toss of tension. KEYWORDS: Pre-tensioned Strand Bolts, Cable Bolts, Bleed off Tension, Tensioning Jack, Loss of Tension

Jan 1, 2002

By Tom Denton

The bolt design criteria, since it was first published by Dr. John Stankus (Stankus, 1997), has been recognized as an important tool in ground control design. This concept is based on the Optimum Beam Building Effect (OBE), which is defined as the roof beam that has no separation above or within the bolted range and having the shortest bolt possible. This paper will present an application of this concept at the American Coal Company. Galatia mine. This mine previously used a 6' and 7' length bolt. However, since seam thickness has gotten smaller in the Southern area of the nine, a two-piece bolt is required. A two-piece bolt increases ground control costs and delays production. Therefore, a one-piece, shorter bolt, if feasible, can reduce costs and expedite development. In this analysis, Computer modeling is first conducted to determine bolt length and installed load. Second, a special bolt is developed, that can achieve the proper installed load as determined by the computer modeling. Third, underground bolt pull and load cell tests were conducted to evaluate bolt performance. Finally, an underground "bench" test was conducted. The test results have shown that entry convergence in the short bolt (5) test area is less than the 6' bolt area. Overall roof condition in the test area was as good as the 6' bolt area. Based on this analysis, the mine has converted to a shorter bolt in the low seam area and it is working well.

Jan 1, 2000

By William Kendall

"A tremendous amount of research, analysis, and engineering time is used to design a proper roof support system including the type, length, and location of the roof bolts. Unfortunately, since the roof bolts are being installed under unsupported roof, the exact location for the bolt holes cannot easily be determined and then marked onto the roof. The actual location where the roof bolts are installed is typically left to visual estimates by the operator. This frequently results in either (1) the operator overestimating the space between roof bolts and installing more bolts than required, thereby increasing cost and reducing efficiency; or (2) the operator underestimating the space between roof bolts and installing fewer bolts than required, thereby reducing safety, leading to potential roof failure or possible violations.A patented laser light grid system has been developed by J .H. Fletcher and Monitech, a South African Company, to aid in proper machine positioning in the heading and proper bolt spacing. The system can also show when an entry is over width, requiring additional roof support. The system is relatively simple and inexpensive. The concept is applicable across the full range of roof bolters from low to high seams and from single boom to multiple boom bolters. The system can be configured to meet most bolting patterns.The system consists of several very small 1 milliwatt, class 2, line type lasers that project a line onto the roof. The actual laser is 27mm in diameter x 47mm long (1"" x 1.8""). In South Africa it is approved as intrinsically safe and is mounted inside a 50mm diameter x 64mm long (2""x 2.5"") protective housing. In the USA, we are seeking an X/P approval and the laser will be mounted in a headlight enclosure 110mm diameter x 125mm long (4.3"" x 5""). Fifteen of the systems have been installed in South African coal mines with good results.The system has aided the mines in meeting the bolt spacing tolerance used in the Republic of South Africa, which is typically 15% of the nominal bolt spacing or 7 in for 4-ft bolt spacing. Fletcher has submitted the system to MSHA for approval in the US."

Jan 1, 2016

By Joe McQuerrey, William Kendall, Gene Wilson

"Roof bolting is the standard for ground control in underground coal mining. Rib and truss bolting is just as important when conditions are less than desirable. As a manufacturer of roof drills, J.H. Fletcher & Co. (""Fletcher"") promotes a walkthrough design machine to protect the machine operators from rib hazards.When installing rib and brow bolts in high mined heights, the operator's natural desire is to step from under the canopy onto the drill feed mechanism. This is done to allow a better reach to the drilled hole in the rib or brow. This, of course, is not an approved or acceptable practice.The effort to improve the operators' ability to reach the rib and brow has resulted in a new boom design. The design was first shown in September 2008 at the MINExpo in Las Vegas, NV. The design incorporates a step out area towards the rib side of the machine. The step provides improved access to the mine rib and brow.Having a solid concept does not guarantee an accepted design. Operator acceptance is the goal. When the machine was first tried in the underground environment, the machine operators did exactly as requested: run the machine as supplied and suggest improvements.In the fast pace job of roof bolting, any ergonomic improvements are welcome. These improvements usually increase the operator's productivity and safety. Based on operator feedback and final evaluation with Fletcher, machine revisions were generated. When the machine revisions were completed, Fletcher again asked the operators for comments, giving the boom design an evolving path into our industry.INTRODUCTIONIt's human nature to find the most comfortable position in which to do a task, especially for repetitive tasks. Designing a machine that will withstand the rigors of underground mining is a challenge in itself. With stringent safety requirements and limited real estate, there is a constant evolution in design to converge safety with productivity. With the ongoing development of the ""Rib Access Boom,"" one more step in the evolution process has been taken."

