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Real‐time monitoring of the coal caving process in fully mechanized mining is crucial for achieving intelligent and efficient top‐coal caving. While the coal gangue identification method, employing vision and deep learning, has advanced in the realm of intelligent monitoring, it exhibits a dependency on high‐performance hardware. This reliance poses challenges for deploying identification equipment on mobile terminals, hindering the widespread application of this method. To address the issues above, the paper presents a lightweight algorithm, utilizing You Only Look Once version 5s (YOLOv5s), utilizing YOLOv5s for the real‐time perception of the top‐coal caving state in fully mechanized caving mining. We replace the backbone network of YOLOv5s with the ShuffleNetv2 structure that is more suitable for lightweight deployment, and add the Simple Attention Mechanism attention mechanism to the network structure to enhance the model's receptive field and feature expression ability, and reduce the impact of falling debris on the detection results. A dynamic experimental platform for top‐coal caving in fully mechanized caving mining for thick coal seams is set up, and preprocessing operations such as brightness, sharpening, and denoising are performed on the image data sets collected by high‐speed industrial cameras. Research results show that compared with the traditional YOLOv5s, the improved model's P, mAP, F1 score, and other indicators have increased by 3.4%, 2.1%, and 1.1%, respectively, the model size is 70% of the original, and the detection frames per second value has increased by 48.1%. The lightweight algorithm stabilizes the accuracy of coal gangue identification dramatically in real time. It dramatically reduces the computing pressure on the mobile terminal, providing basic theory and practice for real‐time monitoring of fully mechanized coal caving mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high precision identification of coal–rock layers is a significant challenge in intelligent mining. There is a large amount of electromagnetic noise and metal reflector signals in the full space detection environment of mining roadway, which makes it hard to distinguish the reflected waves at interface from a set of echo signals generated by the interface due to the similar amplitudes among them. So the method of identifying layers solely based on amplitude characteristics has poor stability and accuracy in coal mining environments. This paper proposes a method for identifying coal–rock layers based on Hilbert transform and tracking–scanning–stacking technology. There are two steps to achieve the recognition of air–coal–rock interfaces. First, by analysing the instantaneous amplitude spectrum obtained from the Hilbert transform, the first extreme point that is always the maximum value within a wavelength range is determined as the rough position of the air–coal interface. To solve the problem of recognition errors caused by noise and energy dispersion, the density difference method is used to remove discrete points. Second, the precise position of the air–coal interface is determined by tracking the extreme points within the 1.5 wavelength range around the rough position, and using the amplitude stacking method to quantitatively analyse and compare the degree of energy concentration. The data between zero time and the reflected waves at the air–coal interface is removed to avoid the impact of them on the recognition of the coal–rock interface. Results of physical model experiments and actual coal mine experiments show that this method yields better results and has high stability compared to conventional recognition method. Moreover, the average relative thickness errors are 4.5% for air layer and 4.2% for coal layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of lower coal roadway support under double gobs in close coal seams, there are problems such as the whole destruction of the lower coal seam and the intermediate strata, the thin roof of the lower coal roadway with the smaller support space, the upper rock of the lower coal roadway without anchor bearing layer, the roof falling, the anchor cable offing, and so on. On the basis of the engineering background of No. 11103 haulage roadway in Fenxi coal mine, the research methods of theoretical modeling analysis, numerical simulation analysis and field engineering test are comprehensively adopted. In this paper, the layout of the roadway with floor insertion in the lower coal seam, the distribution characteristics of surrounding rock deviatoric stress, the control principle of broken surrounding rock and the coupling support method of shed–cable–prop are systematically studied. The study shows that many measures are needed to ensure the stability of the surrounding rock in the strong mining roadway of the lower coal seam. The lower coal seam roadway section was modified from the original rectangular section to adopt an arched section to counteract the broken roof. The staggered position of the lower coal seam roadway layout was modified from the original coal roadway position to a coal–rock roadway, so as to avoid the area of high deviatoric stress in the coal pillar and the area of crushed coal body, and to leave an effective support space for the roof. The support scheme of the lower coal seam roadway was improved to use anchor cable and single prop to support the weak section of U‐type steel shed with local coupling, and realize unequal force coupling by adjusting the size of the force at different coupling points. In the field monitoring the deformation of the roadway is small, and the support effect is good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outburst of coal and gas is a major hazard in underground coal mining where coal seam gas content/pressure is high. A cone‐shaped cavity is often observed in the coal seam after bursting, implying the likely mechanical structure being formed during outburst propagation. Although the mechanism for outburst initiation and propagation is very complex, mining‐induced fracturing and damage of the coal material is an essential component. This paper investigates the mechanical conditions that are essential to initiate fractures around a spherical cavity, a simplified form of the cone‐shaped outburst cavity. The cavity is assumed to be situated in an infinite isotropic homogeneous elastic body under internal gas pressure and far‐field hydrostatic compressive stresses as a further simplification for analytical investigation. The analytical conditions under which circumferential and radial fractures can initiate around the cavity are formulated, based on extensional strain criterion for fracture initiation. Low internal pressure on the cavity surface and high far‐field compression lead to circumferential fractures. In contrast, high internal pressure and low far‐field compression lead to radial fractures. Subsequent numerical simulations with FRACOD3D and FRACOD, the 3D and 2D in‐house fracture simulation codes, were carried out to investigate fracture patterns around a cavity and inclusion. The simulation results confirmed the analytical results, including fracture shapes and the size of fractured zone. These results provide a new angle to understand the complex mechanism of outbursts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the issues of traditional backpropagation (BP) neural networks in state of charge (SOC) estimation, including easy convergence to local optima, slow convergence speed, and low accuracy, this paper proposes a novel adaptive crossover mutation strategy and dynamic sparrow search algorithm to optimize BP networks' initial values and thresholds (ACMSSA‐BP). The proposed method is based on the sparrow search algorithm, where the number of producers and scroungers is adjusted through an adaptive factor. This improvement effectively transitions the search process from extensive full exploration to localized fine‐tuning search. In the position update phase of the producers, crossover mutation and dynamic search strategies are introduced to increase the diversity of good populations, prevent the algorithm from converging to local optima, and maintain its local search capability in the later stage. Using real transportation data from coal mining flame‐proof tracked vehicles, we applied correlation theory to extract model feature parameters and constructed a training data set to estimate the SOC. The results of both static and dynamic validation experiments have indicated that the ACMSSA‐BP method has delivered impressive performance in predicting SOC, as reflected in the mean absolute error, root mean squared error, and mean absolute percentage error values of less than 1.5%, 1.5%, and 1.6%, respectively. Compared with BP, SSA‐BP, CMSSA‐BP, PSO‐BP, and NARX_NN methods, the ACMSSA‐BP approach demonstrates enhanced accuracy in estimation, significant robustness, and impressive generalization capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problems of insufficient recognition accuracy, poor real‐time performance and lack of consideration of actual working conditions in the process of intelligent construction of coal mines make this technology still in the research stage and not applied in practical engineering. The purpose of this paper is to establish an accurate and real‐time recognition model, which can quickly distinguish the vibration acceleration signals of coal and gangue under the influence of external factors such as impact position, velocity, and direction by using the different physical properties of coal and gangue particles. Therefore, the accuracy and real‐time