In order to understand the variation mechanism of permeability
and seepage characteristics of high-rank coal with different bedding,
we prepared cylindrical raw coal samples according to the bedding
angles of 0, 30, 45, 60, and 90° and conducted permeability tests
under two stress paths (stress path 1, unloading confining pressure
under constant axial pressure; stress path 2, simultaneous loading
axial pressure and unloading confining pressure). The results show
that the relationship between the permeability and effective stress
of high-rank coal with different bedding in the two stress paths conforms
to an exponential function, and the permeability increases gradually
with an increase in differential stress. Under the two stress paths,
the initial permeability of different bedding under the loading axial
pressure and confining pressure shows a pattern of a maximum for parallel
bedding coal samples, followed by oblique bedding coal samples, and
a minimum for vertical bedding coal samples. Under path 1, the increase
in the permeability of the oblique bedding is 21.4 times that of the
vertical bedding and 14.94 times that of the parallel bedding, and
under path 2, the increase in the permeability of the oblique bedding
is 26.45 times that of the vertical bedding and 142.11 times that
of the parallel bedding; the coal samples of the oblique bedding suffer
the greatest damage. The increase in the permeability of parallel
bedding coal samples, oblique bedding coal samples, and vertical bedding
coal samples under path 2 is 1.47 times, 13.96 times, and 11.3 times
the increase in the permeability of the corresponding coal samples
under path 1, respectively, and the damage produced by coal samples
under path 2 is greater than that under path 1.