Behaviour of abandoned room and pillar mines in Illinois

Summary Little comprehensive information has been reported on the behaviour of room-and-pillar mines. The objective of this paper is to present case data on mine failures in the Illinois basin for use in practice. Presented are results of an ongoing study and details on the site characteristics of cases where sags have developed on the surface. Site data are reported to show the geologic, mining, and sag conditions that existed. Sags mainly develop from pillar, floor, or pillar-floor failure. The character of the sags depends upon the type of mine failure as well as the overburden response.Preliminary results show that the statistical no-risk tributary pressure decreases over 300% as the mine age increases from about 2 to 100 years at a long-term value of approximately 300 psi (2070 kPa). As more information is collected and more analysis is done, the allowable tributary pressure can be determined for different site conditions.A plot is also reported that depicts the relationship of the maximum subsidence to site conditions. It was found that the modified subsidence factor was heavily dependent upon the overburden rock thickness.     

Mine subsidence damage from room and pillar mining in Illinois

Summary Data is presented on case histories of subsidence damage occurring over abandoned room and pillar mines in Illinois. The major modes of behaviour and damage in houses from sag-subsidence are described and summarized. The houses rested on crawl-space and basement foundations built from concrete and masonry. The prevalent mode of failure of bearing walls was inward bending. Failure is analysed and conventional design procedures are used to evaluate foundation failure.     

煤矿采空沉陷预测因素分析及计算方法

采空沉陷的预测是矿山开发利用、矿山地质环境保护与治理的重要依据,该文论述了影响煤矿采空沉陷预测的各种因素和应注意的问题,提出了易操作、直观、可动态管理的计算方法,以及矿山在开始采矿之前必须开展地表岩移监测等合理化建议。     

Ultimate bearing capacity and settlement of coal pillar sub-strata

Summary This paper develops a rational approach for design of coal pillars under weak floor strata conditions considering ultimate bearing capacity (UBC) as well as pillar settlement. An approximate solution is presented for estimation of UBC for a shallow foundation on a two-layered rock system with consideration of both cohesion (c) and (ø) for both layers. Similarly, deformability underneath a full-size pillar is estimated from deformability calculated from plate loading tests. The effect of adjacent pillars on UBC and deformability of coal pillars in a panel is considered using foundation engineering analysis techniques. The design of pillars based on limiting settlements considers both differential settlements as well as mean settlement of pillar in a panel. An attempt is made to validate the proposed design approach based on field data and observations at an Illinois mine.     

矿柱安全留设尺寸的宽度折减法与应用

从岩石强度理论出发,提出房柱式开采中矿柱安全留设尺寸的宽度折减法思想,通过不断折减矿柱宽度,研究矿柱由稳定状态向临界失稳状态演化过程,从而得到矿柱的临界宽度,引入矿柱安全系数,获得矿柱安全留设尺寸。采用宽度折减法对磨坊矿3#井房柱法开采矿柱安全留设尺寸进行研究,获得不同矿房跨度下矿柱的安全留设宽度。将宽度折减法得到的安全矿柱宽度与Lunder经验公式比较,研究发现,宽度折减法得到的安全矿柱宽度和Lunder经验公式的计算结果较为吻合且偏安全。结合磨坊矿3#井的开采条件和矿柱宽度折减法分析结果,确定矿房基本参数为：矿房跨度为13 m左右,矿柱宽度为5.0～5.5 m。通过对磨坊矿3#井采空区上覆岩层移动规律的监测,发现岩层相对稳定,地表沉降量控制在120～150 mm之间,用宽度折减法分析得到的矿房基本参数是合理的。     

In situ yield behaviour of a coal pillar

Summary An indication of the complete stress-strain behaviour of coal was obtained through instrumenting a headgate yield pillar and monitoring the changes in vertical and horizontal pillar stress, pillar strain, and roof-floor convergence as a function of time and distance from the moving longwall face. A semiautomated monitoring program was conducted over a 5 month period as the longwall face advanced toward and eventually passed the instrumented pillar. The development of a confined core and yield zone within the pillar was confirmed by the vertical and horizontal stress changes. Thein situ pre-failure (208 to 661 MPa) and post-failure moduli (55 to 208 MPa) of the coal were determined from the change in pillar stress versus pillar strain. Thein situ moduli are an order of magnitude lower than the 3450 MPa, commonly assumed for coal.     

Reliability level III method in design of square pillar resting on weak floor stratum

Summary Current methods of design of pillars resting on weak floor strata involve only a deterministic, conventional safety factor calculation, based on material parameters treated as the mean values taken from observations. In a case where high parameters variability occurs, these methods may lead to fatal design errors resulting in excessive pillar settlement and roof falls. Therefore, to include the influence of parameters quality, the new approach based on reliability level III method was developed. Consideration was given to the identification of the system parameters importance, and to density function for the safety factor treated as a random variable. Design procedure involving floor probability of failure was illustrated by numerical examples.     

