The 4th International Symposium on Mine Safety Science and Engineering (ISMSSE2018)

282 / 2018-04-26 17:44:42

Numerical approach for yield pillar design under fractured ground conditions in longwall coal mining

Entry driven along goaf-side,Numerical simulation,Longwall mining,Yield pillar

Mine Dynamics Disaster > roof

Entry driven along goaf-side (EDG), which is to develop the entry of the next longwall panel along the goaf-side and isolate the entry from goaf with a small-width yield pillar, has been widely employed in the past few decades in China. The width of such a yield pillar has a crucial effect in EDG layout in terms of ground control, isolation effect and recourse recovery rate. On the basis of a case study, this paper presents a methodology of evaluation, design and optimization of EDG and the yield pillar by considering results from numerical simulation and field practice. In order to analyze the ground stability rigorously, the numerical study begins with the simulation of goaf-side stress and the ground condition. Four global models with identical conditions except the width of the yield pillar are built and the effect of the pillar width on ground stability has been investigated with comparison in aspects of stress distribution, failure propagation, and displacement evolution in the entire service life of entry. On the basis of simulation results, the isolation effect of the pillar acquired from field practice is also taken into consideration. The suggested optimal yield pillar design is validated from a field test in the same mine. Thus the presented methodology provides references and can be utilized for evaluation, design and optimization of EDG and yield pillars under similar geological and geotechnical circumstances.