Jan 1, 2010

By Gift Makusha

The Witbank Coalfield in South Africa contains up to five economically viable coal seams. These seams have been mined continuously for over 100 years and the reserve in now becoming depleted. The normal mining method has been bord and pillar with examples of stooping. The situation now occurs where the formed pillars, left to maintain stability, have a higher quality than the coal that is left in the unmined reserves. Where the reserves are less than 70m deep and continuous over several kilometers, opencast mining is being successfully applied. After several years of investigation, Anglo Coal has identified blocks of coal that warrant investigation with regard to pillar extraction by underground methods The proposed method is pillar extraction using Mobile Roof Supports (MRS) It is proposed to mine three panels at a depth of 120m, by keeping the panels narrow and sub-critical. The sub-critical layout does not allow caving to surface and more stress is thrown onto the barrier pillar rather than the face pillars. The sub-critical span is anticipated to be 100m. The paper describes the full geotechnical investigation, including numerical modelling, instrumentation and drawing on the local South African experience of shortwall mining. The project will be unique in that pillars were not designed for pillar extraction and have low factors of safety (l.4 - 1.8) and width to height ratios of less than 4. The mining height will be approximately 4-4 5m, and this represents "new" operating heights for Mining Roof Supports. The required equipment was ordered in late 2002 and pillar extraction is anticipated to begin in June 2003.

Jan 1, 2003

By Donald P. Richards

West Elk Coal Company operates its Mt. Gunnison No. I mine on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains in Western Colorado. The mine is located along the north fork of the Gunnisson River near Somerset, Colorado as shown in Figure 1. The mine is designed for a sustained production of 1.4 million tons per year out of the "F" coal seam in the Mesa Verde formation. The coal seam is nominally 7 feet in thickness and dips at about 3 ½ degrees to the northeast. Mining of the seam is up dip with the entry portals on the north facing slope of Mount Gunnison. The mine is designed as a five entry system with four entries for ventilation and access and one entry for a coal-handling conveyor. The mine entry layout is shown in Figure 2. Initial mine planning began in 1979, with "permitting" complete and construction starting in the fall of 1981. A "turnkey" contract for design and construction of all five parallel mine entry tunnels was awarded by West Elk Coal Company to a Joint Venture of Jenny Engineering Corporation (design and contract management responsibility) and Affholder, Inc. (construction responsibility). The first entry access into the coal seam was completed in the early spring of 1982. The mine has been operating at full service (all five entries) for nearly 3 years.

Jan 1, 1984

By Baisheng Zhang

The definition of Ultra-close multiple seams as defined by the floor disturbance depth, h, due to mining in the upper seam is proposed: it refers to those coal seams that are spaced very closely, i.e. h,, the distance between seams, is small or equal to h, , and mining of any one of the seams will significantly affect the others. Those seams are called the ultra-close multiple seam group. Theoretical formula for defining it and practical examples are given in this paper. Underground measurements and numerical analysis show that in ultra-close multiple seam mining, the characteristics of ground pressure due to lower seam mining is different from that of single seam mining. The major differences is that the roof, as a result of damaged caused by the upper seam mining, is full of factures; the roof broke up in the belt entry and fell down easily; support loading at the face was small without clear periodic weighting phenomenon. Based on these results the roof structure model and roof control theory for ultra-close multiple-seam are established.

