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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2023) | Viewed by 13791

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zhijie Wen

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Guest Editor

Mining Colledge, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Interests: underground reservoir development; deep resource extraction; geological disaster prevention; intelligent warning system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Guolei Liu

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Guest Editor

School of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China
Interests: mine safety and rock formation control

Prof. Dr. Mingshi Gao

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Guest Editor

School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: roadway surrounding rock control; prevention and control of rock burst disaster

Dr. Jinhao Wen

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Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China
Interests: roadway surrounding rock control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the gradual increase of coal resources mining depth, the deep coal rock body is in a high ground pressure environment, showing the typical characteristics of long rheology and strong expansion and expansion. At the same time, deep coal mining can cause strong disturbance effects, which leads to increased stress concentration in the surrounding rock of the roadway, making roadway support difficult and dynamic disasters frequent. For example, in the Suncun coal mine in the Xinwen mining area, the deformation of the surrounding rocks in the deeper sections of the roadway is so severe that the amount of coal dust discharged from the pressure relief boreholes is several times the conventional value. At the same time, high ground stress, high karst water pressure, high ground temperature, high gas, and multi-field coupling of dynamic loads all lead to significantly different engineering responses in the deep rock.

For example, the superposition of high ground stresses and strong mining stresses can easily cause non-stationary damage characteristics such as continuous large deformation of the coal tunnel envelope. The most significant feature of the lithology of the coal seam roof and the floor is the widespread distribution of various types of mudstone, which leads to severe weathering of the rock seam after exposure and a significant reduction in the integrity and strength of the rock seam. In addition, the deterioration of rock strength in turn leads to increased rock expansion and rheology, which eventually leads to large deformation and destabilisation of the surrounding rock and damage. These factors will bring unprecedented technical challenges, implying the need to improve the means of controlling the surrounding rock in deep coal tunnels as soon as possible to ensure the safety of construction.

As underground works continue to advance deeper, the coupling of high ground stress, strong mining disturbances and multiple disaster-causing factors brings more challenges. In this Special Issue, we focus on the latest and most challenging research topics in the area of deformation and damage control of deep roadway rock enclosures. We invite researchers to contribute to this Special Issue through original research articles and review articles on the mechanisms and control of geohazards and their application in solving engineering problems.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following：

Mechanisms of multi-field coupled damage in deep highly stressed roadway enclosures
In situ geomechanical testing and classification of deep high stress roadway perimeter rocks
Quantitative evaluation methods for the stability of deep coal mine roadway envelopes
Spatial and temporal evolution of three-dimensional mining stress in deep coal rock and mechanical behaviour of coal rock body
Relationship between microscopic fracture evolution and macroscopic deformation response in deep coal rocks
Characteristics and coupling effects of complex stress field and support stress field distribution in a deep area
Control theory and technology of long rheology and strong expansion of deep roadway surrounding rock
Research on the deformation and damage mechanism of deep high stress along hollow stay roadway and control of surrounding rock
Theory and practice of deep large mining height support
Research on the control technology of deep high stress large section roadway surrounding rock
Research on the coordination mechanism and technical equipment of deep shaft boring support
Intelligent tunnelling technology and equipment for deep roadways
Development of drilling and anchoring robots for deep roadway excavation workings
Theory and application of deep high stress roadway rock unloading and support synergy
Deep efficient energy-absorbing and anti-impact support materials and equipment
Deep high-stress roadway slurry reinforcement and control mechanism
Research on coupled support technology for deep high stress roadways

Prof. Dr. Zhijie Wen
Dr. Guolei Liu
Prof. Dr. Mingshi Gao
Dr. Jinhao Wen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

deep mining
soft rock support
surrounding rock control
support technology and equipment
design and evaluation of support system

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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15 pages, 9535 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical Properties and Strength Characteristics of Rock–Coal–Rock Assemblages under Different Peripheral Pressures

by Hongda Wang, Jucai Chang, Tuo Wang, Hualei Zhang and Yijun Guo

Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12463; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612463 - 16 Aug 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1383

Abstract

To investigate the deformation and damage characteristics of internal coal bodies of small pillars under different pressures, rock–coal–rock assemblage samples were subjected to the conventional triaxial compression test to analyze the mechanical behavior characteristics under different pressures. The results showed that, with the increase in peripheral pressure, the peak strength and modulus of elasticity of the assemblage specimens increased, the range of fracture compaction stage gradually decreased, and the specimen was gradually transformed from brittle to ductile. With an increase in peripheral pressure, the residual strength gradually increased, and the strength decay coefficient gradually decreased. The strength decay coefficient decreased the most at 0–10 MPa, and this decrease slowed down after exceeding 15 MPa. When the peripheral pressure was 0 MPa, the damage degree of the coal pillar was larger. With the increase in peripheral pressure, the number of cracks in the coal column increased, the damage degree increased more, and mixed damage characteristics of tension–shear were found. Based on the Hoek–Brown criterion, the strength criterion applicable to the specimen of rock–coal–rock combination was obtained through numerical fitting iteration, which provides an experimental and theoretical basis for realizing the stability control of small coal columns. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Scientific Design of Deep Underground Engineering)

