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By C. Tom Blevins

The purpose of this paper is to discuss production and roof control problems associated with directional lateral stresses in an in situ stress field and the approach that Inland Steel Coal Company made in trying to cope with them. Before proceeding, a description of the mine location, product, geology, restraints, and mine history is in order. The mine is located in Hamilton County in Southeastern Illinois. It produces a high volatile metalurgical coal and is slated to produce 2.1 MTY. Product ion is in the Illinois No. 5 seam at a depth of 930 feet, approximately 490 feet below sea level. The scam height averages from 5.5 to 6.0 feet throughout the reserves with height increasing in the eastern reserve area to approximately feet and a 5 Foot average in the West. The scam tends to dip to the North, North East, but is locally very undulating. The Galatia channel washout outlines the eastern boundary of the reserves and there is a split coal area toward the central part of the property than runs south-southeast. The top above the #5 seam is laminated medium gray shale called Dykersburg. Individual shale bedding planes vary locally From ½ to 1" in thickness to a more normal thickness of 1 to 1 ½ with some areas being interlayed by thin carboncous material. The top normally must be considered as materially competent. Even though the mine is still relatively small in area with only 1.3 million tons of total production to (late, we have encountered dense zones of slicker sides and premining, stress cracks (joints). There are also areas of siltstone, that vary from a few inches to several feet thick, and areas of rider coal, clay instrusions, and rolls. We have crossed lineament concentrations that show strong evidence of corelation to localise top problems. These are being monitored closely to see their predictability on our present and future mining conditions. The face cleat runs N 55° E and butt cleat runs S. 25° E. On a regional basis, there are several anticlinal belts that trend in a northerly direction. The one major restraint is that Inland does not own surface subsidence rights. Therefore, a partial extraction mining plan is being followed. The Holland-Gaddy formula for pillar strength design is used to calculate theortical pillar sides. When production began in March of 1979, it was noted that ground control problems occurred as we drove north entries. East-west cross cuts tended to have better working conditions. This phenomia occurred from a couple hundred feet, but seemed to dispate as we got away from the men and material shafts. Once the production shaft was connected and enough entries extended for installation of belts, ground control problems were again experienced in north-south headings. It was also observed that when mining north-south headings with east-west crosscuts, if the crosscut was driven through ahead and supported, the intersection was stable upon entry connection. This held true even where fairly extreme ground control, problems were encountered. The reverse held true. when driving east-west headings with north-south crosscuts. At this time, we started searching in earnest for a working theory to explain this roof phenomia. It also became the first step of what eventually was a four step sequence to derive a workable solu¬tion to the problem. The combination of the many geological changes and the fact that north-south condition was at times intermitent, helped to disguise the stress field. The mine also being in a fairly virgin area with no mines in approximately 25 milt, radius, meant we didn't have a reliable case history to examine. Various theories were researched before it was concluded that our primary ground control problem was a directional lateral stress Field, with the major stress axis in an east-west direction. The second stop of the procedure was then to test. mining methods and determine if these stresses could be modified to a

Jan 1, 1982

By Wm. Mark Hart

Under a specific geological condition, roof supporting method, and pillar-entry system, an entry convergence concept may be the most effective means that can be used to effectively indicate the longwall entry stability (i.e. pillar bumps, roof falls, or floor beaver This concept may also be used to verify the effectiveness of the current pillar-entry system and roof supporting method. Furthermore, convergence measured under different mining phases may lead to a better understanding of the longwall mining-induced abutment loads and may be used to estimate stress change in pillars and thus pillar stability. In this paper, a remote entry activity monitoring system was designed; a comprehensive entry convergence monitoring strategy was proposed; thee abutment loading phases in longwall mining were defined; the relationship between roof deflection and stress change in a pillar was derived, and finally the extent and magnitude of the mining-induced abutment loads as well as their impact on entry convergence were discussed using the field data obtained so far.

