Numerical Simulation of Primary Roof Collapse in Production Workings

Abstract

The study presents the formulation of the problem that is a numerical calculation of stress-strain state of the rock mass in the vicinity of the production working by the finite element method. The estimated area had a rectangular shape and included the coal seam, the roof and soil strata, and the production working. All the blocks of the estimated area being in the state of plain strain were taken as linearly deformable. The area of roof rock destruction was established by Mohr criterion. The analytical dependence of the height of primary roof strata collapse on the roof strata ultimate compression strength, the depth and the length of the mined area has been obtained. This result allows us to estimate the initial step of roof collapse.