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Numerical Study of the Roof Fall and Out of Seam Dilution and Their Event Risk in a Mechanized Longwall Panel

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Abstract

Longwall mining operation is mainly accompanied by the roof fall phenomenon and out of seam dilution (OSD). These occurrences are strongly dependent on the quality of the face's roof and floor. Therefore, the existence of discontinuities in the floor and roof reduces their quality, increasing the intensity of roof fall and OSD. This paper suggests a synthetic rock mass (SRM) model which is able to simulate roof behavior by initiating and tracking of fractures in cave mining, in order to predict the roof fall and OSD and to evaluate their event risk. For this purpose, longwall mining, including excavation of coal, installation of powered support, and caving the roof, has been successfully established in this numerical model using the PFC2D approach. The risk analysis in a panel of Tabas mine using the matrix risk model indicated that the risk level of roof fall is moderate and the risk level of OSD is high. The results of SRM modeling are consistent with previous studies and field observations at the Tabas coal mine, indicating that the SRM model is a powerful technique for studying the behavior of discontinuities in mining.

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Data Availiability

All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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  1. Department of Mining Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, 7618868366, Iran

    Hossein Arasteh, Gholamreza Saeedi & Mohammad Ali Ebrahimi Farsangi

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  1. Hossein Arasteh
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  2. Gholamreza Saeedi
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  3. Mohammad Ali Ebrahimi Farsangi
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Correspondence to Gholamreza Saeedi.

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Arasteh, H., Saeedi, G. & Farsangi, M.A.E. Numerical Study of the Roof Fall and Out of Seam Dilution and Their Event Risk in a Mechanized Longwall Panel. Geotech Geol Eng 41, 967–984 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-022-02317-0

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