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21 pages, 7288 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Structure Restrengthening Process and Mechanical Properties of Damaged Weakly Cemented Mudstone

by Shuai Wang, Lijun Han, Shukun Zhang and Haohao Wang

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9148; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129148 - 6 Jun 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1264

Abstract

The stable surrounding rock is the key to ensuring tunnel availability in weakly cemented strata. In recent years, the joint support scheme of “steel beam + anchor net rope + grouting” was proposed based on numerical analysis, laboratory tests, and field tests, which was efficient in the short term. However, the effect of time and environment on the support structure was neglected. The weakly cemented mudstone was sensitive to water, with disintegration soaking up water and consolidation losing water. In this paper, analogy-based remolded soil puts forward the structural restrengthening of damaged mudstone. It was believed that when the clay content of a rock mass exceeded the critical proportion, the restrengthened structure could be regained under certain conditions of consolidation stress and water content. On the one hand, the residual strength of broken mudstone can be improved; on the other hand, pores and cracks are filled with minerals, restraining further water absorption. The structural strengthening feasibility of damaged mudstone was verified based on the geological characteristics and microscopic and strength tests. It is found that restrengthening specimens form cementation on the contacts of broken blocks. The greater the consolidation stress and moisture content, the denser the structure and the higher the strength. The research contributes to supporting the construction of weakly cemented mudstone. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Scientific Design of Deep Underground Engineering)

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16 pages, 8234 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Coal Floor Fault Activation Inducing Water Inrush Using Microseismic Monitoring—A Case Study in Zhaogu No. 1 Coal Mine of Henan Province, China

by Chongwei Xin, Fuxing Jiang, Changzhi Zhai and Yan Chen

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7361; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097361 - 28 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1353

Abstract

Previously conducted studies have established that mining activities can activate faults, which will cause floor water inrush disasters and cause loss of personnel and property. In order to reduce the possibility of water inrush disasters in mining, it is particularly important to study the dynamic characteristics and rules of floor fault activation under the influence of mining. In this work, firstly, a microseismic monitoring system was established in the working face to analyze the changes of microseismic indexes before and after grouting. It was found that grouting can enhance the strength of a rock mass and play a role in sealing the water channel. Secondly, the quadratic kernel function of microseismic event energy was established. It was found that the accumulation degree of microseismic events and the region of high energy kernel density increased with the decrease of the distance between the working face and the left boundary of the “analysis region”. Combined with a microseismic event index and water inflow, the activation process of the floor fault was divided into five stages. Finally, the plastic failure region of surrounding rock under different excavation steps was analyzed by numerical simulation, and the characteristics of fault activation were further explained. A method of taking measures to prevent water inrush in the “sign stage of fault activation” was proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Scientific Design of Deep Underground Engineering)

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20 pages, 12541 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Deformation Characteristics of Surrounding Rock of Roadway with Coal–Rock Interface

by Tuo Wang, Jucai Chang and Yijun Guo

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5347; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065347 - 17 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1436

Abstract

Surrounding rock of roadway with a coal–rock interface is a common form in coal mines. In order to determine deformation characteristics and obtain the control principle of roadways with a coal–rock interface, the interface between the roof and coal seam was added to simulate the weak cohesion between the stratum. In this model, the interface shear stiffness was considered to be one of the key factors affecting horizontal inward movement of the roadway sidewalls. The deformation of the roadway with or without coal–rock interface under different burial depths was analyzed. Then, the shear stiffness of the interface element was changed to study the influence of shear stiffness on roadway deformation. At the same time, the characteristics of discontinuous deformation caused by the coal–rock interface at different positions in the roadway were studied. The results show that the roadway sidewall appeared to bulge in the middle and there is no dislocation and a small deformation in the contact position of the roadway sidewall with the roof and the floor when there is no interface between the stratum of the roadway. When there is an interface, the sidewall of the roadway is extruded as a whole, the slip and dislocation between the coal sidewall and the roof were obvious, and the maximum deformation of the sidewall is 1.68 times that of the roadway without an interface. When the shear stiffness of the interface is low, the deformation and the range of the plastic zone of roadway are large, with a large deformation at the upper part of the roadway sidewall, and a small deformation at the lower part of the roadway sidewall. The deformation of sidewall at the interface position decreases gradually with the increase of the interface shear stiffness, approaching the shape without the interface. When the coal–rock interface is at the sidewall of the roadway, the deformation of the rock and coal body at the interface is discontinuous, with slip and dislocation. The greater the proportion of rock height in the roadway sidewall, the greater the rock deformation. On the contrary, the coal deformation increases. It is more reasonable to simulate the deformation of roadways by adding a coal–rock interface, and the results are closer to the actual situation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Scientific Design of Deep Underground Engineering)