of coal gangue recognition model established by different convolutional neural networks (CNN) structures and different position signal input are studied. First, to meet the real‐time requirements, an original CNN recognition model composed of single convolution layer and single pooling layer is established, and the data collected by seven sensors are input in the form of two‐dimensional matrix. However, the stability of the training and test results is insufficient. To solve this problem, once improved CNN (OI‐CNN) recognition model with multiconvolution layers and multipooling layers is built by deepening the network. The experimental results show that the stability and accuracy are improved, but the real‐time performance is poor. Furthermore, through parameter adjustment, the OI‐CNN is changed to the twice improved CNN (TI‐CNN), and the sensor data at different positions are input in the form of one‐dimensional vectors. The results show that the accuracy and real‐time performance of the TI‐CNN coal gangue recognition model are further improved. Finally, according to the research purpose of this paper, the weights of CNN indexes are given, and a multi‐index comprehensive evaluation system (MICES) is established. With the original CNN recognition model as the control, the OI‐CNN recognition model and the TI‐CNN recognition model at different positions are quantitatively compared to obtain the comprehensive evaluation scores of each model. The results show that the MICES of the coal gangue recognition model established based on the TI‐CNN structure and the data input of a single position sensor is the highest, while the sensor position has little effect on the recognition results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gob‐side entry‐retaining by roof cutting and pressure relief (GERRC) method is an advanced no‐pillar mining method that can significantly improve coal recovery and reduce roadway accidents. However, according to case studies, there is relatively little research on the application of the GERRC method in geological conditions of soft rock formations (especially when the roof and floor are both mudstone), and such research is needed. Therefore, based on the typical soft strata of the Xinyi Coal Mine, this paper analyzes the failure mechanism of the roadways and proposes the GERRC method with coal rib and corner strengthened support (CRCSS). The evaluation indexes of the roof convergence rate and cable safety margin are established, and the effects of roof cutting and CRCSS on roadway deformation control are explored by a numerical comparison test. The results show that roof cutting has a limited effect on roadway deformation. The deformation can be reduced by 75.77% by implementing CRCSS on the basis of GERRC. Then, the evolution characteristics of roadway stress and deformation in the process of mining are further discussed through field contrast tests. The field application results show that compared with that of GERRC with conventional support, the surrounding rock deformation of GERRC with CRCSS is reduced by more than 55%, the safety margin of the cable is improved. The overpressure of the hydraulic prop is diminished, and the stability distance of the roadway is reduced by approximately 30%. Finally, this paper discusses the mechanism to control roadway deformation by CRCSS. This research expounds the rationality of CRCSS, and the results can provide a reference for other situations with similar geological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the connections between the expansion of mining capital, speculative forms of land grabbing and agrarian transformation. It is argued that in periods of commodity boom, the landowning rural elite benefits from mining through speculative land deals with mining companies. They act as 'land brokers' for the mining firms, helping them to overcome a significant barrier to land accumulation through the de facto abolition of landed property. The analysis is based on a qualitative case study on the expansion of coal mining in central Cesar in northern Colombia. To develop my arguments, I refer to the concept of accumulation by dispossession as defined by Michael Levien, and historical materialist approaches on rent, and speculative land dispossession. In addition, I use concepts developed for studying coercive land grabbing and agrarian elite participation in armed conflicts to analyse the mechanisms applied to (coercively) acquire rights to land. It is concluded that with high global prices for minerals, metals and fossil fuels, the expansion of mining in the countryside fosters a process of agrarian change through land speculation that is articulated in a reconcentration of landed property, a re‐strengthening of the rural landowning elite and the dissolution of peasant agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately predicting fuel blends' lower heating values (LHV) is crucial for optimizing a power plant. In this paper, we employ multiple artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning‐based models for predicting the LHV of various fuel blends. Coal of two different ranks and two types of biomass is used in this study. One was the South African imported bituminous coal, and the other was lignite thar coal extracted from the Thar Coal Block‐2 mine by Sind Engro Coal Mining Company, Pakistan. Two types of biomass, that is, sugarcane bagasse and rice husk, were obtained locally from a sugar mill and rice mill located in the vicinity of Sahiwal, Punjab. Bituminous coal mixture with other coal types and both types of biomass are used with 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% weight fractions, respectively. The calculation and model development procedure resulted in 91 different AI‐based models. The best is the Ridge Regressor, a high‐level end‐to‐end approach for fitting the model. The model can predict the LHV of the bituminous coal with lignite and biomass under a vast share of fuel blends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on a multimethod ethnographic study, conducted between 2016 and 2017 in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England—a small and relatively isolated deindustrialising colliery town—examining how residents negotiate living in stigmatised territory. In doing so, microspatial strategies of distancing, avoidance, and deflection are illustrated, revealing how residents reassign and deepen stigma in particular locations within a stigmatised territory. This highlights the relationship between social and physical space, and while spatial strategies of negotiation do not mitigate stigma, they do (re)produce internal social hierarchies within a place that is homogenised from the outside through disparaging narratives. A key contribution reveals the significance of the racialised production of space in shaping how territorial stigma is negotiated within this distinct socio‐spatial location. Residents use strategies to redirect the stigma toward those seen as out of place and draw attention away from sticky sites of racialised urban stigma towards symbols of unspoilt rural Englishness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is aimed at the problems of multiple factors influencing the roof stability near a heading face and unreasonable values of the unsupported distance leading to a slow excavation speed. The behavior of the direct roof subsidence in the unsupported area is analyzed, and numerical simulation and the response surface method are used to study the key factors affecting the roof deformation and their interaction relations. The results indicate that roof strength is the most critical factor affecting deformation and failure, followed by soft rock thickness, unsupported distance, and support strength. The interaction analysis in Zhaozhuang Coal Mine's 33082 lane shows that it is difficult to control the roof subsidence when the unsupported distance is more than 2 m and the soft rock thickness is more than 4 m. After the unsupported distance is set to about 2 m and the support strength is increased to 0.25 MPa, the excavation speed approximately doubles, and the overall roadway is stable and controllable. By implementing field applications, the rationality of the research approach was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gob‐side entry formation by roof cutting is a new technology for no pillar coal mining, which can maximize coal resources and reduce roadway drivage ratio. However, the mechanical behavior of the formed entry is complex while it is crucial to ensure the stability of the entry for mining safety. This paper proposed a machine learning‐based method for predicting the stability of the formed entry, which combined artificial neural network (ANN) with particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm or genetic optimization (GO) algorithm. The data set from 75 coal mining faces from 2009 to 2022 was employed to train and test the models. A descriptive variable of dynamic unstable distance was introduced to evaluate the stability state of the formed entry and six other parameters were chosen as influence parameters. The two intelligent models were compared with each other to have a comprehensive assessment. Model assessment indices such as R2, mean absolute error, mean absolute percentage error, and root mean square error were used to evaluate the accuracy of the models. The results of both developed models are promising, and the predictive accuracy of the PSO‐ANN model is higher than that of the GO‐ANN model. Through sensitivity analyses, it has been found that the coal seam thickness and roof rock hardness are the most important parameters