复用回采巷道护巷煤柱合理宽度研究

为解决高瓦斯工作面双U型巷道布置中煤柱损失大、相邻工作面复用回采巷道维护困难的难题,综合采用理论分析、数值计算和现场试验的方法,研究得到煤柱宽度对相邻两工作面之间煤柱内复用巷道围岩应力分布和变形特征的影响规律：随着巷道一侧煤柱宽度的增加,巷道围岩垂直应力峰值向一侧移动,并逐渐远离巷道;当巷道一侧煤柱较小时,巷道以窄煤柱帮变形和顶板下沉为主,随着煤柱宽度增加,底鼓增大并成为巷道主要变形。以煤柱内应力峰值比值为指标,分析煤柱宽度与巷道稳定性的关系,并将不同宽度煤柱进行了稳定性分区。研究成果成功应用于工程实践,为类似条件下巷道布置提供依据。     

Groundwater geochemistry in shallow aquifers above longwall mines in Illinois, USA

 Aquifers above high-extraction underground coal mines are not affected by mine drainage, but they may still exhibit changes in groundwater chemistry due to alterations in groundwater flow induced by mine subsidence. At two active longwall mine sites in Illinois, USA, glacial-drift aquifers were largely unaffected by mining, but the geochemistry of the bedrock aquifers changed during the post-mining water-level recovery. At the Jefferson site, brackish, high-sulfate water present in the upper bedrock shale briefly had lower values of total dissolved solids (TDS) after mining due to increased recharge from the overlying drift, whereas TDS and sulfate increased in the sodium-bicarbonate water present in the underlying sandstone due to downward leakage from the shale and lateral inflow of water through the sandstone. At the Saline site, sandstones contained water ranging from brackish sodium-chloride to fresh sodium-bicarbonate type. Post-mining recovery of the potentiometric levels was minimal, and the water had minor quality changes. Longwall mining affects geochemistry due to subsidence-related fracturing, which increases downward leakage from overlying units, and due to the temporary potentiometric depression and subsequent recovery, whereby water from surrounding areas of the aquifer recharges the affected zone above and adjacent to the mine. Received, December 1998 / Revised, August 1999 / Accepted, August 1999     

兖州市采煤塌陷地治理项目管理存在问题及建议

采煤塌陷地综合治理是对因采煤造成地表塌陷沉降的区域进行综合治理,使塌陷的土地恢复其农业可利用性的复杂过程,需要投入大量的人力、物力和财力。该文结合兖州采煤塌陷地综合治理实际情况,对在采煤塌陷地治理过程中存在的几个主要问题进行分析并针对问题提出了相应建议。     

Prediction of global stability in room and pillar coal mines

Global stability is a necessary prerequisite for safe retreat mining and one of the crucial and complex problems in room and pillar mining, so its prediction plays an important role in the safety of retreat mining and the reduction of pillar failure risk. In this study, we have tried to develop predictive models for anticipating global stability. For this purpose, two of the most popular techniques, logistic regression analysis and fuzzy logic, were taken into account and a predictive model was constructed based on each. For training and testing of these models, a database including 80 retreat mining case histories from 18 room and pillar coal mines, located in West Virginia State, USA, was used. The models predict global stability based on the major contributing parameters of pillar stability. It was found that both models can be used to predict the global stability, but the comparison of two models, in terms of statistical performance indices, shows that the fuzzy logic model provides better results than the logistic regression. These models can be applied to identify the susceptibility of pillar failure in panels of coal mines, and this may help to reduce the casualties resulting from pillar instability. Finally, the sensitivity analysis was performed on database to determine the most important parameters on global stability. The results revealed that the pillar width is the most important parameter, whereas the depth of cover is the least important one.     

Geology and mining practice in relation to shallow subsidence in the Northern Coalfield,New South Wales

The former Northern Coalfield, comprising much of the Newcastle‐Maitland‐Cessnock‐Lake Macquarie region, has now been mined for two hundred years. Most of the twenty‐odd seams in the Newcastle, Tomago and Greta Coal Measures have been worked, but the bulk of production has been drawn from just four coalbeds: the Borehole, Greta, Homeville and Great Northern Seams. Literally hundreds of mine names are on record for the coalfield, the great majority working these seams at depths of less than 30 m. This paper reviews regional subsidence problems in the context of mining history, past mining practices and coal measures geology. Subsidence over shallow bord‐and‐pillar workings may result in highly disturbed ground, open fissures, cratering, seam fires and ‘creeps’ (slow surface movements caused by gradual closure of mine cavities). This form of subsidence differs from that over modern longwall mines in being less predictable, affecting much smaller areas, and occurring sometimes decades after mine abandonment. The geological factors contributing to this subsidence hazard include the multiplicity of seams, the strong roof sandstones, stiff coal and relatively soft floors, and the presence of faults and dykes. The working of thick seams like the Borehole Coal in up to three phases, leaving high, slender pillars, also contributed to later ground instability. Contrary to expectation, the main problem areas are not over haphazardly laid‐out convict‐era pits, but rather above small hand‐worked scavenger mines (‘ratholes’) which operated as late as the 1950s. Many of these short‐lived collieries still contain large voids at shallow depth, sometimes only a few metres, which must eventually collapse or be backfilled.     