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11 pages, 2797 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research into the Mechanism and Application of Liquid CO₂ Phase-Transition Fracturing in a Coal Seam to Enhance Permeability

by Feng Zhang

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3308; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043308 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1273

Abstract

The geological structures of the coal fields in China are complex. With a continuous increase in the mining depth, the coal seams show the characteristics of high gas and low permeability, and the disaster potential for a coal and gas outburst intensifies in the process of coal mining. Gas drainage is one of the primary measures used to prevent and control gas disasters. Effectively improving the permeability of a coal seam requires urgent attention. Currently, the method of loose blasting is used in engineering to enhance the permeability of coal seams. However, the technology of loose blasting easily leads to the poor development of coal fractures or the severe crushing of coal, which will affect the gas drainage. Thus, this paper studied the technology of liquid CO₂ phase-transition fracturing in a coal seam. COMSOL was used to determine the influence radius of the liquid carbon-dioxide phase-transition cracking, which was 13.4 m, and to design the scheme of the borehole. The field test was carried out in the 81,506th working face of the Baode Coal Mine. From the onsite-monitoring data, the results showed that the drainage effect increased by 293.9%, the gas-drainage concentration increased by 242.4%, the permeability coefficient of the coal seam increased by 3–7.75 times, and the permeability enhancement effect was good. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Scientific Design of Deep Underground Engineering)

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17 pages, 18323 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deformation and Failure Laws of Surrounding Rocks of Coal Roadways under High Dynamic Load and Intelligent Prediction

by Aoran Li, Guangzhen Cui, Peng Wang, Xinjie Wang, Zhengtao Hong, Jiangrong Kong and Jiaguang Kan

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1313; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021313 - 10 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1330

Abstract

Under high dynamic load, roadway deformation and failure may occur, posing great challenges. As for now, few studies have been carried out on the impacts of various factors on the deformation of roadway surrounding rocks under high dynamic load, not to mention those on intelligent prediction of the deformation and failure laws. This paper fills these research gaps by studying the deformation and failure characteristics of roadway surrounding rocks and the intelligent prediction method under high dynamic load. The finite difference software Flac3D was used to analyze the influences of roadway buried depth, lithology, and side pressure coefficient on the stability of surrounding rocks and a model was constructed for deformation prediction under high dynamic load. Finally, the influence of various factors on the deformation and their weight was obtained and the deformation can be predicted in line with the BP neural network prediction theory. The results show that the prediction effect is good, with high accuracy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Scientific Design of Deep Underground Engineering)

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16 pages, 4966 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Influence of Roadway Structural Morphology on the Mechanical Properties of Weakly Cemented Soft Rock Roadways

by Yongli Liu, Jingtao Li, Yanwei Duan, Tao Qin and Zhenwen Liu

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 821; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010821 - 2 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1584

Abstract

We used the 11,303 return air roadway of the Hongqingliang coal mine as the engineering background for a study exploring the impact of the structural morphology of the roadway on the stress distribution characteristics and the stability of a weakly cemented soft-rock mine roadway. This work studies the evolution law of stress and deformation, and the plastic zone of weakly cemented soft-rock roadways with retaining the top or bottom coal seams. The results show that when retaining the top coal is replaced by the bottom coal, the high-stress zone of the vertical stress is reduced, the peak stress is decreased, and the stress concentration coefficient is slightly reduced from 1.67 to 1.64. The peak value of the vertical displacement of the roof of the shaft which was 78.4% of that of the top coal also decreases significantly, while the peak value of the vertical displacement of the floor, which was 1.37 times that of the top coal, increases. The equal area method was used to change the aspect ratio of the roadway. When the aspect ratio decreased from 1.38 to 0.88, the high-stress zone of the vertical stress was reduced, the stress peak decreased, and the stress concentration coefficient decreased from 1.8 to 1.75. The vertical displacement of the roof increased by 27.7% from 10.91 mm to 13.93 mm, and the vertical displacement of the floor increased by 15.2% from 6.60 mm to 7.60 mm. The plastic failure range was significantly reduced, particularly at the bottom corners. These findings show that structural morphology has a great influence on the floor heave of weakly cemented soft rock. Reasonable retention of the top or bottom coal and the aspect ratio of the roadway can prevent the deformation and failure of the roadway in weakly cemented soft rock. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Scientific Design of Deep Underground Engineering)