Jan 1, 1995

By Axel Preusse

In the Ruhr district, pipelines of public and private infrastructure are made of cast iron, steel, plastics or asbestos cement. Legal framework, technical regulations and normative standards define which pipeline materials may be used for the transmission of which kind of product Thus ground water endangering substances as well as inflammable or explosive products are only permitted to be transported in steel-made pipelines. Ground movements, due to underground mining, are transmitted via the soil to the pipeline and cause extra strain within the steel pipeline (Figure I). In extreme cases durable deformations may occur, characterized by an oval profile or a fold in the pipeline. To avoid or minimize damages, balancing elements are installed into the concerning pipeline, reducing the ground movements which might otherwise cause damages. [ ] The distance between the balancing elements is not arranged by random, but by a calculation method developed in a doctoral thesis [Spielberg, 1999] which represents the actual available standards in science and technology. The calculation method considers all relevant influencing variables with impacts on the movement behaviour of steel pipelines in mining areas, such as technical data of pipeline design (e.g. steel grade, wall thickness, weld seam quality), soil conditions (e.g. friction), laying depths of the pipelines, the operational impacts (working pressure, corrosion) and the mining impacts. As of today, mining has caused no damages to steel pipelines protected by this calculation method.

Jan 1, 2004

By Anthony T. Iannacchione

Underground bituminous coal mining is a large and significant industry within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and it has a legacy of environmental consequence. For example, in 2008, 13.5 acres (5.5 hectares) of land were undermined by longwall mining every day. Laws and regulations have been promulgated requiring companies involved in this industry to remedy mining damage caused to homes, businesses, and land; replace impaired water supplies; and repair impacts to streams and wetlands. The regulations and technical standards set by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) have been put in place to assure that coal operations comply with ACT 54 of the Bituminous Mine Subsidence & Land Conservation Act and other related legislation. These regulations and standards require operations to address impacts when a mining permit is submitted and as permits are modified and extended. One of the special provisions of ACT 54 is the requirement by the PA DEP to produce an assessment of the surface impacts of mining every five years. The University of Pittsburgh was contracted by the PA DEP to perform the 3rd assessment, which spanned from August 21, 2003, to August 20, 2008. This paper details the findings related to surface structure undermined during this period. A total of 3,735 structures were tracked. Four-hundred-fiftysix reported effects were found, and each required additional information and analysis. The majority of the reported effects were associated with eight longwall mines. Characteristics of the structures were analyzed and discussed, with special attention to those with reported effects. The number of undamaged and reportedly damaged structures (i.e., dwelling, barn, commercial building, etc.) undermined during the assessment period were listed. Lastly, the resolution status and type of resolution were analyzed for all structure reported effects.

Jan 1, 2011

By Phillip E. Gramlich

Through extensive practical experience and multiple studies, tensioned roof control systems have proven beneficial in difficult mining conditions. Due to increased mining of less desirable seams, tensioned roof control systems have claimed a progressively larger share of the total number of roof bolts installed in the US coal industry. Each tensioned roof control system has its benefits, but also has problems concerning cost, cycle time, stress concentration, load retention, and protrusion into the mine opening. For example, resin-assisted mechanically anchored bolts (also known as resin point anchor bolts) have a fast cycle time and the potential for high tension loading, but the stress from the mechanical shell is concentrated in a small area and can create concerns with certain roof structures (Zhang and Peng, 2001). Resin point anchor bolts can be difficult to fully grout. The cost of resin point anchor bolts can be an issue; a two-piece resin point anchor bolt has a large number of parts (10) and manufacturing steps (9), adding to its higher cost. Tension rebar bolts can achieve high loads and are easier to fully grout but have longer cycle times. In addition, a high percentage of the installed load can ?bleed off? if the resin mixing time or the ?hold time? before tensioning is short-circuited. Tension rebar bolts can be notorious for protruding into the mine opening, creating an obstruction for man and machine (Figure 1), in particular, with reduced mining heights. A new tensioned roof control system has been developed that doesn?t have moving parts, is cost effective, provides fast cycle times, has a low profile, and is simple t install.

