With the increasing improvement of national ecological standards, the eco-environmental problems caused by super thick coal seam mining in western China are becoming more and more serious. The failure law of weak overburden stratum is an important factor affecting the safe mining of coal. The failure characteristics of weakly cemented overburden under high-intensity mining in the mining area of western China were studied. For this purpose, a case study was conducted in the 1101 working face of the Baituyao Coal Mine in Ürümqi County. Based on the analysis of geological conditions in the study area, we combined empirical calculations with engineering analogy, physical simulation, and numerical simulation to comprehensively analyze the characteristics of mining-induced overburden failure. The study showed that the overburden in the study area had several unfavorable engineering geological characteristics, including ease of softening in the presence of water. The Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation is a directly recharged aquifer with a weak water-retaining property. Overburden failure mainly occurred at the two ends of the open-off cut. During the mining process, vertical fissures and bed-separated fissures were periodically developed and closed, and the fissures were interconnected. The overburden was fractured, and the fractured zone showed a trapezoidal shape, tapering off from bottom to top. The heights of the caving zone and the water-conducting fracture zone were 25 and 280 m, respectively, in the 1101 working face of the Baituyao Coal Mine, and the ratio of fracturing to mining height was 14.0. Due to the weakly cemented overburden and the presence of the Neogene weak aquifer, the risk of water and sand bursts still exists in this working face under high-intensity mining. Our findings shed light on the safe mining and environmental protection of the ground surface in coal mine shafts in western China.

Investigating the macro and micro structural damage characteristics of red-bed sandstone under freeze–thaw cycles is crucial for guiding construction in seasonal frozen soil regions. This paper analyzes the macro and micro damage characteristics of red bed sandstone in Urumqi area under the action of freeze–thaw cycle through micro-test and uniaxial compression test.The results show that with an increase in freeze–thaw cycles, the porosity and permeability of red-bed sandstone (RBS) samples gradually increase and eventually stabilize.The phase composition of red-bed sandstone samples can be divided into two categories: rock skeleton and cement. When the number of freeze–thaw cycles is 3 ~ 5 times and 20 ~ 25 times, the rock skeleton material is the main loss material. At this stage, due to the large damage of the rock skeleton, the deterioration of mechanical properties is obvious.According to the downward trend, it can be divided into three stages. When the number of freeze–thaw cycles is 0 ~ 5 times and 20 ~ 25 times, it is the severe failure stage. When the number of freeze–thaw cycles is 5 ~ 20 times, it is the slow failure stage.As the number of freeze–thaw cycles increases, the maximum value of the fractal dimension of the middle section of the sample gradually increases, and as the number of freeze–thaw cycles increases, the fractal dimension of the middle section of the sample changes from uneven to uniform.The research results are of great significance to guide the construction of seasonal frozen soil area.

Modifying the loess foundation effectively solved the deformation and settlement of the building foundation and improved its stability. However, burnt rock-solid waste was often used as filling material and light aggregate, while there were few studies on the engineering mechanical properties of modified soil. This paper proposed a method of burnt rock solid waste-modified loess. Therefore, we conducted compression-consolidation and direct shear tests on burnt rock solid waste-modified loess under different burnt rock contents to explore its improved loess’s deformation and strength characteristics. Then, we used an SEM to investigate the modified loess’s micro-structures under different burnt rock contents. The results showed that as the burnt rock-solid waste particle content continued to increase, the void ratio and compressibility coefficient of the samples with different ranges of burnt rock-solid waste particles gradually decreased with rising vertical pressure, while the compressive modulus increased first, then reduced and then increased with the increase of vertical pressure; the shear strength indexes all showed an increasing trend with the increased content of burnt rock-solid waste particles; when the content of burnt rock-solid waste particles was 50%, the compressibility of mixed soil was the lowest, the shear strength was the largest, and the compaction effect and shear resistance were the best. However, when the content of burnt rock particles was 10–20%, the shear strength of the soil improved significantly within the content range. The mechanism of burnt rock-solid waste to enhance the strength of the loess structure was mainly to reduce the porosity and average area of soil, significantly improve the strength and stability of mixed soil particles, and thus significantly improve the mechanical properties of soil. The results of this research will provide technical support for safe engineering construction and geological disaster prevention and control in loess areas.

Engineering construction hazards and geological disasters in loess areas were severe due to the extraordinary nature of loess and its complex internal structure. However, burnt rock-solid waste was often used as filling material and light aggregate, while there were few studies on the engineering mechanical properties of modified soil. This paper proposed a method of burnt rock solid waste-modified loess. Therefore, we conducted compression-consolidation and direct shear tests on burnt rock solid waste-modified loess under different burnt rock contents to explore its improved loess’s deformation and strength characteristics. Then, we used an SEM to investigate the modified loess’s micro-structures under different burnt rock contents. The results showed that as the burnt rock-solid waste particle content continued to increase, the void ratio and compressibility coefficient of the samples with different ranges of burnt rock-solid waste particles gradually decreased with rising vertical pressure, while the compressive modulus increased first, then reduced and then increased with the increase of vertical pressure; the shear strength indexes all showed an increasing trend with the increased content of burnt rock-solid waste particles; when the content of burnt rock-solid waste particles was 50%, the compressibility of mixed soil was the lowest, the shear strength was the largest, and the compaction effect and shear resistance were the best. However, when the content of burnt rock particles was 10 ~ 20%, the shear strength of the soil improved significantly within the content range. The mechanism of burnt rock-solid waste to enhance the strength of the loess structure was mainly to reduce the porosity and average area of soil, significantly improve the strength and stability of mixed soil particles, and thus significantly improve the mechanical properties of soil. The results of this research will provide technical support for safe engineering construction and geological disaster prevention and control in loess areas.