Mechanical behaviors of coal measures and ground control technologies for China's deep coal mines – A review

This paper reviews the major achievements in terms of mechanical behaviors of coal measures, mining stress distribution characteristics and ground control in China's deep underground coal mining. The three main aspects of this review are coal measure mechanics, mining disturbance mechanics, and rock support mechanics. Previous studies related to these three topics are reviewed, including the geomechanical properties of coal measures, distribution and evolution characteristics of mining-induced stresses, evolution characteristics of mining-induced structures, and principles and technologies of ground control in both deep roadways and longwall faces. A discussion is made to explain the structural and mechanical properties of coal measures in China's deep coal mining practices, the types and distribution characteristics of in situ stresses in underground coal mines, and the distribution of mining-induced stress that forms under different geological and engineering conditions. The theory of pre-tensioned rock bolting has been proved to be suitable for ground control of deep underground coal roadways. The use of combined ground control technology (e.g. ground support, rock mass modification, and destressing) has been demonstrated to be an effective measure for rock control of deep roadways. The developed hydraulic shields for 1000 m deep ultra-long working face can effectively improve the stability of surrounding rocks and mining efficiency in the longwall face. The ground control challenges in deep underground coal mines in China are discussed, and further research is recommended in terms of theory and technology for ground control in deep roadways and longwall faces.