Jan 1, 2014

By M. Afsari Nejad

A Transversely Elasto-Plastic Model was configured in FLAC (Fact Lagrangian Analysis of Continua) as a more realistic simulation of stratified and inclined strata behaviour examining surface subsidence above the inclined longwall panels (I ). The failure criterion employed was a modified Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion that assumed a variable cohesion, which changed with respect to the orientation of the plane of anisotropy . Using the proposed numerical modelling technique several longwall panels with different configurations were simulated. The results of both surface subsidence and horizontal displacements were validated against UK data using the Subsidence Engineer's Handbook (S.E.H) subsidence prediction method and the Influence Function Method (2). It was found from the research that the incite properties as well as laboratory to field reduction factors arc depth dependent. A set of relationships for calculation of anicotropic stiffness and strength parameters have been derived. The proposed modelling approach has been successfully applied to surface subsidence prediction for 3 collieries in the UK allowing the results of the simulation to he validated directly against measured data.

Jan 1, 1998

By Denise Müller, Axel Preusse

"Due to multilateral underground use, mining subsidence is discussed more and more with regard to issues other than mining, such as post-mining topics, storage, or geothermal use. These discussions and the influence of the energy policy is why the situation in Germany is described as a transition from active to abandoned mining. Many PhD theses have been written within the last 20 years—every single one with a different topic but all with the same issue—the effects and challenges of mining subsidence.These challenges start with the research regarding geological and hydrogeological conditions, which is the basis for calculations like the angle of draw or predictions of subsidence due to water table drawdown. Furthermore, the research investigates issues like risk-management and financial planning. One of these issues is post-mining calculations; others include potential hazards of storage or the use of geothermal energy.This paper outlines an overview of German mining and the consequences due to subsidence. It deals with an overview of the circumstances related to hard coal mining, lignite mining, the use of geothermal energy, gas, and opportunities regarding underground storage. Basically, it describes the essential steps of processing mining subsidence, starting with monitoring to forecast and up to safety measures.With a glance back to the applied research of the prior two decades, we compare given forecasts with experiences already gained.Even though mining decreases, ground control does not.INTRODUCTIONAfter the Second World War, an economic recovery started in Germany, during which the mining industry provided an advantage. Areas like the Ruhr District or Saarland were characterized by hard coal mining. In addition, there was lignite mining in the Rhenish mining area and the middle German coal district. In the Lausitz area, there were gravel and sand companies for the construction industry and many other medium-sized mining companies. Especially in the Ruhr District and in Saarland, where large coal fields were built, mining played a major role. The number of mines increased, and the negative effects on the terrain got bigger. While minor open pits or quarries have influences on the landscape only, large open pits and underground mining lead to significant ground movements. This results in a larger importance of mining subsidence engineering. Calculations of subsidence and forecasts have been developed and refined within the last several years. Due to the fact that the mining areas were and still are densely populated, the forecasts are getting more and more precise."

Jan 1, 2018

By Li Yang, Andre Cezar Zingano, Alberto Fronza

"Immediate roof control is very important to the security and stability of entries in coal mining. It is also the highest cost in the coal mining operation, and roof spalling is directly responsible for coal contamination. The immediate roof in the coal mines in the State of Santa Catarina varies in lithology and in the presence of structures, such as bedding planes, vertical fractures that cut lamination, sandstone, and siltstone boulders. The presence and crossing of these structures should influence the decision of the specification of the roof support. Furthermore, the variation of rock layer and quality of the roof must be immediately followed by the variation of support specification. This work aims to study the behavior of the immediate roof under different geological and structural conditions during the excavation of entries, including the changing of the geometry of the entry as a function of time. This includes the effect of vertical fractures that cross the bedding planes of the roof and the position of those fractures on the roof. The effect of time between excavation and installing support to stabilize the roof is also examined. This study uses empirical methodologies for support design and numerical methods to study the behavior of the roof when anchored to the different scenarios proposed. The results of this work show the importance of quality characterization of the roof in terms of the type of rock and its thickness and the presence of vertical fractures that cut the bedding planes of the roof immediately.INTRODUCTION The immediate roof in a coal mine can varies in terms of typology and structural features, like bedding plane spacing and vertical joints. The roof support must be specified based on the features of the roof layer and its classification. Unal (1983) and Mark, Molinda, and Dolinar (2001) suggest that the roof support design should be based on the rock mass rating (RMR) and coal mining roof rating (CMRR), which look at rock mass classifications. These methods are based on the beam-building approach, and the bedding planes are tied together using fully grouted bolt. The bolt can be pre-tensioned or not depending the time of the curing of the resin."