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17 pages, 4407 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study on Permeability Evolution of Deep Coal Considering Temperature

by Xiangyu Wang and Lei Zhang

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 14923; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214923 - 11 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1217

Abstract

With the depletion of shallow mineral resources, the sustainable development and utilization of deep mineral resources will become a normal activity. As a type of clean energy to promote sustainable development, gas in deep coal seams has attracted wide attention. A better understanding of the permeability evolution induced by mining disturbance and the geological environment is of great importance for underground coal exploitation and gas extraction. In order to analyze the evolution of the mechanical properties and permeability of deep coal that are induced by high ground temperature, coal of the Pingdingshan Coal Mine has been investigated, and the seepage tests were carried out by keeping the confining pressure constant and loading and unloading axial stress under different temperature conditions. The effect of temperature on the peak strength and the initial elastic modulus of coal samples is analyzed. The evolution of permeability, which is estimated with the transient pulse method, based on fractional derivative and fracture connectivity, are discussed by establishing the relationship between fracture connectivity and fractional derivative. Meanwhile, the damage variable that is caused by stress and temperature is introduced and the contribution of thermal damage on coal damage accumulation is discussed. A theoretical model is proposed regarding permeability evolution with temperature and stress based on the Cui–Bustin model, which is verified by experimental data. It has been found that the strength and elastic modulus of deep coal decrease nonlinearly with increasing temperature, which demonstrates that temperature has a weakening effect on the mechanical properties of coal. The fracture connectivity and permeability evolution trends with axial strain are consistent under different temperatures, which decrease slowly in the compaction and linear elastic stages, reach the minimum at the volumetric dilation point, gradually increase in the yield stage, then have a sharp increasing trend in the post-peak stage and, finally, become steady in the residual stage. The damage induced by temperature increases with rising temperatures under different external load conditions. When the external load increases gradually, the thermal damage still accumulates, but the thermal damage variable ratio decreases. The proposed permeability model considering temperature and stress can describe the trend of the experimental data. With axial stress increasing, the influence of temperature on permeability decreases, and its leading effect is mainly reflected in the compaction stage and the linear elastic stage of coal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Scientific Design of Deep Underground Engineering)

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13 pages, 5433 KiB

Open AccessStudy Protocol

Study on Initial Fracture Characteristics of the Main Roof in Fully Mechanized Caving Mining of Inclined Coalbed

by Hualei Zhang, Yonglin Xue, Yangao Li and Jiadi Yin

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 13782; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142113782 - 24 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1270

Abstract

In view of the occurrence conditions of inclined coalbed, the deformation and failure characteristics of the main roof will affect the safe production of the working face. Therefore, the study of the deformation and failure characteristics of the main roof in the inclined coalbed has guiding significance for the control of surrounding rock. This paper takes the II1042 working face of Taoyuan Coal Mine as the research background, adopts the methods of theoretical analysis, numerical calculation, and field practice to analyze the evolutionary characteristics of the initial failure of the main roof of the working face under the background of the inclined coalbed, and explores the mechanical behavior characteristics of the working face roof during the mining of inclined coalbed. Based on the elastic thin plate theory, a mechanical model of the overlying rock roof of a large-angle coal seam is established, and the mechanical characteristics of the surrounding rock under the initial failure of the main roof under the unbalanced load are studied. The stress distribution characteristics of the lower surface are summarized, and the evolution law of the initial fracture of the main roof is summarized. According to the actual geological conditions of the II1042 working face of Taoyuan Coal Mine, the failure characteristics of the main roof and the initial breaking step distance are obtained by analysis, and the analysis results are verified by monitoring the mine pressure of each part of the target working face on site. The research results show that: ① Under the unbalanced load of the inclined coalbed, the deflection surface of the main roof of the coal seam is asymmetrical with respect to the arrangement direction of the working face, and the maximum deflection point is located at the upper middle position of the working face, namely (a/2, 1.836 b/π), and the main roof of the working face breaks for the first time when it advances to 35 m. ② With the advancement of the working face, the two long sides of the roof break first. With the deflection and deformation of the roof, the tensile stress in the middle of the main roof reaches the tensile strength of the rock and breaks, and then the two short sides of the roof break under the action of the breaking and turning of the rock, and the upper short side will break before the lower one. ③ According to the monitoring and analysis of the rock pressure at each part of the working face, it is judged that the initial pressure step distance is between 28.2 m and 34.6 m, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green and Scientific Design of Deep Underground Engineering)

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