Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Closure of Fracture Due to Cover Stress Re-establishment After Coal Mining

  • Original paper
  • Published:
Geotechnical and Geological Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In situ measurements of deformations, stresses, and closure of fractures, affecting water inflow following coal mining, are challenging due to the inaccessibility of fractured rock. In this paper, the authors studied the closure process of the fractured rock mass with the cover stress re-establishment based on a theoretical analysis and a scale model testing. A quantitative analysis is used to study the fracture distribution in the fractured zone. A function to describe a fracture aperture distribution in the fractured zone is proposed, which takes into account the curvature and thickness of the fractured rock. The theoretical analysis and a scale model testing both indicate that the cover stress re-establishment with mining distance increasing and the relationship between the fracture closure and cover stress re-establishment both satisfy a logarithmic function. The scale model test also shows the following features: (1) the fracture ratio (which is the fracture area divided by the total area of fracture and intact rock with a unit width in the vertical or horizontal direction) in the lower part of the fractured rock mass is greater than that in the upper part; (2) the initially fast decreased of fracture ratios is then followed by a slower decrease during the cover stress re-establishment process; (3) in the upper part of the rock mass, the vertical directional fractures with small apertures are being closed with cover stress re-establishment, which indicates an increase in the water resistance reducing the seepage from these parts of the fractured zone. This study improves the general understanding of the fracture closure process and cover stress re-establishment in the fractured rock mass after coal mining ceased, and provides a theoretical basis for water resource protection in case of underground coal mining.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alireza B, Lanru J (2008) Stress effects on permeability in a fractures rock mass with correlated fracture length and aperture. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 45:1320–1334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandis SC, Lumsden AC, Barton NR (1983) Fundamentals of rock joint deformation. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci Géoméch Abstr 20(6):249–268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karacan CÖ, Goodman G (2009) Hydraulic conductivity changes and influencing factors in longwall overburden determined by slug tests in gob gas ventholes. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 46(7):1162–1174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim JM, Parizek RR, Elsworth D (1997) Evaluation of fully-coupled strata deformation and groundwater flow in response to longwall mining. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 34(8):1187–1199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Elsworth D (1997) Three-dimensional effects of hydraulic conductivity enhancement and desaturation around mined panels. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 34(8):1139–1152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Elsworth D, Brady BH (1999) Linking stress-dependent effective porosity and hydraulic conductivity fields to RMR. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 36(5):581–596

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Majdi A, Hassani FP, Nasiri MY (2012) Prediction of the height of destressed zone above the mined panel roof in longwall coal mining. Int J Coal Geol 98:62–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miao X, Cui X, Wang J et al (2011) The height of fractured water-conducting zone in undermined rock strata. Eng Geol 120(1):32–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palchik V (2003) Formation of fractured zones in overburden due to longwall mining. Environ Geol 44(1):28–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Peng SS, Chiang HS (1984) Longwall mining. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Philippe S, Aurélien B, Rodolphe C et al (2011) In-situ characterization of the effective elasticity of a fault zone, and its relationship to fracture spacing. J Struct Geol 33:1541–1553

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qian M-G, Miao X-X, Xu J-L (1996) Theoretical study of key stratum in ground control. J China Coal Soc 21(3):225–230 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Salamon MDG (1990) Mechanism of caving in longwall coal mining. In: Rock mechanics contributions and challenges: proceedings of the 31st US symposium. Golden, Colorado, pp 161–168

  • Sui W-H, Hang Y, Ma L-X et al (2015) Interactions of overburden failure zones due to multiple-seam mining using longwall caving. Bull Eng Geol Environ 74(3):1019–1035

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang W-X, Sui W-H, Dong Q-H et al (2013) Closure effect of mining-induced fractures under sand aquifers and prediction of overburden failure due to re-mining. J China Coal Soc 38(10):1723–1729 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang W-X, Sui W-H, Dong Q-H et al (2014) Influence of cover stress re-establishment on the permeability evolution of the mining-induced fractures. J China Coal Soc 39(06):1031–1038 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang W-X, Sui W-H, Faybishenko B et al (2016) Permeability variations within mining-induced fractured rock mass and its influence on groundwater inrush. Environ Earth Sci 75(4):1–15. doi:10.1007/s12665-015-5064-5

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson AH (1983) The stability of underground workings in the soft rocks of the coal measures. Int J Min Eng 1(2):91–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worthington MH, Lubbe R (2007) The scaling of fracture compliance. Geol Soc Lond Spec Publ 270:73–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yavuz H (2004) An estimation method for cover pressure re-establishment distance and pressure distribution in the goaf of longwall coal mines. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 41(2):193–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J, Shen B (2004) Coal mining under aquifers in China: a case study. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 41(4):629–639

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang D-S, Fan G-W, Ma L-Q et al (2009a) Harmony of large-scale underground mining and surface ecological environment protection in desert district-a case study in Shendong mining area, northwest of China. Procedia Earth Planet Sci 1(1):1114–1120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang D-S, Ma L-Q, Wang X-F et al (2009b) Aquifer-protective mining technique and its application in shallowly buried coal seams in Northwest of China. Procedia Earth Planet Sci 1(1):60–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang D-S, Fan G-W, Liu Y-D et al (2010) Field trials of aquifer protection in longwall mining of shallow coal seams in China. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 47(6):908–914

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang D-S, Fan G-W, Ma L-Q et al (2011) Aquifer protection during longwall mining of shallow coal seams: a case study in the Shendong Coalfield of China. Int J Coal Geol 86(2):190–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The high-level personnel scientific research startup project of North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power (40470), Henan institution of higher education key scientific research project (16A410004) and an open project funding from Chinese Research Center on Levee Safety and Disaster Prevention of Ministry of Water Resources are acknowledged. The authors sincerely thank Gregory Weissmann and Trevor Mone of the University of the Pacific for their editorial help.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Henan Province Key Laboratory of Rock and Soil Mechanics and Structural Engineering, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450045, China

    Wenxue Wang & Tong Jiang

  2. Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Boris Faybishenko

  3. Collaborative Innovation Center of Water Resources Efficient Utilization and Guarantee Engineering, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450045, China

    Zhongfu Wang

  4. Changjiang Institute of Survey, Planning, Design and Research, Wuhan, 430010, China

    Wei Hu

  5. Taiping Coal Mine, Lutai Coal Mining Company, Jining, 273517, China

    Qingjie Zhao

Authors
  1. Wenxue Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tong Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Boris Faybishenko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Zhongfu Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Wei Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Qingjie Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tong Jiang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wang, W., Jiang, T., Faybishenko, B. et al. Closure of Fracture Due to Cover Stress Re-establishment After Coal Mining. Geotech Geol Eng 34, 1525–1537 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-016-0059-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-016-0059-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation