Study on the evolution rules of coal deformation and failure characteristics caused by multiple mining disturbances

Abstract

Abstract During coal mining operations, the coal will be deformed and damaged due to multiple mining disturbances (MMD), often resulting in disasters, like rock burst. To understand the evolution rules of coal deformation under MMD and its final fracture characteristics after impact dynamic load loading, reduce the adverse effects of mining disturbances, and improve disaster prevention and control capabilities, quasi-static uniaxial cyclic loading-unloading (L-U) and dynamic axial compression tests were conducted on large-sized coal-like samples. During the tests, three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning and acoustic emission (AE) monitoring technology were utilized to accurately capture the full-field deformation and AE response data, facilitating a systematic analysis of deformation and fracture characteristics. The results show that: (1) Under the cyclic L-U effect induced by MMD, each loading cycle causes compression deformation with partial recovery during unloading, presenting an overall “wavy” variation trend. (2) The maximum load is the most critical factor affecting the damaged coal deformation, with smaller load resulting in less overall sample deformation. (3) After the impact dynamic loading, the damaged samples suffered large-scale impact splitting failure, with the compressive-shear layer failure mainly occurred inside the holes. (4) Lower loading during cyclic L-U process correlate with reduced damage degree, and smaller debris particles with a higher fractal dimension when impact failure occurs, indicating a more severe impact failure. (5) With multiple cycles of L-U, the cracks inside the sample gradually extend and expand from around the hole to the outside. The greater the load and the number of cycles, the more serious the crack damage will be. (6) In the practical mining process, it is crucial to reinforce roadway interiors while minimizing low-loading cyclic disturbances induced by MMD. The study has obtained the deformation evolution rules and failure characteristics of coal under MMD, providing a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of corresponding engineering disasters.

Keywords

• Mining disturbance
• Impact dynamic load
• Deformation evolution rules
• Failure characteristics
• Three-dimensional laser scanning
• Acoustic emission