Geo-stress Fields Simulated with 3D FEM and Their Qualitative Influence on Coal and Gas Outburst

Coal and gas outbursts took place about thirty times at one coal mine in China, which not only caused safety problems but also hindered the regular production in different degree. In-situ geo-stresses of two points are successfully measured near coal and gas outburst locations, and the measured maximum principal stress is approximately at the horizontal direction, while the minimum principal stress is at the vertical direction. A three-dimensional model is built with FEM software of ANSYS, the measured geo-stress are taken as boundary pressures to be applied on the FEM model, and the geo-stress fields in the coal seam are calculated. In the end, the qualitative influence of the maximum principal geo-stress on coal and gas outburst is analyzed based on the relationship between geo-stress and number of coal and gas outburst.