Jan 1, 2005

By Shengli Yang

Solid backfill mining, as a green mining technology, has the advantages of a higher resource recovery, less damage to the environment and the ability to dispose of waste underground. It has been applied successfully in the Xingtai and Xinwen mining areas in China. Strata behavior and the movement of overburden strata in this mining method are very different from fully mechanized longwall mining, which results in a natural caving, because the gob is filled with waste rock, fly ash and other backfill material. The results of field measurements showed that the periodic weighting interval of the main roof is longer; the magnitude of periodic weighting is smaller; the peak and zone of influence of the front abutment pressure are smaller than those in fully mechanized mining; that major deformation of mine roadways occurs within the influence zones of the abutment pressures; that the falling space of immediate roof is smaller, with the lower portion falling more sufficiently than the upper; that the main roof subsides slowly; and that the falling height of the overlying strata is greatly reduced.

Jan 1, 2011

By A. G. Pasamehmetoglu

The swelling process is an important problem causing damages to the structures in or on swelling rocks, both during construction and operating life. To understand swelling problem, a number of testing methods have been developed by many researchers. In these studies, the swelling parameters, in most cases, are derived from pedometer tests. The swelling parameters determined from oedometer type tests represent one-dimensional behaviour (one-dimensional swelling law) therefore, it is quite difficult to extrapolate the pedometer type test results to the three-dimensional in-situ conditions. To overcome these problems, a three-dimensional approach is suggested for clay bearing rocks. Results of triaxial swelling tests conducted on marl from Dodurga Lignite Coal Mine are presented. Triaxial swelling characteristics of the marl are presented and design approach for tunnels is described.

Jan 1, 1992

By E. H. R. Schumann

The local stratigraphy and composition of the coal measures, including competent dolerite sill and massive sandstone lavers is shown to have a restricting influence on the development and magnitude of surface subsidence above total extraction panels in South Africa. The critical panel width necessary to induce nonviolent failure of a dolerite sill is quantified. Small subsidence due to the deflection of a 70 metre thick dolerite above subcritical panels is shown by example. Maximum surface subsidence tilt an; ground strain is compared to the NCB model. An exponential subsidence profile curve, SPC, describes a trough half-profile. A parabolic relationship between horizontal displacement and tilt, which has been discovered to exist can be substituted in the first derivative of the SPC in order to generate transverse displacement and strain profiles.

Jan 1, 1988

By Zhaohui Wang, Jiachen Wang

"Effective surrounding rock control is a prerequisite for realizing safe mining in underground longwall faces. In the past three decades, longwall top-coal caving mining (LTCC) and single pass large height longwall mining (SPLL) found expanded usage in extracting thick coal seams in China. The two mining methods lead to large void space left behind the working face, which increase the difficulty of ground control. Longwall face failure is a common problem in underground mining, which is induced due to low strength and high fracture density of the coal seam. Moreover, the stiffness of main components included in the surrounding rock system also greatly influences longwall face instability. Correspondingly, the surrounding rock system is developed for LTCC and SPLL faces in this paper. Mechanical conditions for simultaneous balance of roof structure and longwall face are put forward by taking the stiffness of coal seam, roof strata, and hydraulic support into account. The safety factor of the longwall face is defined as the ratio between its ultimate bearing capacity and the load imposed on it. The influence of coal strength, stiffness of the coal seam, roof strata, and hydraulic support, as well as the movement of roof structure, are analyzed. Finally, the key elements dominating longwall face stability are identified for improving surrounding rock control effectiveness in LTCC and SPLL faces.INTRODUCTIONThe concentration of coal mining in China is gradually shifting to the west region, and there are a large number of thick coal seams in the newly formed coal mining area. Therefore, the surrounding rock control problems related to mining of thick coal seams will become the focus of research in the field of mining engineering in the future. There are two kinds of mining methods for thick coal seams in China, including single pass large height longwall mining (SPLL) and longwall top-coal caving mining (LTCC). Both methods can accomplish the goal of excavating the full thickness of thick coal seams at one time. SPLL mining benefits from the improvement of the development level of associated equipment. The appearance of large hydraulic supports and high power shearers ensure that the height protected by the hydraulic supports and the height of the sheared coal are the same as the coal thickness. LTCC mining benefits from mining technology advantages. The thick coal seam is divided into two sub-layers, and the working face is normally installed in the bottom layer, while the top coal is caved under the compressive forces due to mining. Therefore, there is a scraper conveyor at the front of the hydraulic support for transporting the sheared coal and another one at the tail for transporting caved top coal. Both SPLL and LTCC methods realize one-off recovery of thick coal seams."

Jan 1, 2018