Deep soft rock roadways at about 1 km depth experience significant deformation due to concentrated stress ahead of the working face and dynamic loads from the hard roof layer. We propose an integrated control method that couples directional roof cutting, which interrupts stress transfer with constant resistance, and large deformation cable reinforcement to accommodate residual movement. The calibrated FLAC3D model indicates a lower front of face stress and a diminished cyclic build up of elastic strain energy in the roof, which reduces roadway convergence. Field data from Face 13403 corroborate the method’s effectiveness: the average hydraulic support load on the roof cutting side was 20.3 MPa, which is 30.1% lower than on the non-cutting side; deformation stabilized about 320 m behind the face; the final roof to floor and rib to rib closures were 1.10 m and 1.47 m; and the entry remained fit for the next panel. These results indicate that coupling roof cutting with constant resistance cable reinforcement reduces mining-induced loads while increasing deformation tolerance, providing a practical solution for stabilizing kilometer-deep soft rock roadways.

Mine-water exposure can alter the mechanical properties of coal and adversely affect roadway stability. However, the relationship between time-dependent coal degradation under weakly alkaline water exposure and deformation at the roadway scale remains insufficiently understood. This study investigates a coal-seam roadway within inclined strata at Sanxin Coal Industry Co., Ltd., Xinjiang, China. Coal specimens were subjected to exposure durations of 0, 5, 10, 20, and 45 d in a laboratory-prepared solution maintained at pH 9, followed by uniaxial compression, Brazilian splitting, and variable-angle shear tests. The experimentally determined degradation trends were incorporated into a three-dimensional 3DEC roadway model using a parameter-retention-coefficient approach. After 45 d of exposure, the uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus decreased by 39.8% and 28.6%, respectively. Under the corresponding numerical conditions, roof-to-floor convergence and two-rib convergence increased by 143.3% and 160.0%, respectively. Two-rib convergence remained greater than roof-to-floor convergence, whereas the maximum plastic-zone depth was consistently greater in the roof than in the ribs. Under the most severely degraded condition tested, the proposed bolt–cable reinforcement scheme reduced roof subsidence and two-rib convergence by 35.0% and 33.0%, respectively, while reducing the maximum plastic-zone depth by 12.0%. These findings indicate that coal-property degradation can amplify roadway deformation under the modeled conditions and highlight the importance of considering both deformation and plastic-zone development when evaluating reinforcement measures.

With the development of mineral resources, the inevitable creation of numerous abandoned mines has impacted environmental resources. Numerous studies have been conducted on the restoration and management of individual abandoned mines. However, there has been no systematic study on the overall ecological restoration planning of abandoned mine clusters. Hence, there is an urgent need to research restoration planning strategies, focusing on the characteristics of abandoned mines and their environmental impacts. In this study, abandoned mines in Toli County, Xinjiang, were selected as the case. The K-means clustering analysis method was employed to study the spatial distribution of abandoned mines, selecting longitude, latitude, and road access as analytical factors. Based on spatial location attributes, three groups of abandoned mines were identified. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to study the ecological importance evaluation model in Toli County, selecting eight evaluation factors including vegetation, precipitation, and population density, and dividing the ecological importance levels of various sectors to establish a three-stage restoration project. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method was used to assess the hazards of abandoned mines, selecting distance, land type, area, and ecological impact as influencing factors and determining the management sequence of abandoned mines within each project. The results show that (1) longitude, latitude, and road indices help to mitigate geographical obstacles such as mountains and rivers, ensuring a high degree of continuity in abandoned mine areas; (2) the AHP reveals that the combined weight of population density, gross domestic product, and vegetation index exceeds 80%, which are key factors affecting the priority of ecological restoration; and (3) the application of PCA provides a scientific basis for the hazard assessment and management of abandoned mines, prioritizing those close to densely populated areas and with larger areas. The significance of this study lies in providing a systematic method for ecological restoration planning of abandoned mines, as well as offering important references for future research and practice in related fields.