Jan 1, 2017

By B. (Mamas) Das

A project to evaluate the suitability of point Load strength tests for testing and classifying coal measure rocks for coal mining application was initiated by Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology (CANMET). A summary of this study with emphasis on the important findings is presented in this paper. The instrument as used in this study is a Robertson Research Rock Strength Index Log. Because of the variation in the correlation ratio between uniaxial compressive strength and point Load strength index for hard rocks and soft rocks it was decided to establish this corre¬lation initially on cement concrete specimens specially prepared for this purpose following ASTM specifications. These specimens are expected to represent soft rocks and at the same time would be of uniform quality. Once a general trend of this correlation was established tests were performed on coal and rock samples from the sub-bituminous and bituminous coalfields in Canada. The most important results may be stated as follows: (i) Generally, the common value of the ratio between the uniaxial compressive strength and the point load strength index ranges between 8 to L4. (ii) The Robertson Research Rock Strength Index Log proves to be quite suitable for testing sandstone, siltstone and some coals from the bituminous coalfields but problems have been experienced when testing weathered samples or samples from the sub-bituminous coalfields. (iii) In some cases tests were successful if Larger samples from weathered zones or from sub-bituminous coalfields were used. However, a magnified load gauge for 0-3KN or 0-5KN is expected to be the best solution for soft and weathered rocks in most of the cases. Some mudstones and some rocks from weathered zone do not appear to be suitable for these tests. This aspect of the study is still under investigation. (iv) Deterioration of rock properties due to weathering has been determined through tests on samples collected from weathered and unweathered samples.

Jan 1, 1984

By Wei Yin, Yu Wu, Xiexing Miao

"For engineering problems of “three under” coal (coal trapped under buildings, waters-bodies and railways) exploitation, environment protection and gangue separation from raw coal underground exist in Tangshan Coal Colliery. By analyzing concrete technical problems, a technical approach of closed cycle “coal mining-gangue washing-backfilling-coal mining”, i.e. integration of coal mining, gangue separation and solid backfilling, is put forward with key technologies including gangue transportation with great depth, gangue separation from raw coal underground and integration of coal mining and backfilling. Based on the specific geological conditions of Tangshan Coal Colliery, 591m vertical feeding transportation system with great depth is designed; meanwhile, for efficient gangue transportation, ancillary wear-resisting pipe size and buffer equipment are optimized. Underground gangue separation system is created to be joined with the existing production system and backfilling system; besides, as per separation characteristics of coal and gangue, buddle jig is adopted for gangue roughing of raw coal underground. By cooperation of backfilling hydraulic support and other key equipment, the designed stope backfilling system completely realizes integration of coal mining and backfilling. Engineering practice shows that, through the research and implementation of the above key technologies, integration of coal exploitation, gangue separation and solid backfilling is successfully implemented in Tangshan Coal Colliery; moreover, it completely solves the three major engineering problems and realizes waste disposal, underground washing and separation, and ground surface subsidence control.INTRODUCTIONSo far, “three under” coal (coal trapped under buildings, watersbodies and railways) and key state-owned coal resources trapped under villages in China have reached 13.7 billion t and 5.22 billion t, respectively. With the development of coal enterprises, China currently has more than 1,600 gangue dumps (Miao et al., 2010a) with accumulated stack amount of 4.5 billion t, occupying a land area of 150,000 km2; moreover, surface subsidence caused by mining activities has damaged the environments of industry, agriculture, transportation and living, while new environmental pollution sources formed by coal related industries also result in damage to ecological environment (Huang et al., 2011a). On the one hand, due to large scale coal mining, some coal collieries suffering from resource exhaustion are faced with survival problems; on the other hand, coal mining has caused and been faced with increasingly prominent environmental problems, such as “three under” coal exploitation, waste disposal and ground surface subsidence control (Miao et al., 2010b; Zhang et al., 2009)."

