The deformation and failure of overburden has been a major and challenging issue in the prevention of geological disasters in mines. In this study, B

The advance abutment pressure on the coal mining face of a deep stope plays a decisive role in the surrounding rock instability, rock burst and coal-gas outburst. Based on distributed optical fiber sensing technology and theoretical analysis of the stress state, the distribution characteristics of the advance abutment pressure were tested. Taking the 61103 coal mining face of a mine in Inner Mongolia as an example, downhole measurement research was carried out. Based on the monitoring data, a two-dimensional (2D) geological model for the distribution of the advance abutment pressure during the mining process was developed. To verify the validity of the model, a verification borehole was located on the 61201 coal mining face of the same mining area, the two borehole datasets were comprehensively analysed and the model was corrected. The modified model shows that the influence scope of the advance abutment pressure is 0–26.5 m, the position of the peak stress is 5.1–6.4 m in front of the coal mining face and the peak stress can reach 21.98–23.98 MPa. The stress concentration coefficient is 1.22–1.91 and the vertical influence depth is 13–14 m. Moreover, the advance abutment pressure exhibits obvious zoning in the transverse direction, and the stress at the same position in front of the coal mining face will undergo a process of steady-slow increase-significant increase-peak-decrease. The technical parameters obtained from this study can be used for other coal mining faces in the area. In addition, the testing result of the abutment pressure from the distributed optical fiber sensors is effective and can provide a new research method for mine safety monitoring.

A rock fracture test is a very important method in the study of rock mechanics. Based on the Mechanics Test System (MTS), the dynamic strain response of the failure process of cylindrical granite specimens under uniaxial compression was observed by using distributed optical fiber strain sensors. Two groups of tests were designed and studied for rock sample fracturing. The main comparison and analysis were made between the distributed optical fiber testing technology and the MTS testing system in terms of the circumferential strain response curve and the evolution characteristics of strain with time. The strain characterization of distributed optical fiber in the process of rock fracturing was obtained. The results show that the ring strains measured by the distributed optical fiber sensor and the circumferential strain gauge were consistent, with a minimum ring strain error of 1.27%. The relationship between the strain jump or gradient band of the distributed optical fiber and the crack space on the sample surface is clear, which can reasonably determine the time of crack initiation and propagation, point out the location of the rock failure area, and provide precursory information about rock fracture. The distributed optical fiber strain sensor can realize the linear and continuous measurement of rock mass deformation, which can provide some reference for the study of macro damage evolution and the fracture instability prediction of field engineering rock mass.

To determine the failure characteristics and evolution regularity of the floor strata during fully mechanised top-coal cave mining in typical deep and extra-thick seams in western China, the 61303 working face of an Ordos mine was selected as the engineering research object. A comprehensive monitoring method combining a BOTDR (Brillouin Optical Time-Domain Reflection) distributed fiber strain test and a borehole resistivity CT (Computerised Tomography) test was adopted. The results show that floor stress distribution of the deep-buried and extra-thick coal seam is significantly affected by the different depths of rock lithology. At the interface of the rock strata with a large difference in the elastic modulus, phenomena such as the asynchronism of strata movement and obvious differences in failure easily occur. The failure depth of the floor strata in the 61303 working face is approximately 15.90 m, and the influence depth of the floor disturbance is approximately 32.70 m. Under the influence of the mining pressure, floor stress distribution and crack evolution have obvious spatial and temporal effects. In different inclined boreholes, the data captured by the cable have different values and the fracture locations of the cable also differ. Compared with a single borehole, multiple boreholes with different inclinations, directions and locations can provide more comprehensive and reliable data trends. The knowledge obtained by this monitoring can provide reference information for the study of floor damage under similar conditions and the formulation of technical measures such as those that prevent mine water disasters.

The development height of a water-flowing fractured zone is the key parameter to consider when carrying out mining under water pressure and coal mining with water conservation. In this paper, Jurassic coal seam 3-1 in the Menkeqing Coal Mine was taken as the research target, and a three-dimensional mining geological model was established by using FLAC^3D to study the deformation and failure rules of overburden. Three roof boreholes were drilled in the auxiliary transportation roadway of adjacent working faces for dynamic monitoring by the resistivity method, which can better observe the whole process from failure to stability of the overburden. The results show that due to the complex sedimentary environment and large buried depth of coal seams in western China, there is a large deviation between the calculation results of the empirical formula of the fractured zone height under the “Regulations of buildings, water, railway and main well lane leaving coal pillar and press coal mining” (three regulations) and the simulation and on-site measurement. Based on the comprehensive analysis, the influence range of mining advance abutment pressure is approximately 60 m. The height of the water-flowing fractured zone is approximately 106 m, and it is located at the interface between sandy mudstone and mudstone. The height of the caving zone is approximately 22 m, and it is located at the interface between fine sandstone and medium sandstone. The ratio of the fractured height and coal seam thickness (R_f) reached 24.4, which was basically consistent with the test result of the adjacent Yushenfu mining area (which was 26 on average). There is no obvious change in the development height of the caving zone and water-flowing fracture zone from the working face to the drilling borehole position of more than 120 m, which reflects that the height of the overburden failure zone is related to the control of lithological combination.

The deformation mechanism of the protective coal and rock pillar area outside a stope is an important parameter for setting a reasonable size. In this paper, based on the geological condition of working face 1231(1) in a mine in Huainan, a method that combines the use of a borehole and Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry (BOTDR) was proposed to analyze the stress variation laws of coal and rock pillar areas, and the parameters of the monitoring borehole and installation technique of the sensing optical cables were designed. Based on the monitoring data, the strain distribution characteristics of the sensing optical cables and their relationship with the rock strata were analyzed, the development law of coal and rock strata deformation during the mining process was revealed, and the transverse influence range of the coal and rock pillar affected by mining was reasonably divided. According to the results, the sensing optical cables show an overall trend of tensile strain, with a maximum value of 1800 με, and the main areas of rock strata deformation occur near the interface of rock strata. The range of rock strata disturbance along the borehole direction was approximately 38 m, and the maximum deformation of rock strata after the disturbance, namely, the displacement, was 24.87 mm. A numerical model was constructed to acquire the strain variation characteristic within 100 m in the outer floor of the working face. The transverse range of the floor disturbance was analyzed to be 30–36 m. The field test had good correspondence with the numerical simulation results, which indicates that the optical fiber testing technology can effectively describe the stress variation in the coal and rock strata. The test results can provide technical support for the rational setting of coal and rock pillars and disaster prevention and control. The research direction of deep rock mass testing is discussed, and optical fiber testing in boreholes is considered an effective method for studying deep dynamic disaster control.