Research on a Numerical Simulation and Prediction Model of Floor Mining Failure Depth in the Chenghe Mining Area

Abstract

Ordovician limestone water on the floor is a serious threat to the safety of coal mine production in the Weibei coalfield, and prediction of the floor failure depth is the key for evaluating the mining conditions under pressure. This paper combines the hydrogeological conditions of the no. 5 coal seam and uses the FLAC3D program to determine the floor failure depth under two-factor (mining depth and width) and multifactor (mining depth, width, and height) conditions via numerical calculations and analysis. We obtain the fitting formula for the floor failure depth and analyze the influence of various factors on it. The results show that when the mining width does not exceed 200 m, the mining width has the greatest influence on the floor failure depth, followed by mining depth and mining height. In this paper, the working face floor failure depths measured values of 18 flat seams in China are taken as samples for comparison with the values calculated via empirical formulas and fitting formulas, and the maximum and minimum absolute errors and relative errors are analyzed. The nonlinear fitting regression formulas offered in this paper are found to provide strong predictive value, high accuracy, and a relatively small error range. The reliability and rationality of the models are further verified, thus providing a reference for future mining operations under safe aquifer water pressure conditions in the Weibei coalfield.