Cooperative Mining of Overlying Section Coal Pillars in Steeply Inclined and Extremely Close Coal Seams: A Numerical Investigation

Yang, Feng; Li, Pengjie; Sun, Qiang

doi:10.22044/jme.2026.16570.3246

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

School of Mines, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China

10.22044/jme.2026.16570.3246

Abstract

Large coal pillars result in significant resource waste. The high stress concentration within these pillars also creates safety hazards for the working face. To address this, a cooperative mining method for section coal pillars is proposed. This method is designed for seams with large inclination angles and that are extremely close to overlying pillars. The technical principles are explained. First, FLAC3D simulation software was used to investigate the effect of the spacing between the lower roadway and the section coal pillar, which determined the optimal roadway position. Then, a coupled FLAC-PFC method was employed to optimize the coal drawing process parameters. The optimal scheme was analyzed to characterize roof deformation, stress distribution, and hydraulic support loads. An engineering case study demonstrates that a spacing greater than 18 m minimizes the influence of concentrated stress, resulting in limited deformation and improved roadway stability. The study investigates coal drawing under different sequences, port widths, and methods. The optimal process was identified as downward drawing, with a 1.5 m coal drawing port width and a two-wheel sequential method. This process achieves a drawing rate of 85.62% and a gangue content of 4.61%. Analysis shows that during the pillar drawing process, the concentrated stress on the roof plate is significantly reduced, with a maximum stress decrease of 21.1 MPa, effectively alleviating stress concentration. The total force on the section hydraulic support in fully mechanized caving is 1.6×10⁴ kN, while the force in the fully mechanized mining section is 1.4×10⁴ kN.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Underground Mining

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Cooperative Mining of Overlying Section Coal Pillars in Steeply Inclined and Extremely Close Coal Seams: A Numerical Investigation

References

References

Volume 17, Issue 3May and June 2026Pages 847-864

Volume 17, Issue 3
May and June 2026
Pages 847-864