Jan 1, 2015

By Brad Seymour

In cooperation with Cyprus Twentymile Coal Co., researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSI-I), Spokane Research Laboratory, conducted a study at the Foidel Creek Mine, an underground coal mine near Oak Creek, CO, to evaluate the stability of underground working conditions as a longwall advanced through a series of backfilled cross-panel entries. Instruments installed in the cross-panel entry pillars, backfill, longwall panel, and adjacent headgate entry were continuously monitored by a computerized data acquisition system as the longwall approached and advanced through the backfilled section of the panel. Data collected from these instruments were analyzed to determine the magnitude and direction of the secondary principal stress changes ahead of the longwall face, deformation and closure of the headgate entry, and stability of the cross-panel entry pillars and backfill. A three-dimensional, boundary element model was calibrated to accurately predict mining-induced stress changes and the distance they occurred ahead of the longwall face. As the longwall advanced through the backfilled entries, most of the mining-induced load was supported by the cross-panel entry pillars. The backfill provided stability for the root and Moor of the in-panel entries and also confined the entry pillars significantly improving their load-carrying capacity. Comprehensive information derived from backfill material property tests, instrument data, underground observations, and numeric modeling results document the safety and stability of the 8-Right minethrough and should provide beneficial case study information fur other longwall backfilling applications in the future.

Jan 1, 1998

By Yong-Ming Jiang

In cooperation with Cyprus Twentymile Coal Co., researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSI-I), Spokane Research Laboratory, conducted a study at the Foidel Creek Mine, an underground coal mine near Oak Creek, CO, to evaluate the stability of underground working conditions as a longwall advanced through a series of backfilled cross-panel entries. Instruments installed in the cross-panel entry pillars, backfill, longwall panel, and adjacent headgate entry were continuously monitored by a computerized data acquisition system as the longwall approached and advanced through the backfilled section of the panel. Data collected from these instruments were analyzed to determine the magnitude and direction of the secondary principal stress changes ahead of the longwall face, deformation and closure of the headgate entry, and stability of the cross-panel entry pillars and backfill. A three-dimensional, boundary element model was calibrated to accurately predict mining-induced stress changes and the distance they occurred ahead of the longwall face. As the longwall advanced through the hackfillcd entries, most of the mining-induced load was supported by the cross-panel entry pillars. The backlill provided stability for the root and Moor of the in-panel entries and also confined the entry pillars significantly improving their load-carrying capacity. Comprehensive information derived from backfill material property tests, instrument data, underground observations, and numeric modeling results document the safety and stability of the 8-Right minethrough and should provide beneficial case study information fur other longwall backfilling applications in the future.

Jan 1, 1998

By Y. P. Chugh

The use of wooden supports, supplementary to the primary method of roof control using roof bolts in mines, consumes over 3 million cubic meters of hardwood in the U.S. annually. These supports arc primarily used in the form of cribs and posts. Along with a rapid depletion of high quality timber resources, supplies fluctuate seasonally, costs are escalating rapidly, and product quality is highly variable. Environmental considerations of global climate change put additional pressure on deforestation for utilization of timber for artificial supports. On the other hand, management of coal combustion byproducts (GCBs) from power plants has become a major issue to maintaining a healthy coal industry. The USA currently produces over 100 million tons of CCBs annually and the average cost for their management in the US is about $20/ton. This cost is expected to escalate rapidly with tougher environmental regulations. The principal author has been directing research, development, and demonstration studies for CCBs-based artificial supports and lightweight structural materials in mines for the past seven years and has made significant progress toward commercially viable products. More specifically, first and second generation crib elements and post elements have been developed, characterized analytically, and demonstrated in the field. It is estimated that about 2.5 x 10" tons of fly ash could be utilized for artificial supports in U.S coal mines and this would double if these materials were utilized in non-coal mines as well. The author believes that CCBs-based artificial supports have the potential to replace wooden supports and blocks with better performance and cost competitiveness while managing CCBs in an environmentally sound manner. This paper focuses on the development and field demonstration of CCBs-based artificial supports for use in underground mines, and its pilot scale fabrication facility. Recent analysis results on engineering performance evaluation of the developed crib under various loading conditions using finite element method are presented. The following comments highlight the developments: I ). Engineered artificial supports, crib and post elements, using CCBs as a major constituent, have significant potential for application in mines because their structural performance is significantly better than wooden cribs counterparts. 21. Engineered crib elements provide about 50% larger area for air-flow than a conventional wooden crib. 3). Engineered crib elements are not flammable. 4). Each engineered crib element utilizes about 10 kg of fly ash, about 40 % of the weight of crib element- Therefore, a typical crib 2.0 m high utilizes about 200 kg of fly ash. 5). Each 16.5 cm diameter engineered post utilizes 50 kg of fly ash. 6). Assuming 3.0 million cu. meter of wood consumed for post and crib support systems, it is estimated that about 4 - 5 million tons of fly ash may be utilized for supports fabrication in the USA. 7). An engineered post has excellent post-failure characteristics similar to wood. In addition, the engineered post also has excellent loading and unloading characteristics close to the yield point of about 75% of the ultimate load carrying capacity.