for influencing entry stability. The developed method provides a practical tool for the prediction of entry stability and the optimization of entry design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reasonable width of the coal pillar is very important to the surrounding rock control of the gob‐side roadway. An unreasonable width of the coal pillar will make the roadway to be located within the range of strong mining influence, leading to severe deformation of the roadway. Severe subsidence at the coal pillar side of the roof and serious coal pillar deformation are problems caused by strong dynamic pressure due to mining in the gob‐side coal roadway. This paper studies the surrounding rock instability mechanism and rational coal pillar width of the gob‐side coal roadway under the influence of intense dynamic pressure. The results show that: (1) Under the condition of large mining height, the roadway overburden is a hinged structure, and an unreasonable coal pillar width makes the gob‐side coal roadway to be located below the main roof fracture line. The rotary movement of the key block of the main roof is the main reason for the roadway deformation. (2) According to the evolution law of stress field, displacement field and plastic zone of surrounding rock of roadway under different coal pillar widths during roadway driving and mining were studied, and it is concluded that a 6‐m‐width coal pillar is the most reasonable. (3) Based on the stress distribution and plasticizing range of surrounding rock in a narrow pillar roadway, the combined support scheme of "anchor cable + grouting + single prop" is proposed and applied to engineering practice. The practice results show that the roadway deformation is well controlled, and the safe mining of the working face is realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the shift of coal resources to deep mining, the occurrence of long‐distance coal seams has increased, and protective layer mining is facing new challenges. This paper attempts to explain the stress evolution law of the upper coal group in the long‐distance mining of the lower coal group in Pingdingshan No. 8 Coal Mine. A simulation model of advance mining of lower‐group coal long‐distance was established. The stress evolution law of the upper coal seam under the influence of advanced mining disturbance of the lower coal seam is studied. The following conclusions were obtained: The advance mining of the lower coal group had a positive or negative impact on the stress distribution of the upper coal seam group. With the recovery of the lower coal group of the F‐21030 working face, the overburden of the F‐21030 goaf finally formed a "Y" type pressure relief area. The pressure relief effect of the E‐21070 working face near the stopping line was obvious. The coal seam of Group E was divided into three areas affected by the advance mining of the lower coal seam. The maximum pressure relief value was 6.6% lower than the initial stress. According to the simulation results, the E‐21070 working face was divided into three regions, namely, the pressure relief region, the stress increase region, and the original stress region. According to the field drainage results of pressure relief gas, the extraction curve could be divided into three parts, namely, the stable area, pressure relief area, and stress recovery area. The maximum pure gas drainage volume could reach seven to eight times of the original area. The pressure relief extraction effect was remarkable, and the optimal extraction range was 22–210 m behind the coal face of the group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drilling cuttings method is a commonly used method to detect the risk of rockburst, which has been widely recognized and applied in coal mines. However, in the current theoretical research on the relationship between drilling cuttings method and coal stress, it is generally considered that the mechanical parameters of coal at different positions of roadway are unchanged, and the influence of surrounding rock plastic zone and elastic zone is not considered. Therefore, according to the secondary distribution characteristics of roadway side stress, the theoretical calculation formula of drilling cuttings in the plastic zone and elastic zone of the roadway side is established in this paper. The example shows that the distribution of cuttings on the roadway side is obviously consistent with the abutment pressure. The cuttings in the plastic zone and the elastic zone are in linear and power function with the coal stress, respectively, and the cuttings in the plastic zone are greater than those in the elastic zone. With the increase of the hole diameter, the slope of the relationship curve between the drill‐cutting weight and stress gradually increases, and the response of the drill‐cutting weight with a large hole diameter to the change of coal stress is more obvious. The numerical simulation results show that the error of the theoretical calculation formula of the drilling cuttings method is less than 9%, which can meet the engineering application needs of estimating the drill‐cutting weight in coal and the stress of coal. Using the theoretical formula, the stress field in the leading area of the working face is measured, and the leading influence range and the accurate position of the high stress concentration area are determined, which provides more comprehensive stress information for the early warning of impact danger and pressure relief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas drainage is an important measure to ensure energy safety in coal mines. However, for mines with high gas content and low permeability, the critical question is how to enhance the drainage effect of drilling. By using the self‐unloading pressure effect on the coal body in front of the mine, the permeability of the coal body can be improved, which facilitates gas drainage. Therefore, establishing the fluid–solid model of gas‐bearing coal mass under the influence of mining, this paper simulates the advanced self‐pressure‐relief range in front of the coal working face and the permeability of coal seam at different heights. Through simulations and field tests, the reasonableness of the advanced self‐pressure‐relief gas drainage was verified, and the spatial and temporal characteristics of the gas drainage from the borehole were quantified and analyzed. The results show that the width of the advanced self‐pressure‐relief zone after simulated mining is 25 m, the vertical permeability of the coal seam increases first and then decreases with the increase of the height from the floor, and the maximum permeability of the layer is 2.6 m from the floor, which is 8.62 times higher than the initial permeability; the gas drainage effect of test boreholes has a periodic law with the coal seam recovery, which, divided into the initial drainage stage, the scalar volume of gas drainage increase stage, and the scalar volume of gas drainage decay stage. At a distance from the working face 20–40 m, the boreholes' scalar volume of gas drainage increased by 3.89 times compared with the initial drainage stage, and the scalar drainage volume of the boreholes through the seam increased by 8.01 times compared with the initial drainage stage; in the section of increasing scalar volume of drainage, the gas drainage volume of the boreholes at different heights of the coal seam had obvious "stratification" phenomenon. The test boreholes were optimally placed in the middle of the seam at the lower end. The study provides a reference for self‐pressure‐relief gas drainage technology and optimization of borehole placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock bursts are one of the most common dynamic disasters in coal mines and seriously affect safety production. At present, there are three common types of rock bursts: fault‐structure, fold‐structure, and thick/hard‐roof rock bursts. First, the paper proposed an innovative technology for mine ground fracturing to control those rock bursts. Then, for the new method, its fracturing devices, process, and monitoring technique for cracks were introduced. Next, we analyzed the detailed control procedures for those types of rock bursts and control principles of absorbing energy, blocking stress transmission, and reducing overall rock strength. To illustrate the control effect of ground fracturing for the rock bursts, we proposed a Voronoi block division method (VBDM) and multistrength criteria (MSC) consisting of Mohr–Coulomb Joint, Hoek–Brown Joint, and strain–stress equivalent method. Then, two numerical models using the VBDM and MSC were established. One is fault‐structure rock burst with ground fracturing and another is that without. From the numerical simulation, it was concluded that: (1) The ground fracturing will increase τ/σn, a ratio of shear stress to the normal stress of the fault, from 0.25 to 0.50, especially within 100 m of a working face to a fault. This situation indicates that ground fracturing will induce fault slip in advance, thus releasing energy in advance. (2) Fractured zones with low stress were formed by ground fracturing, which can reduce both upward extrusion pressure and normal stress, thereby triggering the fault slippage in advance. The energy released from the fault can be absorbed by the fractured zone, thereby controlling the advanced stress of the working face, and lowering the danger of rock burst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clarifying the influencing factors of energy consumption in underground production processes of coal mine is the premise and foundation for the coal mining industry to control the energy