Replacing protective inter-block coal pillars (PICPs) with cemented artificial pillars is proposed here to address low coal recovery rates. The use of cemented artificial pillars also reduces resource waste when PICPs are used in the short-wall block mining (SBM) process. A coal mine test area in northern Shaanxi, China, was employed as the study site. Artificial pillar replacement techniques were developed based on the layout characteristics of a typical SBM workface. High-strength cemented backfill materials for artificial pillars were manufactured using innovative material ratio testing, and the optimum ratios for backfill materials are discussed. A cusp catastrophe model of an artificial pillar was then developed and used to deduce the conditions and critical widths necessary to generate catastrophic instability of an artificial pillar. This theoretical analysis was validated using FLAC3D simulations. Using the test site conditions, the simulations revealed that when an artificial pillar had a width of 14 m, the destruction of the pillar and associated stope was gradual and would not cause catastrophic instability. Field monitoring performed at the test site verified the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation results, confirming that it was feasible to replace PICPs with cemented artificial pillars.

For underground coal mining techniques such as gob-side entry retaining (GER) or gob-side entry driving (GED), the stability of yield pillars is paramount. A well-designed yield pillar aims to withstand mining-induced stresses. This study delves into the impact of bi-terminal cable support on the stability of such pillars. Utilizing 30 distinct numerical models, each with varying pillar width/height (w/h) ratios and diverse cable support methodologies, our findings suggest an upward trend in both peak and residual strength in response to heightened support strength. Notably, pillars with a wider configuration exhibited a more pronounced increase in peak strength compared to their narrower counterparts, while the latter showcased a more pronounced residual strength enhancement. Additionally, the residual/peak strength ratio was smaller in narrower pillars and increased with the increase in the cable support strength. In view of the surrounding rock mass’s support stress distribution, numerical modelling was adopted to analyze the underlying support mechanism. The results showed the support stress zones extended farther on both sides of pillars with the decrease in the row spacing, which made the radial stresses rise effectively and ameliorated the coal pillar’s stress state. Finally, with the 8311 operation advancing towards the station, the deformation amplitude of the coal pillar was only 2.28%, and the stability of the coal pillar was effectively maintained.

In order to study the influence of rock combination types on their mechanical properties and failure characteristics, uniaxial compression tests of single rock samples and combined rock samples were conducted. Acoustic emission (AE) signals during the test process were collected, and the differences in AE signals of single rock samples and combined rock samples were studied based on the fractal theory. The results showed that the peak strength, elastic modulus, peak strain, and failure degree of the combined rock samples are all between those of the two single rock samples. The AE ringing count gradually increases with the loading process and suddenly increases to the maximum when the rock sample fails. During this process, the phase trajectory volume corresponding to the ringing count shows an evolution law of first decreasing and then increasing, while the correlation dimension corresponding to the ringing count signal shows an overall evolution law of first increasing and then decreasing. The results indicate that the phase trajectory volume, correlation dimension, and crack changes have a consistent dynamic change. Therefore, the phase trajectory and correlation dimension are effective tools to describe the pore change characteristics of rock combinations.

Underground reservoir technology in coal mines enables the effective storage and utilization of water resources disturbed by mining activities. Owing to the effects of mining operations and water extraction/injection activities, the water head in underground reservoirs fluctuates dynamically. The total bearing capacity of a coal pillar dam is significantly reduced due to the combined effects of overlying rock stress, dynamic and static water pressures, and mining-induced stresses, which are critical for ensuring the safe operation of underground reservoirs. Based on the correlation between different water head heights and the corresponding water pressures on the coal pillar dam, a custom-made coal rock pressure water immersion test device was used to saturate the coal samples under various water pressure conditions. The mechanical deformation and failure characteristics of the samples and fracture propagation patterns under different water pressure conditions were studied using uniaxial compression, acoustic emission (AE), and three-dimensional X-ray microimaging. The results indicated that, compared with the dry state, the peak strain of the water-immersed coal samples increased to varying degrees with increasing water pressure. Additionally, the average porosity and the number of pores with diameters in the range of 0 to 150 μm significantly increased in water-immersed coal samples. Under the combined influence of water immersion pressure and uniaxial stress, loading the water-saturated coal samples to the fracture damage threshold significantly intensified deformation, failure, and fracture propagation within the samples, and the failure mode changed from tension to a composite tensile–shear failure.

The lithology and composition type of an aquifuge in overburden play a crucial role in influencing the crack evolution and permeability changes of the aquifuge. This study utilized the high-temperature and high-pressure rock triaxial seepage test system to conduct triaxial compression tests on mudstone, sandstone, and their combined rock samples. The mechanical characteristics and permeability evolution of each lithology law during the failure were investigated. Furthermore, computed tomography (CT) scanning technology was utilized for the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction and theoretical permeability calculation of single and combined rock samples. The results indicated that the stress–strain curves for single and combined rock samples exhibited similar patterns, which were divided into four stages: pore compaction, linear elasticity, yield deformation, and post-peak residual deformation. The peak strength of rock samples positively correlated with confining pressure. Permeability trends for mudstone and sandstone exhibited an “N”-type pattern characterized by “slow decrease–gradual stabilization–sudden increase–rebound decrease”, while the permeability of mudstone–sandstone combined rock followed a “U”-type pattern of “initial decrease–stabilization–subsequent increase”. Notably, the permeability of the combined rock samples was significantly lower compared to the single rock samples. The failure mode indicated that fractures in a single rock sample transversed the entire sample, whereas failures in the combined rock samples were confined to the mudstone component. This observation accounted for the differences in the permeability changes between the rock sample types. Additionally, the theoretical permeability results from the 3D reconstruction correlated with the experimental results.