Jan 1, 2004

By Daniel Su

Following several roof falls in the E3 longwall development of a Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company underground coal mine, an underground roof geology reconnaissance program consisting of twenty-nine 20-foot deep roof holes had identified the presence of thick sandstone layers with abundant shale and micaceous streaks. The base of the sandstone was 4 to 8 feet above the roof line within the fall areas. The presence of micaceous streaks created extremely pronounced planes of weakness in the sandstone. A structural irregularity, which extends into the E4 and E5 developments, exists between crosscuts I 1 and 30,where all roof falls occurred. Immediately to the east of this structural irregularity lies a huge syncline. The presence of thick sandstone units within the typically all shale environment and within such a structural irregularity helps to maximize stress concentration and creates closely spaced joints in the sandstone, which explains why many cracks are present in the macroscopically massive sandstone upon development. The approaching E2 longwall gob to the south and on the down-dip side, on the other hand, provided horizontal stress relief in the sandstone, which helps to explain the many roof falls in the E3 development that occurred during or immediately after the formation of the E2 gob. Finite element modeling confirmed the presence of such horizontal stress relief. Since the E3 longwall was a right-handed face, stress concentration was expected at the longwall headgate T -junctions, and further delamination of the sandstone was expected upon arrival of the E3 longwall face. Based on the results of the roof geology reconnaissance program and a roof stability analysis that took into account up to eleven parameters, supplemental headgate and track roof support consisting of 16-foot and 20-foot long cable bolts was successfully implemented within the zone of thick sandstone with micaceous streaks and structural irregularity and at other potential roof instability areas along the E3 development. The cable bolts were designed to be anchored at least 4 feet above the sandstone unit into the mostly competent sandy shale layers. No headgate roof control problem was reported within the sandstone and structural irregularity zone during E3 and the subsequent E4 longwall extractions.

Jan 1, 2002

By Alan D. Smith

[A standardized checklist in a questionnaire format, was established to investigate selected factors associated with coal nips roof falls, as derived from an intensive review of the literature. A plot study was undertaken to aspect and explore possible statistical relationships that may exist with these parameters. the Purposes of toe study were to: 1. Study in a systematic and empirical fashion selected parameters that may be capable of differentiating characteristics of roof falls; 2. Obtain some predictive indices cased on selected physical and management related variables so that predictions of future problems associated with mine roof falls can be completed, prior to its actual occurrence. Accomplishment of these goals should result in valuable guides to the mining engineer in scheduling exploration work and 4 determining economic feasibility of certain ground control and .lining pro and practices. The parameters associated with mine roof failure that where included in the questionnaire are: working section, county, spar., orientation degrees), pillar dimensions width, length), seam thickness, roof fall dimensions (length, width, surface area, volume), shape of fall (arch, dome, laminar), thickness of thinnest immediate layer, lithology of the first four i.e.-diate roof layers, thickness of h e first four immediate roof layers, type of initial support systems before failure, type of resupport system after failure, length and spacing of bolts in use before failure, length and spacing of bolts planned after allure, presence of .cater, time failure after It coal excavation, distance t3rest ace, physical operation during, time of coo failure, location of the roof fall entry failure occurred ence of sloughing of ribs before failure, and presence of floor heave condition before failure. The typical roof fall had an average roof spar of 20.3 feet, -06 feet depth o coal seam, occurred 136 feet from nearest face, coal seam thickness of inches, p--ar :width off 45 feet surface area D' roof fall 1151 ft2, mainly lamin- shaped, previously rat fore fall between good to very good, little floor heave presence, usually cracks before the fall about 40 percent of reported cases, shales in most of the immediate layers, and usually located in an entry or intersection. in addition, multiple linear regression techniques were employed in the testing process of 18 major research hypotheses in a search for relationships among the various parameters studied of which were found to be significant, once corrected for multiple comparisons.]