consumption and intensity to achieve the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. This paper aims to investigate and compare the differences in energy consumption and carbon emissions between a mining‐separating‐backfilling integrated coal mine (MSBICM) and a traditional coal mine and explore the effects of the main production links underground on carbon emission intensity in coal mines. Hence, taking an MSBICM in Henan province as an example, this study constructed an energy consumption and carbon emission model of the mine using system dynamics (SD) method. Based on this model, the energy consumption of the main production logistics system and auxiliary production system in MSBICM was simulated and analyzed. In addition, this study made a comparative analysis of the energy consumption of the different production links in the two types of coal mines. The results showed that: (1) the comprehensive mechanized coal mining with solid filling system and ventilation system were the subsystems with the highest and lowest energy consumption in MSBICM respectively. (2) The influence rates of raw coal mining, gangue filling, coal‐gangue separating, and material transportation on carbon emission intensity in coal mine were 1.09%, 1.34%, 1.09%, and 5.13%, respectively. (3) Under the same production and filling targets, energy consumption of underground transportation systems in MSBICM was found to be 336.66 tons of standard coal less than that in traditional coal mine. This study has helped clarify the complex relationships among the factors that influence energy consumption in coal mines and provided a reference for implementing dual control of energy consumption to promote low‐carbon mining of coal resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In northern Shaanxi province, the coal seam deposit conditions are generally characterized by large thickness and shallow depth of burial, the phenomenon of coal pillar sloughing is serious in the process of working face retrieval, which brings great potential danger to mine safety production. In this paper, by monitoring the stress and damage of the coal pillar in the field section, the stress changes and damage degree of the working face in different mine stages are determined. A new mechanical model of coal pillar in a thick coal seam is constructed and the stress changes and structural breakage law of each section are obtained, the stress transfers mechanism of overburden structure and the stress damage to coal pillar during the mining process of upper and lower section comprehensive mining working face is analyzed. The stress, microscopic damage, and the degree of sloughing in the coal pillar were significantly reduced by monitoring through the top plate hydraulic cracking pressure relief control program. The results of the study show that the extent of sloughing coal pillar and internal damage is closely related to the length of key block B of the masonry beam formed by the overlying rock layer and the position of the break line, by changing the orientation of the overlying masonry beam rock layer and the position and length of the tendency to break line, the sloughing coal pillar is effectively controlled and its stress and damage are reduced. We have achieved good results in control of the sloughing in the Hanjiawan coal mine and similar mines in northern Shaanxi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the conditions that emerge as regional Australia becomes increasingly immersed in international markets, global and local political shifts, and changing environmental conditions. In the Liverpool Plains region, farmers are deeply reliant on global export markets. Meanwhile, global demand for Australian minerals continues to produce both economic development and environmental degradation. In this context, farmers are drawing on transnational and national social movements to collectively construct their knowledge of risk and "organized irresponsibility" and resist environmental risk by positioning themselves as a part of a cosmopolitan public. While consistently evaluating risks associated with a proposed coal mine, farmers see themselves as having an ethical responsibility as food producers to provide for increasing global populations in a precarious world. These conditions are productive of new risks, identities, as well as new forms of critical, collective practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, longwall top coal caving (LTCC) panels adopt the single‐window drawing mode and their drawing efficiency is relatively low. The synchronous multi‐window drawing (SMWD) mode is a remarkable approach to resolve the incompatibility between shearer coal mining and top‐coal drawing. The present paper analyzes the caving characteristics of top coal under SMWD in LTCC mining of extra‐thick coal seam. The caving and migration of top‐coal fragments were simulated by using the continuum–discontinuum element method (CDEM). The results show that the SMWD mode can effectively improve the drawing smoothness with larger caving channels compared to the traditional single‐window drawing mode. The main caving channel for top‐coal fragments was directly above the assembled multi‐window (AMW), and the size of the AMW had a great influence on the distribution of the velocity field. Additionally, the simulated draw body of the initial drawing adopted an elliptical shape, which changed into a variation ellipse with the increasing size of the AMW. The boundary of the simulated draw body of the initial drawing presented an irregular shape that deviated from the results predicted by the Bergmark–Roos model. Furthermore, the drawing efficiency increased with the expansion of the AMW, whereas the recovery ratio first increased and then decreased with the expansion of the AMW. Finally, field tests revealed that the SMWD mode can greatly improve the drawing efficiency. Thus, the recovery ratio under A2 and A3 SMWD modes was higher than that of the traditional single‐window drawing mode. Based on the results of field tests and CDEM simulation, it is recommended to adopt A2 and A3 SMWD modes to enhance the top‐coal recovery ratio and drawing efficiency. These research results could constitute a technical reference for automated highly efficient top‐coal drawing and high‐yield LTCC panel extracting extra‐thick coal seam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concern with climate change, and coal's contribution to it, has centred coal in an intensely moralised politics of accusation in Australia. This paper discusses the ordinary ethics through which pro‐coal lobbyists in Australia relate to this moralised landscape and offers an analysis of the everyday and ordinary production of complicity with climate change. It argues that complicity is not just something that insufficiently ethical people engage in, but instead highlights the ways in which the coal industry derives a moral weight for its defenders. This complicity is made and reproduced precisely through the everyday practices of ethical deliberation figured in response to interpersonal moral accusations. These insights are made possible through the author's own positionality and surprising affinities with pro‐coal lobbyists, and thus this paper argues for an anthropology of extractive industry which embraces the interplay of anthropological rapport with complicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the width of narrow coal pillars, mining‐induced failure characteristics, and surrounding rock control effect of gob‐side entry driving (GED) adjacent to 2‐1208 filling working face with an approximately 900 m depth. Laboratory experiments, numerical simulations, loosening circle tests, and engineering practices are conducted. The mechanical properties of the filling body, the distribution and evolution law of the second invariant deviatoric stress (J2), and the variation in the plastic zone of the surrounding rock in GED are studied. The conditions of various coal pillar widths and the gob backfilled or not of the adjacent working face are also considered. The results of roadway driving along the filling working face in the deep coal mine are that: (1) The evolution law of J2 and the plastic zone features of the surrounding rock in GED have changed significantly. Thus, it is unreasonable to still adopt the customary theory of narrow coal pillar determination and roadway support design method of GED adjacent to nonfilling working face. (2) The plastic zone of GED has typically asymmetric distribution characteristics during driving and retreating, which is mainly concentrated at the upper corner of the virgin coal rib. And the elastic zone changes slightly by the influence of mining‐induced pressure on the working face, indicating that support in this area is easier. (3) During the stable period of roadway driving, there includes a "ring‐shaped" J2 depression zone at the upper corner of the coal pillar rib. While the peak zone distribution of J2 in the virgin coal rib of GED is approximately "crescent‐shaped," and the peak zone is inclined to the upper corner of the virgin coal rib, which implies that this area is a crucial control region. (4) During the retreating period of panel 2‐1210, the direction of the maximum principal stress of GED gradually deflects from the direction of the gob to that perpendicular to the roof and floor, which represents that the key support area of GED has changed. Therefore, the advanced support of GED needs to be reinforced by single hydraulic props. The width of the coal pillar was determined to be 5 m, and a targeted truss anchor cable support method with bidirectional resistance function is proposed