高强度开采地表实时下沉研究

高强度开采是我国大型煤炭生产基地主要的生产方法。结合高强度开采地表移动主要特点和当前开采沉陷监测方法的不足,采用实时GNSS系统监测地表下沉。通过数据采集及处理等试验过程,获得了一套高强度开采条件下地表下沉实时监测方案;研究了在实时监测条件下,地表动态移动特征的分析方法,确定了榆树湾煤矿20101工作面开采,地表下沉的启动期与活跃期、最大下沉速度、超前影响角和最大下沉速度滞后角等地表移动参数,并与传统的间隔周期观测法对比,体现了本文方法的优越性。本研究对高强度采矿条件下的"三下"采煤生产有较强的指导意义。     

贵州兴旺煤矿开采地表塌陷预测方法探讨

以贵州六枝特区兴旺煤矿地表塌陷为例,采用概率积分法作为地表移动及变形预测的模式,选取下沉系数、主要影响角、主要影响半径和水平移动系数为地表移动参数,计算得出井田开采后地表最大下沉值为1425．3mm,影响面积约1．85km^2。并比较说明除移动参数外各类煤柱的留设也是其中需要考虑的因素。     

山西阳泉矿区刘村采煤塌陷机理及数值模拟

选取山西阳泉矿区单煤层开采引发的强烈地面塌陷作为研究对象,在详细介绍刘村采煤塌陷所处地质环境背景及其发育变形特征的基础上,根据区域岩体工程地质特征,将其划分为12层岩组;运用关键层、复合关键层理论对采煤塌陷机理进行了分析,获取Hoek-Brown岩体力学参数;采用Flac5.0 Extrusion对刘村采煤塌陷坑进行了反演模拟。数值模拟反映各阶段采动裂缝在地表的发育分布情况并计算了最终沉降量,覆盖层裂缝自然修复周期为2个月,基岩裂缝自然修复周期为3个月;采动裂缝最终在平面上呈"θ"形,塌陷中心1和塌陷中心2最终沉降量分别达到4.5 m和4 m,塌陷面积是工作面面积的1.85倍。模拟结果与调查监测数据高度吻合,客观地反映了地表变形和深部覆岩塌陷的发展变化过程,为塌陷机理分析起到了帮助作用。该套岩体力学参数与模拟方法适用于阳泉矿区采煤塌陷精准预测。     

采动区地表动态沉降预测的Richards模型

针对Knothe时间函数在采动区地表动态沉降预测中存在着较大偏差的问题,提出了地表动态沉降预测的Richards模型。基于开采过程中的地表沉降变形规律,给出了能够反映地表沉降全过程的理想时间函数模型所具有的基本特征,引入Richards生长曲线模型,分析了模型参数与地质采矿条件之间的定性、定量关系,并探讨了模型的适用范围,指出地表发生连续的、渐变的沉降变形时,模型预测效果较好。实例分析表明,Richards模型符合理想时间函数模型的要求,可较好地模拟采动区地表动态沉降过程,能够计算出地表移动持续时间和地表点在某一时刻的下沉值、下沉速度、加速度等动态参数,且模型的可塑性较强,具有较广泛的适用性     

金属矿山阶段嗣后充填胶结充填体矿柱力学模型分析

矿柱宽度和充填体自立高度是阶段嗣后充填顺利实施的重要影响因素。基于弹性力学平面应变基本假设,建立阶段嗣后胶结充填体矿柱力学模型并进行理论求解。以某铁矿为工程分析实例,采用控制变量法（CVM）研究矿柱不同宽度、高度条件下,水平应力和剪应力的变化规律。研究表明：矿房极限宽度和高度分别为19.8 m和103.2 m。胶结充填体矿柱水平应力随矿柱高度的增高而逐渐增大;剪应力在矿柱中心位置达到最大,且高度越大,剪应力值也越大。在胶结充填体矿柱与非胶结充填体接触侧剪应力趋于定值。矿柱宽度分别为15、18、20 m时,其剪应力分别为243.8、292.6、325.1 kPa。而产生剪应力的主要原因是非胶结充填体受水平应力作用在与胶结充填体矿柱接触面产生滑动摩擦力所致。     

Yield pillars for stress control in longwall mines — case study

Summary The demand for increased productivity and the problems associated with mining at greater depths have increased the interest in using the yield pillar concept in the United States. This paper summarizes chain pillar behaviour in a mine that historically experienced coal bumps in both room-and-pillar and longwall sections. Results indicate that, generally, the chain pillars yield as designed, but that yielding occurred either after development or with approach of the longwall face. The Bureau of Mines investigated several yield pillar design approaches to possibly explain observed differences in pillar behaviour. These approaches suggest that very localized conditions, such as coal and rock properties, cover depth, and extraction height, may influence the behaviour of any one pillar. At this mine, yielding chain pillars result in de-stressing of the longwall entries and the transfer of potentially dangerous stress concentrations to adjacent panels. Pre-longwall-mining behaviour indicates the existence of a pressure arch, the width of which increases with depth. Results indicate that use of yield pillars improves stress control, reduces bump potential, and increases resource recovery.