Abstract
This study investigated the development and formation of ground fissures at panel 12,401 of the Shangwan Colliery in the Shendong mining area, characterized by the current largest mining height and an aeolian sand surface in China. An integrated monitoring method was employed to examine the ground subsidence, distribution and development pattern of ground fissures, and the relationship between fissure width and depth, including an unmanned aerial vehicle, ground penetrating radar, and real-time kinematic and manual measurements. Then, the development and formation mechanisms of ground fissures were elucidated through theoretical analysis and physical simulation. The results indicate that ultra large mining height longwall panel extraction causes a greater ground subsidence and horizontal deformation than those of the conventions, resulting in more severe damage in the permanent margin area. The ratio of burial depth to mining height (H/M) decreases to less than 30 due to the ultra large mining height, and deep-burial panel displays the characteristics of shallow coal seam mining, such as “step subsidence”. The sliding instability of the primary key stratum causes the simultaneous cutting-off of the aeolian sand layer to form step-like ground fissures. The cause of the tensile fissures is the horizontal surface deformation exceeding the deformation threshold of the aeolian sand layer, and the dynamic tensile fissures were self-restored in 2 weeks as the panel advanced. Step-like fissures connected the working face with the ground, but the depth of the tensile fissures was less than 5.0 m and increased linearly with the fissure width.
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Funding
Financial support for this work was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51861145403, U1910206, 52130402), Yue Qi Distinguished Scholar Project, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing) (2017JCB02), National Natural Science Foundation of China (51874312), Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation (8184082, 8212032), the Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of Mining-induced Response and Disaster Prevention and Control in Deep Coal Mines (SKLMRDPC19KF08), and the 2021 start-up fund for introducing talents and scientific research of Anhui University of Science and Technology (2021yjrc11).
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He, X., Zhao, Y., Yang, K. et al. Development and formation of ground fissures induced by an ultra large mining height longwall panel in Shendong mining area. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80, 7879–7898 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02429-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02429-6