for the roof and both ribs, which realized the stability control of GED during deep filling mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The working face is the most dangerous place of coal mines, and it is difficult (even impossible) to replenish energy by replacing batteries of sensor nodes in the working faces. This paper presents a wireless charging method for this scenario that is composed of two sub methods called mining charging and maintaining charging, respectively. Mining charging provides opportunistic charging services during the process of coal cutting through two airborne Mobile Chargers (MCs) installed on the two ends of the shearer and two portable MCs carried by shearer drivers. Maintaining charging provides opportunistic charging services for nodes in the charging radius when scraper conveyor repairmen and hydraulic support repairmen check or repair equipment, with each repairman carrying one portable MC. Simulation results show that both mining charging and maintaining charging can give energy replenishment for nodes in coal faces. When charging power of MCs is greater than or equal to 5.2 W, the first row of nodes can work sustainably. If the energy requirements of the second row of nodes are also met, the charging power of MCs cannot be less than 12 W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal resources have always been an important driving force for macroeconomic growth and GDP growth in resource‐rich regions. However, this growth has also caused inequality of household income in developing regions. Using survey data on rural household livelihoods in Shenmu county, Shaanxi Province, in northwestern China, this paper analyzes the relationship between coal exploitation and income inequality. Four multivariate econometric analyses are developed. We find evidence for the resource curse theory of natural resource exploitation leading to inequality: the Gini coefficient for household revenue is discovered to be markedly related with the location of and participation in coal exploitation. Nevertheless, this correlation is not linear. Rather, household income inequality primitively rises with environmental and resource subsidies. We analyze the impacts of household income inequality and contrast the characteristics of household livelihood and location characteristics in the coal exploitation site of northern Shenmu with those in the whole survey site. Our statistical analysis shows that out‐migration, the level of total household income, and convenience of household transportation are the important elements devoting to household income in northern Shenmu, the coal resources endowment region. However, the environmental damage and pollution caused by coal exploitation has substantial negative impacts upon household income, especially for households not participating in coal activities. Overall, we found that coal exploitation did not develop local industries. Adversely, the ecological environment problem and the high subsidy for coal mining caused by the exploitation of coal resources have aggravated the inequality of household income in the sample areas. Additionally, the development of coal resources attracted youth labor from agriculture to the coal industry, which exacerbated the lack of labor force and weakened village agricultural productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intelligentisation of coal mines is the only approach to the high‐quality development of the coal industry. Detection, identification and sorting of coal gangue is an important part of the intelligentisation of coal mines. Focusing on various problems in coal gangue detecting and recognising algorithms, such as limited receptive field, slow convergence rate and low accuracy of small particle recognition, this paper proposes a coal gangue detection and recognition algorithm based on deformable convolution YOLOv3 (DCN‐YOLOv3). To improve the accuracy of anchor frame positioning and enhance the diversity of the dataset, the deformed convolution YOLOv3 network model is established based on the detection algorithm YOLOv3, using deformable convolution, multiple k‐means clustering results average method and data enhancement technology as means. The model was trained through the self‐designed dataset, and the algorithm's correctness and accuracy for coal gangue recognition under different size and illumination conditions are verified. The test results showed that the algorithm effectively detects and recognises coal gangue, improves the accuracy and efficiency of detecting and recognising small‐size coal and gangue and improves environmental robustness. Furthermore, compared with the traditional recognition algorithm, the network convergence speed of this algorithm is significantly improved, the mAP is increased to 99.45%, and the maximum FLOPs value is reduced by 61.4%. Accordingly, this research is considered to be of certain theoretical value and technical reference for identifying coal gangue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advanced deep hole blasting (ADHB) is commonly used to improve the fragmentation of thick hard top coal in longwall top coal caving (LTCC) mining. This paper presents an acoustic method to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of the ADHB. First, the variations of P‐wave velocity of hard coal samples under uniaxial and triaxial compression are obtained from the laboratory acoustic test. Then, an acoustic wave method based on seismic tomography is proposed to assess the effectiveness of the ADHB by introducing the P‐wave velocity attenuation model into the data processing. Finally, a field seismic tomography test is conducted to obtain the distribution of the P‐wave velocity of top coal before and after the ADHB implementation. And the P‐wave velocity attenuation is calculated to estimate the fragmentation effectiveness of ADHB. The results indicate that the P‐wave velocity attenuation model could well represent the broken degree of hard coal, suggesting that the proposed acoustic wave method could quantitatively evaluate the fragmentation effectiveness by exporting the nephogram of P‐wave velocity attenuation. The present study may provide technical support for improving the recovery ratio of thick hard top coal for LTCC mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock burst is one of the most serious dynamic disasters in the process of coal resources mining, in order to study its occurrence mechanism and the characteristics of its impact on roadways. Based on the No. 25110 working face of Yuejin Mine in Yi Coal Mine and No. 21032 return air uphill event in Qianqiu Mine, combined with geological conditions, shock location, and source waveform, this paper uses numerical simulation to inverse the dynamic response characteristics of roadway surrounding rock under rock burst. The results show that the plastic strain energy density of No. 25110 working face in Yuejin Mine is mainly distributed around the roadway, and the maximum plastic strain energy density is 3.30 × 107 J at 75 ms, all rock masses around the roadway are damaged, and the maximum damage variable value is 0.44. The plastic strain energy density of No. 21032 return air uphill in Qianqiu mine is mainly distributed around the lower side of the roadway, and the maximum plastic strain energy density is 2.68 × 108 J at 80 ms, all rock masses around the roadway are damaged, and the maximum damage variable value is 1.76, indicating that the rock masses at the roof and two sides of the roadway have been damaged after the impact. Based on the results of numerical simulation, the energy gradient criterion of rock burst tendency was proposed, the degree of energy accumulation of surrounding rock is measured by the change amplitude of energy gradient, and the tendency index of rock burst is quantified, which provides a new method for the prediction of rock burst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational estimation of the mechanical state of a competent rock layer is of prime importance for structural and support design in longwall coal mining. This paper analytically examines the stability of a voussoir‐structured stiff rock by considering it acting as a symmetric flat arch with discontinuities at the abutments and midspan. Three typical failure modes including snap through, midspan crush and sliding failure are inspected. The solution assumes that the shape of the compressive arch obeys a parabolic variation as the voussoir beam deflects downwards with large‐deformation. The crush failure due to stress concentration in the beam hinge is predicted by relating the squeezing area with the beam rotation, which is absent in previous studies. The proposed approach can examine the voussoir beam stability without cumbersome iteration. Primarily, this work facilitates the evaluation of the support requirements to reinforce roof beds in longwall panels. After accounting for the total loads of the overlying rock layers, the stability assessment developed in this paper can further be utilized to predict the span limit of the main roof above a longwall panel and to estimate the critical width which governs the magnitude of mining subsidence. This manuscript provides an analytical solution for the stability of a competent rock stratum in voussoir structure. Typical failure modes including snap through, crush at midspan and sliding failure have been examined. The proposed approach is capable of predicting the elastic buckling when the voussoir beam bends downward with large deflection. Moreover, the relationship between beam rotation and contact area alteration due to crush at midspan hinge is first considered. This work