Protective coal layer (PCL) mining is a preferred regional method for preventing coal and gas outbursts; stress‐relief of PCL mining is the prerequisite of pressure‐relief gas drainage. In order to study the stress‐relief effect of PCL mining on protected coal seams and determine the protection scope of PCL mining under different inclinations, this paper uses physical simulations to study the stress‐relief law and deformation characteristics of the strata during upper PCL mining with a gentle inclination (25°), an intermediate inclination (45°), and a steep inclination (65°). The results show that as the coal seam dip increases, the degree of deformation and failure of the overburden strata gradually decreases, the severe subsidence and expansion area of the overburden strata tends to gradually develop in the uphill direction of the working face, and the floor strata underlying the protective seam significantly expand toward the goaf. However, the absolute value of the upward movement of the floor strata is much smaller than that of the roof strata; and the greater the dip angle, the greater the ratio of floor displacement to roof subsidence. The stress‐relief curve of the protected layer is approximately U‐shaped. As the inclination of the coal seam increases, the stress‐relief range decreases gradually. The maximum relief‐stress and the stress release coefficient of the protected layer initially increase and then decrease. The stress concentration coefficient of the protected coal seam initially increases first and then decreases in both uphill and downhill of the working face in the PCL. As the inclination increases, the stress‐relief angle of the downhill boundary initially increases and then decreases, while the stress‐relief angle of the uphill boundary decreases gradually. Our research results provide guidance for the delimitation of the protected scope of PCLs with different dip angles.

Mine fires are becoming a serious issue as the intensity of mining increases, especially in deep mines. Loose coal gob has a hidden ignition location and a high possibility of spontaneous combustion, which makes fire prevention difficult. Therefore, based on the theory of gas seepage and the characteristics of loose coal, a model of air leakage and spontaneous combustion in gob is established in this paper. Using working face #10414 in the Yangliu coal mine as an example, the relationship between the three spontaneous coal combustion (CSC) zones and the three stress zones is analyzed and verified by combining a FLAC3D simulation with field monitoring. In addition, the influence of advancing speed on the CSC is discussed, and suggestions for fire prevention are presented. The results show that the variation in the calorific value of the CSC with increasing degree of looseness of the residual coal in the gob forms an arch‐shape. There is a one‐to‐one relationship between the distribution of the three stress zones and the three CSC zones. In addition, as the advancing speed increases, the contact time between the loose coal body and the air decreases and the possibility of CSC decreases. This study provides a scientific basis for fire prevention and control in mines.

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