Jan 1, 1984

By Madan M. Singh

Mining under bodies of water such as oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, and other impoundments, is not a new technique. However, in the United States it has been fairly restricted to date. In order to recover the maximum amount of the nation's reserves, in the future, it is important that further mining under such bodies of water be planned. However, it is imperative that this is not done at the expense of danger to the nation's miners or appreciable property damage. If all the bodies of water are considered large, and it is assumed that these constitute a hazard when mining in their vicinity irrespective of their size and geometry, a significant percentage of the coal reserves are likely to be sterilized. How- ever, by adopting special mining plans and procedures, it may be possible to release reserves for exploitation that would otherwise be unmineable since the surface of bodies of water below which they lie are relatively small in size. In 1977, the Bureau of Mines issued Information Circular (IC) 8741, entitled "Results of Research to Develop Guidelines for Mining Near Surface and Underground Bodies of Water". This document was based on the work done by Skelly and Loy (under Contract No. H0252083) and K. Wardell and Partners (under Contract No. H0252021). How ever, these guidelines have limited application, because these did not (1) define the bodies of water of concern, and (2) take into account the nature of the strata being encountered. These guidelines assumed that all bodies of water which would be undermined were large. For the purposes of this discussion, water bodies may be divided into three categories, depending upon their potential to cause damage to the underlying mining activity: ? catastrophic ? major ? limited Bodies of water which pose the threat of catastrophic destruction in the mine, should there be an inrush, include oceans, large lakes, big inland reservoirs, and rivers that could flood the mine complete- ly in a short period. Those with major potential for damage would include lakes and streams which might present a danger to both life and property if not considered in the mining plans. Finite bodies of water which have a volume considerably smaller than the mine volume offer a limited potential for damage in the case of an inrush. These include flowing streams which have a relatively small rate of replenishment and which can be dealt with by pumping or isolation in the event of a breakthrough into the mine. Such bodies of water may be inconvenient and cause a temporary disruption of production, and could even cause some damage to equipment, but only in rare instances would personal injuries occur. The scope of this paper is limited to the exploitation of stratified mineral deposits with overlying -face bodies of water. Vein and dessiminate ore deposits are not discussed, nor are breakthroughs into adjacent mines in the same horizon. Overlying, water-logged strata also pose a serious threat to mining, but are not treated in this discussion. Pending further investigation these strata may be considered as bodies of water with catastrophic potential for damage, with the base of the strata being considered the bottom of the water body. When the body of water is large, so that it may cause catastrophic damage to the mine in the event of an inrush, the guidelines suggested in IC 8741 are applicable. In order to develop criteria and procedures for mining under smaller bodies of water, however, it is necessary that the nature of the strata disturbance due to underground mining be examined.

Jan 1, 1981

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

By Thomas Barczak

Pumpable roof supports provide an alternative longwall tailgate roof support and have grown in usage during the past few years. Heintzmann Corporation has been installing pumpable roof supports at the RAG Resources Emerald Mine in western PA since 1998, where they have provided effective roof control in their longwall tailgates. Despite the success of these supports in this application, questions remain regarding critical design issues for optimizing the use of this support technology. The support loading profile is characterized by a high initial stiffness with peak loading occurring at less than one inch of convergence, followed by significant load shedding with a post failure capacity comparable to that of wood cribbing. Therefore, the key to optimizing the support utilization is to provide sufficient load density to prevent convergence from occurring beyond the peak loading capacity. This requires an understanding of how the supports interact with the ground conditions, hence measurement of the ground reaction curve. In order to obtain this information, pumpable roof supports were instrumented to measure support loading. Roof deformation and roof-to-floor convergence measurements in the vicinity of the instrumented supports were also made. The experimental parameters for the installation were the support spacing and water¬to-solids ratio of the grout, which controls the grout strength and ultimately the maximum capacity of the support. The study clearly shows that at this mine a 24-inch diameter support is fully capable of providing adequate ground control under depths of cover of 750 ft as only 50 pct of the available support capacity was utilized outby the longwall face. It was also shown that the 2.00 to 1 water¬solids ratio, despite providing a slightly softer support response, is sufficient for maintaining the same degree of roof control provided by the traditional 1.75 to 1 grout mix. The 10-ft spacing of the supports did not cause any ground control problems outby the face. However, inby the face the performance of the support is degraded once the peak capacity of the supports is exceeded. It appears that the large load shedding behavior, which is characteristic of this support following peak loading, allows the immediate roof to separate. When this happens, the support is unable to regain control of the roof in time to prevent failure of the immediate roof beam.

