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Analysis of Fracture Evolution Characteristics and Formation Mechanism of Inter-Layer Rock Under Different Mining Areas

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Abstract

As the shallow coal seams are gradually being exhausted, mining of the lower group of coal seams in the shallowly buried proximity coal seam group becomes inevitable. Due to geological conditions affecting the upper group coal seams, various coal mining methods have resulted in a significant number of non-sufficient and sufficient collapse mining areas. The presence of water and gas in these mining areas can potentially impact the safe production of the lower group coal seams through inter-layer rock fractures. Therefore, studying the evolution characteristics and formation mechanism of inter-layer rock fractures is of utmost importance. In this paper, we employ theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and similar simulation methods to investigate the evolution characteristics and formation mechanism of inter-layer rock fractures during the mining of the lower 3–1 coal seam. We specifically focus on the formation of different mining areas in the upper 2–2 coal seam, using the mining of 2–2 and 3–1 coal seams in the Hanjiawan coal mine as our research context. The study results reveal that the inter-layer rock fractures exhibit an overall positive trapezoidal distribution in different mining areas. We quantify the variation in density and width of inter-layer rock fractures in the two mining areas by utilizing the concept of rock damage degree. We analyze the overall damage degree, tensile damage degree, and shear damage degree ratios. The formation of inter-layer rock fractures is primarily influenced by the combined effect of various coal mining methods in both the upper and lower coal seams. The stress changes resulting from mining activities in these seams contribute to the development of transverse separation fractures and longitudinal breaking fractures within the inter-layer rock. The stress changes induced by mining operations in the upper and lower coal seams have been analyzed, and distinct stress regions have been identified. To understand the mechanism of inter-layered rock fracture development in the upper and lower coal seams, a mechanical expansion model of inter-layer rock fractures has been constructed for different stress regions.

Highlights

  • The evolution process and development characteristics of inter-layered rock fractures, as well as their differences when different coal mining methods are employed in the upper coal seam, have been revealed.

  • To determine the influencing factors and development patterns of inter-layered rock fractures under different coal mining methods.

  • Quantitatively comparing and analyzing the damage of inter-layered rock and the percentage of damage degree under different coal mining methods, we found that the damage degree was 61% and 52%, respectively.

  • The study shows that when mining the upper coal seam, the inter-layer rock primarily extends through primary microscopic fractures. On the other hand, when opening the lower coal seam, the main development is observed in macroscopic tension fractures and shear misalignment fractures.

  • Based on the study of the development process of macroscopic fractures and microscopic fractures in the inter-layered rock, the mechanism of fracture development and evolution of the inter-layered rock under different coal mining methods has been determined.

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Funding

Funding was provided by National Outstanding Youth Science Fund Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 52004200 and 52004204) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 51774229).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy Engineering, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, 710054, China

    Jie Zhang, Jianjun Wu, Tao Yang, Sen Yang, Yifeng He & Shoushi Gao

  2. Key Laboratory for Mining and Disaster Prevention in the West of the Ministry of Education, Xi’an, 710054, China

    Jie Zhang, Jianjun Wu, Tao Yang & Sen Yang

  3. Shaanxi Mineral Resources Investigation and Evaluation Center, Xi’an, 710054, China

    Bing Peng

Authors
  1. Jie Zhang
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  2. Jianjun Wu
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  3. Tao Yang
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  4. Sen Yang
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  5. Yifeng He
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  6. Shoushi Gao
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  7. Bing Peng
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Correspondence to Jianjun Wu.

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Zhang, J., Wu, J., Yang, T. et al. Analysis of Fracture Evolution Characteristics and Formation Mechanism of Inter-Layer Rock Under Different Mining Areas. Rock Mech Rock Eng 57, 3787–3811 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-023-03757-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-023-03757-7

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