Strata behaviour and stability control of the automatic roadway formation by roof cutting below a fault influenced longwall goaf

Abstract

Automatic roadway formation by roof cutting (ARFRC) is a novel nonpillar mining method that has the potential to dramatically increase coal recovery while reducing the roadway excavation ratio. When this method is used below a fault influenced longwall goaf, large deformation and support failure occur in the roadway using conventional roadway formation techniques. In the study, the ARFRC method was tested in the Liliu mining area of China, which is characterized by goafs and faults. Field experiments and numerical modelling were used to evaluate the stability of the roadway by analysing the behaviour of overlying strata under the special geological condition. The results show that the surroundings of the formed roadway were greatly affected by the fault and the overlying coal pillar in the goaf. In the fault- and coal pillar-affected areas, the loads on the roadway roof increased by approximately 35% and 15%, respectively. According to the strata behaviour of the formed roadway surroundings, targeted support techniques for ARFRC were proposed, and the reliability of the support techniques were demonstrated by field practice.