Jan 1, 2003

By Houquan Zhang, Yu Wu, Yanlong Chen, Zhenfu Luo, Aihong Lu

"A non-destructive detection scheme for bolt installation quality was designed by adopting the method of non-destructive detection on bolt installation quality. Based on the field measurements, a random non-destructive detection method for determining the characteristic length including anchoring length, free segment length and initial axial load of bolt was discussed, and the characteristics of increasing bolt axial load in the initial stable stage was obtained. The results show that the bolt axial load and deformation of surrounding rocks correlate each other. Compared with the traditional detection technique for bolt installation quality, the non-destructive detection method has obvious advantages such as random, accuracy, and economic. The method provides a reliable basis for bolt support optimization and stability control of surrounding rocks.INTRODUCTIONBolt support in roadway can make the surrounding rocks and bolt form a structure in the early stage of roadway development through the bolt pre-tension, which can maximize the self-bearing capacity of surrounding rocks. Thus it is a form of active support (Kang, 2007). In order to make the bolt play an active supporting role, it needs to ensure the installation quality of bolting. Thus the bolts can supply a high initial anchoring force and control the deformation of surrounding rocks (Shan, 2009; Wei, 2012). Moreover, bolt supporting is a concealed work. Once installation quality problems appear; it will be difficult for effective detection and screening (Xie, 2008).THE PROBLEMS OF BOLT INSTALLATION QUALITY IN COAL MINE AND ITS DETECTIONThe Problems of the In Situ Bolt InstallationDue to the problems in installation environment, machine, and technique, and workers proficiency (Li, 2003), there are many problems exist in bolt installation. If the borehole depth is too long, the anchoring agent will accumulate at the bottom of the bore, which reduces the anchoring length. Furthermore, if the borehole depth is short due to the poor geological condition, the exposed part of the bolt will be too Jong and the pallet cannot cling to the rock face, which prevent the pre-tension from being applied. The pre-tension is very important for bolt installation. If pre-tension is insufficient the rock bolt cannot control the deformation of surrounding rock efficiently and the bolt anchoring force will decrease considerably. The bolt length is another important parameter for anchoring quality, which will affect the control area of bolt supporting. In addition, the cleanness of drill hole has a great influence on the effective anchorage length of bolt. If the drill hole cleaning is not enough, it will directly affect the anchoring agent and the contact area of surrounding rocks, which will decrease the effective anchorage length and initial anchor-force."

Jan 1, 2016

Tailgate pillar and tailgate-face corner humps have been a major threat to longwall coal mines where hump-prone conditions exist. The yield pillar design concept, in which the longwall chain pillars are designed in such way that they can yield in a nonviolent or controlled manner during longwall retreat, has been used in many longwall mines to prevent tailgate pillar humps. However, this practice often shifts the side abutment load onto the tailgate-face corner especially when a massive and strong sandstone member is present within the caving zone or in the vicinity of the coal seam. Therefore, the abutment pillar design concept has also been used in some hump-prone coal mines to minimize the stress concentration on the tailgate panel rib for the control of tailgate-race corner humps. The disadvantage of using the abutment pillar design concept is that it is more costly and puts additional pressure on mine operations for gate entry development and significantly reduces the recovery of coal reserve. In addition to pillar size, panel layouts. such as the panel width and panel orientation also play a critical role in pillar or face humps and should he taken into account. Based Upon the Cyprus mine design and operational experiences at Willow Creek and case studies at other bump-prone longwall nines in the U.S., the authors attempt to identify the critical factors causing coal mine bumps and to introduce some guidelines and criteria for the design of both yield and abutment pillar systems and panel layouts.

Jan 1, 1999