improves the reliability of stability analysis for underground longwall panels. Furthermore, the proposed guidelines can be utilized to predict the occurrence of dynamic ground pressure, overlying strata movement and subsequent surface subsidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new feeding topology with internal 180° phase reversal for wideband series‐fed slot array antennas. As a demonstration, a serial fed, half‐wavelength separated, 7‐element array is designed at 5.8 GHz. Comparing with conventional series‐fed arrays, which require one‐wavelength separation, the phase difference between adjacent elements varies less with frequency. Thus, the proposed array has more stable beam pointing and wider 1 dB gain bandwidth. A prototype was fabricated and measured to validate the performance of the feeding topology. A wide operating bandwidth of 22.4% for S11 < −10 dB, a 1 dB gain bandwidth of 14% and bi‐directional peak gain of 10.01 dBi are achieved with the array length of 2.7λ0. The proposed feeding topology shows its potentials in realizing signal coverage on some special occasions, such as coal mines and tunnels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roadway deformation process is closely associated with the accumulation and dissipation of energy. Understanding the characteristics of energy dissipation in surrounding rock is critical to revealing the development process and the disaster mechanisms of the roof accidents in underground coal mines. This paper presents a triaxial compression experiment to analyze energy characteristics of mudstone taken from Huangyanhui Coal Mine. A numerical study is performed to study the energy distribution under different roof strengths. The results suggest that the instability of the roadway is an irreversible energy dissipation process with high nonlinearity and complexity. The roadway support principle, based on the energy balance theory, is proposed to explain the energy distribution. The safety control of roadways with thick and soft roofs should consider the following three aspects: (a) optimize the layout of the roadway, avoid placing it in the stress concentration zone, and reduce the strain energy of the surrounding rock accumulation from the source; (b) improve the ability of the supporting structure to adapt to the deformation of the surrounding rock and avoid the failure of the supporting structure because of excessive force; and (c) set weak structures in the surrounding rock, that dissipate part of the energy, thus reducing the load acting on the support. The results of field application monitoring show that roadway severe deformation was effectively controlled using pressure relief boreholes (PRB), and the average floor heave speed of the roadway decreased from the original 2.0 to 0.98 mm/d. Therefore, PRB provides a new approach for roadway control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deformation and fracture of surrounding rock in deep underground engineering have the characteristics of time mutation and space continuity. In order to monitor and provide early warning of the dynamic deformation and fracture characteristics of deep surrounding rock, a real‐time digital displacement measuring instrument was developed in this paper. The proposed device represented a kind of surrounding rock deformation and fracture monitoring method, which had the continuous and real‐time advantages. Based upon the simulation experiments, the dynamic deformation and fracture of deep roadway surrounding rock were measured synchronously using the digital displacement measuring instrument testing system (DDMITS) and the V‐STARS measurement system. Comparative measurement results indicated that the DDMITS had a higher reliability. The deformation of roadway surrounding rock gradually increased with the increase of loading. The roof deformation and caving changing patterns in coal seam mining were studied using similar simulation experiments based on the DDMITS. The vertical displacement response of rock strata was more obvious than the horizontal displacement. There was a sharp increase in the vertical displacement during the collapse of the rock strata. Additionally, the vertical displacement velocity showed fluctuations. Meanwhile, the fluctuations in the vertical displacement acceleration increased significantly. The DDMITS could achieve full‐field measurement and the noncontact measurement of three‐dimensional deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To control roadway under small abandoned mines in ultrathick coal seam, this paper analyzed its deformation and failure characteristics. As a result, the roadway occurred roof leakage and right rib extrusion. Based on above characteristics, the secondary support schemes were put forward. To predict the control effects of the roadway, a numerical model was built to analyze its deformation under the secondary support schemes. Besides, the industrial test was carried out. From the test and numerical simulation, a significant increase could be found in vertical stress and bearing capacity on ribs after the secondary support. Moreover, under the secondary support, the roof separations of roadway decreased more than 90%, while the lateral displacements of the roadway dropped over 85%. Based on the above, it was indicated that the deformation of the roadway could be well controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protective coal layer (PCL) mining is a preferred regional method for preventing coal and gas outbursts; stress‐relief of PCL mining is the prerequisite of pressure‐relief gas drainage. In order to study the stress‐relief effect of PCL mining on protected coal seams and determine the protection scope of PCL mining under different inclinations, this paper uses physical simulations to study the stress‐relief law and deformation characteristics of the strata during upper PCL mining with a gentle inclination (25°), an intermediate inclination (45°), and a steep inclination (65°). The results show that as the coal seam dip increases, the degree of deformation and failure of the overburden strata gradually decreases, the severe subsidence and expansion area of the overburden strata tends to gradually develop in the uphill direction of the working face, and the floor strata underlying the protective seam significantly expand toward the goaf. However, the absolute value of the upward movement of the floor strata is much smaller than that of the roof strata; and the greater the dip angle, the greater the ratio of floor displacement to roof subsidence. The stress‐relief curve of the protected layer is approximately U‐shaped. As the inclination of the coal seam increases, the stress‐relief range decreases gradually. The maximum relief‐stress and the stress release coefficient of the protected layer initially increase and then decrease. The stress concentration coefficient of the protected coal seam initially increases first and then decreases in both uphill and downhill of the working face in the PCL. As the inclination increases, the stress‐relief angle of the downhill boundary initially increases and then decreases, while the stress‐relief angle of the uphill boundary decreases gradually. Our research results provide guidance for the delimitation of the protected scope of PCLs with different dip angles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large‐diameter borehole destressing technology is one of the main technical measures for the prevention and control of coal mine rock burst. In engineering practice, there is generally a contradicting problem due to the presence of excess destressing which damages support system and insufficient destressing which results in high stress hardly transfer. In this paper, the mechanism of large‐diameter borehole destressing technology and its influence on anchorage support were simulated and analyzed. Based on this, a segmented enlarged‐diameter borehole destressing technology was proposed. The destressing effect at deep part and anchorage strength changing at shallow part of the coal rib were studied under different borehole parameters. Numerical simulation results show that the destressing effect increases with the increase of the borehole diameter, while borehole with oversize diameter increases the deformation of the roadway and weakens the strength of the anchorage support. The diameter‐enlarging point in segmented enlarged‐diameter borehole destressing technology is best placed between the anchorage end and the vertical stress peak point. The anchorage strength is inversely correlated with the diameter of the small‐diameter section, and the destressing effect is positively correlated with the diameter of the large‐diameter section. Based on its advantages in destressing, the segmented enlarged‐diameter boreholes and anchorage support are applied together, and a system of destressing‐support cooperative control of rock burst is presented. The roles in rock burst control of "zone of strong anchorage support" and "zone of low stress and energy dissipation" are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The revelation of the distribution characteristics of stress and fractures in the floor strata is of great significance to improve the regional gas drainage efficiency and to eliminate or reduce the risk of coal and gas outburst in adjacent coal seams during multi‐seam mining. In this paper, the stress distribution in the floor under mining condition was derived, and the characteristics of stress zones in the floor were elaborated while mining the 22201 working face in Shaqu coal mine in Shanxi province, China. Besides, the propagation laws of fractures in different