The pressure relief of coal pillars in close-distance multi-coal seam goaf is a complex engineering problem with the characteristics of “dynamic mine pressure”. Hence, this paper studies such problems. First, the influence factors of the coal pillar in the goaf on the mine pressure of the mining face of the lower coal seam under this condition were theoretically analyzed, and it was concluded that vertical stress is the most important element, followed by horizontal stress. Next, a physical similarity simulation experiment was designed to study the stress distribution law of the coal pillar floor in the goaf before and after pressure release and the damage depth. Finally, a technology and monitoring method for coal pillar blasting pressure alleviation in goaf were introduced and implemented in engineering practice. After the pressure is alleviated, the surrounding rock stress of the lower coal seam mining face is redistributed, and the vertical stress is decreased by 20%. The adjacent rock’s deformation is improved. This technology’s cost and safety advantages are extraordinary and helpful for mining coal seams over close distances.

The large‐scale mining of coal resources promotes the formation of section coal pillar groups between working faces. The overlying strata are supported by coal pillars, which leads to the formation of a unique fracture‐bearing structure in the key stratum, resulting in the evolution of fissures (cracks) and a generally high load on the supports. Studying the fracture‐bearing structure formed by coal pillars and overlying strata (fissures) is the basis for realizing rational mining of working faces. Here, the evolution characteristics of coal pillar‐overburden rock (fissures) in shallow coal seam mining and the working resistance of the support with stable fracture bearing structure of section coal pillar and overburden rock were studied in the No. 1‐2 coal mining of Longhua Coal Mine in Shenmu City, Northern Shaanxi. The fissure evolution characteristics on both sides of the coal pillar and the fracture‐bearing structure of the rock stratum were obtained by physical similarity simulation experiment. The mechanical calculation model of the coal pillar‐overburden rock (fissure) structure was established by theoretical derivation and calculation, and the working resistance of advanced support with a stable mechanical structure was studied. The research shows that the fracture evolution and rock fracture characteristics of a shallow coal seam mining face can be divided into three zones. Through the reanalysis of the mechanical structure of coal pillar‐overburden rock (fissure), the combined mechanical structure of the subkey stratum consisting of a lagging broken step rock beam structure and the main key stratum consisting of a hinged rock beam structure was obtained. Combined with the failure characteristics of the section coal pillar, a mechanical structure calculation method suitable for the bearing characteristics of section coal pillar support in shallow coal buried layers was obtained, and the field measurement results were verified.

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.

To study the deformation and failure mechanisms of soft rock mining roadways, the 1506 return airway of Anyang Coal Mine is taken as the engineering background. Based on limit analysis theory, a failure model based on a rigid slider system is constructed to assess the failure of the soft rock surrounding a roadway. The formulas for calculating the self-weight power of the slider in the velocity discontinuity line of the rock surrounding the roadway, the work power of the surrounding rock pressure, and the energy dissipation rate of the velocity discontinuity line are derived, and the upper limit objective function of the velocity discontinuity line height is obtained. The failure characteristics and fracture evolution process of the surrounding rock under different mining stresses are analyzed by means of physical similarity simulations. The simulation results show that shear failure occurs first on the roadway side due to stress concentration. The fissures expand along the bottom angle of the roadway to the blind support area and the low-intensity support area. The cracks weaken the support strength of the angled anchor cable and bolt in the roadway shoulder. Under the action of roof pressure, the status of the rock mass inside and outside the shear slip zone changes from static to dynamic. This causes deformation and failure of the roadway roof, side, and floor.

With the gradual increase in the mining depth of coal resources, the destruction of the rock structure of the inter-layered rock of the near coal seam under the influence of mining has led to the frequent occurrence of water-inrush disasters in mines, which seriously affects the safety of mine production and the safety of the people in the underground. Therefore, it is important to study the mechanism of the water inrush of the rock between the coal seams under the influence of mining to control the occurrence of water inrush disasters and protect the loss of groundwater resources. This paper takes the Hanjiawan coal mine with typical stratigraphic characteristics as the background for research and studies the structural characteristics of interlayer rock breakage and the solid–liquid coupling inrush water disaster mechanism during the mining of 2⁻² and 3⁻¹ coals. The study shows that according to the damage degree and destruction depth of the inter-layered rock caused by the mining of the upper and lower coal seams, combined with the slip line theory and the “three bands” collapse theory, the inter-layered rock is classified into a completely fractured inter-layer, a fractured–broken stacked inter-layer, and a fractured–broken–fractured combined inter-layered rock using $L\le h_m+H_{k2}{}^{\prime }$, $L>h_m+H_{k2}{}^{\prime }$, and $L\ge h_m+H_{li2}{}^{\prime }$ as the discriminating criteria. Combined with the structural classification of inter-layer rock and the discriminating criteria, we used similar simulation experiments and on-site research to analyze the evolution law and distribution characteristics of four types of inter-layer rock water-inrush fractures in different mines and put forward the classification of inter-layer rock water-inrush channels based on the width, length, and penetration of the fractures. Based on the characteristics of the water-inrush channel of inter-layer rock, we constructed the network-boundary inrush water calculation model of inter-layered rock and network-attach-boundary inrush water calculation model, solved the water movement of the water-inrush channel in the model by transforming the flat flow state, fracture to flow state, and pore-fracture flow state, and finally revealed the mechanism of the disaster by which water-inrush of inter-layer rocked was induced. Finally, we revealed its mechanism of inducing the inter-layer rock inrush water disaster. Our research enriches the theory and research ideas of the water-inrush disaster, provides theoretical support and a basis for the control of water-inrush disasters in similar conditions, and ensures the safe production of mines.