In extra-thick coal seams, mining operations can lead to large-scale disturbances, complex overburden structures, and frequent and strong strata behavior in the stope, which are serious threats to mine safety. This study analyzed the overburden structure and strata behavior and proposed the technique of confined blasting in water-filled deep holes as a measure to prevent strong rock pressure. It found that there are two primary reasons for the high effectiveness of the proposed technique in presplitting hard coal and rock. First, the fracture water enables much more efficient transfer of dynamic load due to its incompressibility. Second, the subsequent expansion of water can further split the rock by compression. A mechanical model was used to reveal how the process of confined blasting in water-filled deep holes presplit roof. Moreover, practical implementation of this technique was found to improve the structure of hard, thick roof and prevent strong rock pressure, demonstrating its effectiveness in roof control.

Overburden strata movement in large space stope is the major reason that induces the appearance of strong mining pressure. Presplitting blasting for hard coal rocks is crucial for the prevention and control of strong pressure in stope. In this study, pressured water coupling blasting technique was proposed. The process and effect of blasting were analyzed by orthogonal test and field practice. Results showed that the presence of pressure-bearing water and explosive cartridges in the drill are the main influence factors of the blasting effect of cement test block. The high load-transmitting performance of pore water and energy accumulation in explosive cartridges were analyzed. Noxious substances produced during the blasting process were properly controlled because of the moistening, cooling, and diluting effect of pore water. Not only the goal of safe and static rock fragmentation by high-explosive detonation but also a combination of superdynamic blast loading and static loading effect of the pressured water was achieved. Then the practice of blasting control of hard coal rocks in Datong coal mine was analyzed to determine reasonable parameters of pressured water coupling blasting. A good presplitting blasting control effect was achieved for the hard coal rocks.

Aiming at the wide range of rock strata movement and collapse, poor stability and high damage rate of the working face support and being prone to crushing of the support in large mining height face, analog simulation, theoretical analysis, and field measurements have been carried out to analyze roof breaking structure form and calculation method of support reasonable support resistance of large mining height face. The researches show that, affected by the space of the mined-out area, the roof of the large mining height working face will take on the structural form of combined suspended beam-nonhinged roof-hinged roof; the interaction system between the support and the surrounding rock consists of hinged roof structure, nonhingeable roof structure, combined suspension beam structure, and the support. The support resistance should adapt to the change of the overlying rock structures instability movement, bearing the weight of the structure itself and the additional load generated by the movement. Combining with the mining conditions of Jinhuagong Coal Mines large mining height face in Datong mining area, the reasonable support resistance of the working face support is analyzed. The mine pressure monitoring shows that the ZZ13000/28/60 type support and shield hydraulic support can meet the requirements of roof control; the research results ensure the safe mining of the large mining height face.

The fracturing of hard roofs in different layers would result in complex ground pressure on the working face, such as supports collapsed and severe roadway deformation. However, the mechanism of the ground pressure induced by hard roof fracturing in different layers is still unclear. In the paper, a physical model of a 20m extrathick coal seam mined with hard roofs existing was established based on the physical simulation similarity criterion. The overburden fracturing structure, abutment stress distribution, and failure characteristics of the coal body were monitored by a noncontact strain measurement system and resistance strain gauges, to reveal the mechanism of ground pressure induced by hard roof fracturing. Furthermore, on-site measurement was used to monitor and analyze the ground pressure affected by hard roofs in different levels. The results provide a theoretical basis for the control of ground pressure in extrathick coal seam mining with hard roofs.

Double-roadway tunneling could mitigate the contradiction between mining production needs and tunneling speed, which is pivotal to the sustainable development of underground mines. However, it is very difficult to control the stability of a mining roadway on an adjacent working face suffering from strong mining disturbance due to double-roadway tunneling, especially at a large mining height working face. In order to control the stability of the return air roadway (RAR) 23205 of a strong mining roadway at working face 23205 in the Zhuanlongwan Coal Mine in Inner Mongolia, we carried out field monitoring, theoretical analysis, numerical simulations, and engineering practice to identify the main factors influencing the deformations and the stress distribution law of the surrounding rock in order to propose countermeasures for strong mining roadways. The results show the factors influencing the large deformation of strong mining roadways include large mining height, repeated mining, stress concentration due to the large coal pillar, and a small thickness of the anchorage layer in the roof. The stress peak in the central coal pillar caused by the first and second mining is 23.19 MPa and 27.49 MPa, respectively, and the stress concentration coefficients are 4.538 and 5.379, respectively. Countermeasures (pressure relief via large-diameter boreholes in the large coal pillar and long anchorage for roof reinforcement) were created to control the stability of a strong mining roadway, i.e., RAR 23205. Field measurements indicated that deformations in RAR 23205 could be efficiently controlled. The maximum deformation of the surrounding rock was 50 mm, which meets the safety and efficient production requirements of the coal mine. In addition, new roadway layout optimization and control countermeasures are put forward to control the stability of mining roadways.