stress zones were theoretically analyzed, and the distribution law of fracture angles in the floor strata under different mining‐induced stresses was obtained. The research results demonstrate that the compression and transition zones show high vertical stress and less developed fractures and are dominated by fractures with a large angle (>60°), which is unfavorable for gas drainage. The expansion zone in the floor within 2‐40 m in the rear of the working face is characterized by high unloading degree of vertical stress and developed fractures. Moreover, fractures with a small angle (<60°) dominate the spatial distribution of the fractures, which is favorable for gas drainage. The research results can not only be a beneficial supplement to the theory of coal and gas co‐exploitation in multi‐seam mining but also provide theoretical support for optimizing the design parameters of cross‐measure boreholes under similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonpillar mining (NPM) with an automatically formed roadway is an emerging mining technology that does not use coal pillar retention and drivage. This technology can be used to actively control the caving height of the roof by directional cutting technology and can promote the rapid equilibrium of a fractured high roof under the support of the caved gangue. Therefore, when analyzing the stability of a high roof under NPM, not only the interaction force of the fractured rock blocks but also the effects of the support provided by the gangue, and the coal body should be considered. In addition, if necessary, the roof support in the roadway should also be considered. Based on this idea, in this paper, we analyzed the stability characteristics of a fractured high roof and suggested the stability conditions of the fractured rock of a high roof, including actual stability, pseudostability, and instability and provided the criteria for determining these three stability conditions. Furthermore, a visualized approach for the determination of roof stability was proposed. The core idea of the proposed approach is to transform the parameters that cannot be measured in the abovementioned conditions into visualized data that can be directly or indirectly obtained in the field, allowing for the detection and occasional assessment of the stability condition of the fractured rock of a high roof. This visualized determination approach can be used to assess the roof stability condition in a timely manner during the production process and to ensure production safety. The abovementioned research results were successfully used in the S1201‐II mining face of the Ningtiaota Coal Mine, indicating that the proposed approach is feasible and can be used under similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coal production exploited from extra‐thick coal seams accounts for 45% of China's total coal production. With large coal output, the extra‐thick coal seams require that the chamber section be more than 100 m2. In case of parting (the noncoal rock, usually mudstone, sandwiched in the coal seam) in the extra‐thick coal seams, the integrity of the coal seams will be damaged and the large‐section chamber is extremely easy to occur rib spalling and roof leakage, which will increase the chamber's supporting difficulty. To solve such problems, this paper took the electromechanical chamber in Tashan Coal Mine as the engineering background and analyzed the deformation and failure characteristics of this chamber surrounding rocks by the numerical simulation method during the excavation process. The results indicated that the failure areas of surrounding rocks were mainly in partings, chamber ribs, and chamber dome with the failure depths of 15 m, 10 m, and 5 m, respectively. Based on the obtained deformation and failure characteristics, the supporting method of grouting integrated with high‐strength bolts and anchor cables was put forward. The grouting method was firstly used to improve the integrity of the chamber surrounding rocks, and the high‐strength bolts and anchor cables were used for supporting. Then, the supporting parameters of the bolts and anchor cables and the grouting parameters were optimized by the numerical simulation method. The optimized parameters were applied in the electromechanical chamber in Tashan Coal Mine, and the on‐site chamber ribs lateral displacement and roof separation amounts were only 0.018 m and 0.012 m, respectively, indicating that the surrounding rocks were controlled effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at serious deformation and failure of large‐section coal roadway under mined zones in ultra‐thick coal seam, its deformation and failure characteristics are analyzed based on the field measurement. This paper reveals the mechanism of roadway roof separation, roof leakage, and right rib extrusion. Based on the mechanism, two kinds of secondary support schemes are proposed, that is, "grouting + I‐steel support + bolt" (scheme I) and "grouting + U steel support + anchor + anchor cable" (scheme II). The industrial experiment is carried out at 1070 auxiliary transportation roadway in Tashan Coal Mine. The measured results show that the roadway roof separations of the secondary support scheme I and II are only 1/11 and 1/46 of the original support scheme, respectively, while the lateral displacements of the roadway are only 1/7 and 1/44 of the original support scheme. It could be seen that the deformation and failure of the roadway surrounding rock have been well controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The calculation of abutment stress has always been the most important topic in safe underground mining and design. In this paper, based on the formation mechanism of abutment stress, combined with the mechanical properties of actual strata and the theory of elastic foundation beams, a structure model of overlying strata with an elastic foundation is established, and a new theoretical calculation method of abutment stress is proposed. The new calculation method takes into account the interaction of the overlying key strata and the effect on the transmission of the front abutment stress and then analyzes the stress patterns of multilayered key strata under the combined action of the bending moment, shear force, and nonuniform load and its transmission to the underlying strata. In addition, based on field observations of panel 10 305 in the Xinglongzhuang coalmine, the influence range, peak position, and variation trend of the front abutment stress before and after breaking of the overlying key strata are studied and verified. The results show that the influence range of the abutment stress remains unchanged after KS1 breaks (eg, from 0 to 180 m), and its peak position shifts forward from 8 to 19 m, while the influence range (0‐180 m) and its peak position (6‐8 m in front of coal wall) remain unchanged after KS2 breaks; the abutment stress decreases, and the maximum decrease is 3.9 MPa in the range of 0‐22 m ahead of the coal wall after KS1 breaks, while the maximum decrease in the abutment stress is 2.1 MPa in the range of 0‐71 m ahead of the coal wall after KS2 breaks. The results of the new calculation method are basically consistent with the field observations and the existing theoretical results, showing that the method has good adaptability and reliability and can provide a new theoretical basis for on‐site design and construction practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism and fracture aperture of thick hard roof failure were theoretically analyzed from the perspective of elastoplastic mechanics. A uniform load cantilever beam was established by considering the voussoir beam structure and stress condition. According to the stress inverse principle in solving the plane strain problem, the internal stress component analytic solution was deduced. Considering the lateral thrust and shear force and by applying the Mohr‐Coulomb failure criterion, the plastic zone boundary equation was obtained. Further analysis of the equivalent stress, equivalent strain, elastic energy density, distortion energy density, and strain energy density was studied with blocks of four different lengths, combined with the rotation angles after failure, to analyze the fissure aperture between straight and curved fracture traces. The theoretical analysis reveals that the deviatoric effect plays the lead role in rupture initiation and propagation; the cracks will deflect during failure, and the fracture trace presents a curved shape. The variation of fracture aperture exhibits a tendency to increase first, then decrease, and then increase along the fracture trace. The analytical approach presented in this paper provides a theoretical basis for determining the main seepage channel flow in underground mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal and gas outburst is a potentially fatal risk during the mining of gassy coal seams, which seriously threatens the safe mining of collieries. To understand the outburst mechanism and evolution rules, a new apparatus (LSTT) was developed to conduct simulated experiment. In the context of an outburst accident in Dingji coal mine, the authors launched an authentic outburst experiment to replay the outburst accident. Experimental apparatus, similar criterion, coal‐like materials and gas sources, and experimental design were discussed systematically in this paper. Experimentally, the study analyzed the geo‐stress has significant influence on the outburst evolution. At the driving face, the stress concentration possibly caused gas outburst, under the influence of mining‐induced stress. After the outburst occurred, the stress