This paper presents the engineering geological properties and roof control tecnology for a thick coal seam fully-mechanized face mining with hard roof conditions (THC) at the Jinhuagong Coal Mine (JCM), northwest China. The effective support working resistance and appropriate roof control technology are two critical factors for safe and productive mining in the THC. The load-estimate-method (LOEM) is the effective method to determine the support working resistance for normal working conditions (the mining height less than 3.5 m). In order to prevent support crushing accidents from happening and to ensure the safety and high-efficiency in the THC, the LOEM was modified based on the structure of the overlying strata in the THC. The strata which can form the voussoir beam structure in normal working conditions and will break in the form of cantilever beam in the THC is defined as the key strata in the immediate roof. Therefore, the hanging length of the key strata in the immediate roof was considered in the LOEM. Furthermore, a method for calculating the hanging length of the key strata in the immediate roof and its influencing factors were proposed using cantilever beam theory analysis of the structure of the overlying strata. Moreover, in order to fully fill the goaf area with caving roof to reduce the energy accumulation of main roof movement, it was decided to apply destress blasting technique (DEBT) at the JCM to control the large hanging length of the hard roof, so as to reduce the impact of the hard main roof movement on the working face. The key technique parameters of the roof caving borehole were also proposed. The obtained results demonstrated that the theoretical analysis is reasonable, and the chosen support type and the DEBT could meet the roof control requirements. The THC has achieved safety and high-efficiency mining.

Presplit blasting can reduce vibration and back impact induced by cast blasting, thus resulting in a smooth bench slope. To design reasonable presplit blasting parameters, this research investigated the formation of presplit faces based on the explosion mechanics and revealed the cracking mechanism of presplit blasting. According to the stress distribution in the vicinity of the blast holes under the action of explosive stress waves and blasting gas, we deduced theoretical formulae for parameters including charge mass in blast holes, hole spacing, and distance from presplit blast holes to cushion holes. On this basis, a method was proposed for the design of large‐diameter deep‐hole presplit blasting. Field testing was conducted by setting different spacing for presplit blast holes, to monitor the blasting‐induced vibration. The results showed that appropriate hole spacing can reduce the particle vibration velocity and the attenuation index of blasting‐induced vibration changed slightly while the attenuation coefficient decreased significantly; the formed presplit faces were smooth and had a high half‐cast factor. Finally, the reasonable hole spacing for presplit blasting, distance from presplit blast hole to the cushion hole, and the charge mass in blast holes in the Heidaigou open‐pit coal mine were determined, respectively.

Protective seam mining is a major and critical regional measure to prevent coal and gas outbursts (CGO) in coal mines. In this study, a novel method for selecting protective seam against coal and gas outburst was studied on the basis of gas geology and rock strata control theories and principles for protective seam mining and relevant regulations, which is that theories of gas geology were used to assess the outburst risk inherent in different seams of this mine, and then make preliminary selection of protective seams, and the technical feasibility of the proposed selection method was then analyzed using the theories and principles for protective seam mining and relevant regulations. The case application study results show that the extraction of the upper protective seam (UPS) caused significant decreases in the predicative indicators of outburst risk in the outburst-prone seam and thereby prevented CGO, and the novel method can provide a theoretical basis for selecting protective seam against CGO.

In view of the fact that coal and gas outbursts are difficult to predict, a new method for predicting coal and gas outbursts was proposed based on occurrence mechanisms of coal and gas outbursts relating to coal mass strength, gas pressure, and in situ stress. The method revealed that the rate of occurrence of coal and gas outbursts in mines was 5% to 10% and gas pressures for coal and gas outbursts in shallow and deep mines in China were greater than 0.74 and 0.6 MPa, respectively. The prediction index for coal and gas outbursts based on the gas factor was the gas desorption index of drilling cuttings (K₁), which is referred to the gas content desorbed from the coal mass in the first minute of drilling. The prediction index for coal and gas outbursts based on coal mass strength was the thickness of a soft layer that could be twisted into powder by hand. Based on many cases of coal and gas outbursts, the critical thickness of the soft layer was found to have been 0.2 m. The prediction index for coal and gas outbursts based on in situ stress was the weight of drilling cuttings, which represented the mass of drilling cuttings per linear metre of boreholes with diameters of 42 or 75 mm. Finally, the new prediction method and prediction index critical values for coal and gas outbursts were verified based on industrial application tests. This method has been widely applied on-site and obtained good prediction results.

Since the precise identification and prediction and early warning of compound coal-rock dynamic disaster remain difficult, a new coal characterisation and prediction method for compound coal-rock dynamic disasters was described based on theoretical analysis, laboratory experiment, field sampling, mathematical treatment, and industrial testing. The results implied that the physicomechanical properties of coal in a compound coal-rock dynamic disaster are between those pertinent to a typical rock burst and a coal-gas outburst, i.e., with high crustal stress surrounding pressure, high gas pressure, low permeability, bump proneness, and outburst risk. The predicted drilling data indicate moderate gas desorption indices. The gas desorption velocity and permeability of compound coal-rock dynamic disaster coal decrease with the increase in crustal stress, while increase and decrease with the increase in gas pressure, respectively, at the same time, and they change little with increasing temperature. Gas extraction leads to the increase in coal mass brittleness and bump proneness. Based on the unique physical-mechanical properties of compound coal-rock dynamic disaster coal, a reasonably sensitive predictive index and critical value for Donglin Coal Mine were determined.