The result of the search for new technological solutions in the field of support for roadways in coal mines has in recent years been the widespread use of steel arch with rockbolt support systems. The efficiency of these systems is affected among other things by the option of installing rock bolts after the actual driving the mine roadway, the increased load capacity that these systems can support, and their resistance to dynamic weight. Large variation in the way that these steel arch support can be connected using different types of rock bolts necessitates mining research revealing the effectiveness of such solutions. Although the steel arch with rockbolt support system is used in the majority of European coal mines, it is still not possible to apply templates of schemes due to the diversity of geological and mining conditions. Therefore, throughout a period of several years, the authors of this article conducted research in situ under conditions of different schemes related to connecting arched support frames with rock bolts, with only selected results being presented in the article. The measurements of convergence, load supported by the system frame, load supported by the rock bolts, and the stratification of roof rocks were analyzed, carried out in two roadways with yielding steel arch support in which strand bolts were applied. The article also proposes the index for working maintenance n_uw, used in preliminarily assessing the stability of a given working with a limited number of data concerning geomechanical conditions. Additionally considered are empirical methods used in Poland for designing steel arch with rock bolt support systems. The results of mine research indicate that strengthening yielding steel support with strand bolts through steel beams maintains the stability of a roadway, even when exposed to the exploitation stress. Aside from the impact of exploitation, deformations of the support system are negligible, despite the fact that the tensile forces acting on the rock bolts can reach values of up to 160 kN. Under favorable geological and mining conditions, support system frames can be spread up to 1.5 m apart when using rock bolts between them. The conducted measurement of convergence during a three year period revealed a compression amounting to a few centimeters. The results obtained by the research fully confirm the effectiveness of combined yielding steel arch with rock bolt support systems under different mining conditions.

The longwall system is an extraction system commonly used in coal mining in many countries, including Poland. One of the methods for reducing extraction costs is the dual use of the gateroad. In the first instance, the gateroad serves as the tailgate, and during the exploitation of the second coal panel, it functions as the headgate. Such a situation requires maintenance of the roadway behind the longwall face, which is typically challenging, due to significant stress-related loads on the support and its substantial deformation. The support design for this kind of roadway should take into consideration the dual impact of exploitation pressure and the caved zone influence behind the longwall face. This article presents the results of in-situ research conducted on two roadways behind the longwall face. In both roadways, the effectiveness of specially designed steel arch frames and rock bolt patterns were examined to minimize roadway deformations and maintain their functionality. The research project was comprised of several stages. Initially, mining and laboratory studies were conducted to determine the geomechanical parameters of the rocks. Subsequently, excavation stability and functionality forecasts were performed based on the authors’ empirical indicators. Then, numerical analyses were carried out to design support schemes (steel arches and rock bolt) in both roadways. A fully automated monitoring system with programmed data loggers was designed to check the behaviour of a specific rock mass and the support elements. The load on the steel arch support was measured with the help of load cells, while the load on the rock bolt support was carried out with the help of measurement bolts. Behind the longwall face, the loads on the wooden cribs set from the goaf side were also monitored. Additionally, the measurement station was equipped with extensometers to monitor the movement of roof layers and stress meters to determine changes in rock mass stress. Laser scanning or traditional surveying methods were also used to verify the support schemes through roadway convergence measurements. The obtained results allowed us to draw conclusions regarding the optimization of support schemes and to give recommendations for the practical application of specific reinforcements in excavations maintained behind the longwall face.