balance of the coal changed, resulting in the instability of the coal. Furthermore, the elastic energy, gas enthalpy, and gravitational potential energy were released rapidly. The experimental result stated that outburst coal has the sorting characteristics, in line with the field outburst law. The intensity prediction model has been built based on the energy model. Moreover, the factors that impact outburst intensity were analyzed. In the process of coal and gas outburst, the gas enthalpy of gas and the elastic potential of coal are the main energy sources. This study provides guidance for the development of the outburst mechanism and outburst mine management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the complex geostress and mining conditions in the coal seam with depth of 800 m, stability of surrounding rock for gob‐side entry retaining is very difficult to achieve. In this paper, we firstly propose an innovative bolt‐grouting controlled roof‐cutting for gob‐side entry retaining (BCR‐GER) approach for deep coal mines. Secondly, a mechanical model of "surrounding rock‐supporting body" for BCR‐GER is constructed, which consists of coal wall, roadside props, and gangues in gob (the whole supporting body). Thirdly, the key parameters (ie, cutting height, cutting angle, grouting cable length, and row of roadside props) are designed. Finally, field practice was applied at the No. 31120 haulage roadway of the Suncun coal mine in China, and in situ investigations were conducted for verification. Field measurement results show that maximum convergences of roof‐to‐floor and side‐to‐side were 264 mm and 113 mm, respectively. What is more, the maximum support resistance of roadside props was reduced by approximately 58%. The deformation and failure of surrounding rock were effectively controlled, and the pressure on roadside props was greatly reduced. This research fully considers the bearing properties of gangues in gob, eliminates the secondary disasters caused by borehole blasting, and provides guidance and reference for deep surrounding rock control of the same or similar gob‐side entry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is vigorously promoting the development of coalbed methane (CBM) resources because CBM is cleaner than coal and a hazardous gas in coal mining. However, the CBM production in China is significantly lower than that in other coal‐rich countries, such as Australia and the United States. In this paper, the main problems hindering CBM development in China are discussed to provide management suggestions for the government. These key problems include exploration and development techniques, the overlap of mining rights, management, financial supporting policy, investment environment, regulations, and market conditions. The results of this study indicate that to improve the development of the CBM industry in China, national and local governments must enact specific and exercisable regulations to increase financial support, improve technology, increase investment in CBM exploration, strengthen public project establishment, and improve the reform of CBM exploration and development policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Bearing and deformation behaviors of waste rock masses (WRM) are more usually considered in stress distribution in caved waste. As WRM is widely located in hidden and dangerous environments, herein, numerical calculation is the preferred research method, but there are no modules specifically designed to simulate WRM, and the distribution of blockiness size, void, and properties of WRM in existing programs is still immature. A construction and subdivision method for modeling WRM is proposed in this paper. That is on the basis of the intact rock mass numerical model established in 3D Voronoi, the blocks in the intact rock mass are removed at random to achieve the purpose of retrieving the WRM structure by means of predetermined porosity. Also, the Weibull distribution is introduced to describe the properties of joints randomly, and a uniaxial compression experiment is used to research the compaction characteristics of WRM. The modeling and parametric methods can more accurately reflect fragmentation characteristics, bulking characteristics, and compaction characteristics of WRM. Compared with the existing theoretical and experimental results, this method has a high degree of consistency with them. This experimental study provides a new and effective method for the safety control of backfilling technics of WRM in coal mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal is the main energy in China, which has already played and will continue to play an important role in the national economy. Coal geology, as a practical science, has an access to gradual development with the growth and prosperity of China. From the meaning of the coalfield geology, this paper introduces the research progress and status of coalfield geology, including the research on coal basin, stratigraphy of coal-bearing stratigraphie sequences, coal-forming process, structural geology of coalfields, and exploration and development status of coal resources. The paper specially focuses on coal-forming process, including coal formation in terrestrial facies and transgressive / regression events, and introduces new technology which has been applied to research progress in structural geology of coalfield. This paper puts forward a new comprehensive exploration system for coal exploration and reviews regional coal geological exploration results in recent years, such as coal-poor regions of seven provinces in southern China and the coal resources area in northwest China, which will be an important coal-producing area in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the mercury emitted from coal combustion can lead to serious environmental issues, researchers pay more attention to the content, distribution and occurrence of mercury in coal. In this paper, the content, distribution, and occurrence of mercury in the Permian tectonically deformed coals from Peigou Mine, Xinmi coalfield, Henan Province were investigated. A total of 18 bench samples were taken from No.2-1 coals seam in Peigou Mine, including 15 coal bench samples, two roofs and one floor. The mercury concentration, mineral composition, and main inorganic element content of 18 samples were determined by DMA-80 direct mercury analyzer, XRD, and XRF respectively. The results show that the mercury content ranges from 0.047 ppm to 0.643 ppm, with an average of 0.244 ppm. Though the coal seam has turned into typical tectonically deformed coal by the strong tectonic destruction and plastic deformation, the vertical distribution of mercury has remarkable heterogeneity in coal seam section. By the analysis of correlation between mercury and the main inorganic elements and the mineral composition in coal, we infer that majority of mercury mainly relates to pyrite or kaolinite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artisanal, or small-scale mining, is widely recognised as a key, but often controversial, survival strategy adopted by low-income communities in the global South. This paper examines how members of one community in South Africa, that of Indwe, in a desperate effort to create self-employment, have initiated micro-level coal-mining enterprises, which have had the downstream effect of supporting local transportation and brick-making operations. Government concerns over the legality of these activities overlie the recent depletion of the local resource and the involvement of a mining corporate in the region. In terms of the way forward, the paper explores the uneasy compromise which has emerged between the corporate's social responsibility initiatives and the suspicions of the artisanal miners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the path-creation mechanism of the coal-chemical industry and its relatedness to the old path of the coal mining industry in an old industrial region of China. It reveals that the rise of the new path benefits from the old path to a limited extent. The strong multi-scalar structured path dependence upon the coal industry fundamentally constrained local actors to mobilize resources from the old path for new industrial options. The findings show that on the basis of local (pre)existing fertilizer production assets, the new path was created by a combination of market-oriented state-owned enterprise ownership reforms, market induced trans-local entrepreneurship and local state-led developmental strategies. This form of path creation contributes to the extant literature, presenting a complex, multi-scalar, and multi-actor manner of industrial restructuring involving dynamic agencies that is not merely historically conditioned by place-specific assets and structures but also affected by the changing extra-regional political-institutional environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to research examining class formation processes among capitalists by analyzing the fracturing of multiemployer collective bargaining associations in the U.S. coal mining and steel industries. The paper evaluates three theories of bargaining decentralization and offers an alternative account. Analyzing both the earlier stability of multiemployer bargaining and its subsequent decline, the paper attributes decentralization to changes in relationships of interdependence and power among unionized firms. While broad processes of economic restructuring gave rise to these shifts, social processes involving conflict and negotiation determined the specific direction of institutional change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]