Roof Instability In Underground Mining

Throughout mining history millions of miles of entry have provided exposure of every conceivable geologic roof hazard.

Roof instability in underground mining.

Roof fall is one of the greatest hazards facing underground coal miners. F rom the stud y of ground control problems it was found that roof failure is one of the p rominent problems covering almost 27 of the total accident occurs in underground coal mines kejrival. Fatalities and injuries are a prominent concern but lost time due to cleanup and disruption of mining operations presents an economic problem as well. About 70 of roof fall.

In 2017 91 lost time injuries occurred due to roof fall in us underground coal mines. An average of 1 160 falls were reported per year during the study period. The geology geometry timing and frequency of roof falls can usually give some indication of the cause of failure. In this region roof instability is.

Currently roof bolting is the primary means of supporting mine roof in room and pillar operations in the bituminous coal sector. The geological structures most commonly mentioned in the roof fall narratives were slips laminated roof and draw rock. At the root of many injuries and fatalities are weak or defective roof strata. The risk of injury caused by minor roof falls continues to increase in underground mining.

Roof falls in underground coal mines are a continuing source of trouble for mine operators. Observed roof instabilities can generally be related to excessive horizontal stresses or unfavorable geological structures that cause block fallout or beam failure of the bedded roof rocks. Coal beds mined in the illinois basin region are susceptible to roof falls. Key findings include the following.

Gm molinda the u s. Although roof support systems have improved greatly roof falls continue to occur in bolted areas. This study examined 11 600 reportable noninjury roof falls that occurred from 1999 to 2008 in room and pillar operations in the bituminous coal sector. Many geologic and geomechanical factors contribute to mine roof instability.

An additional 48 roof falls occurred with no lost days in 2017. Falls of roof continue to be a major hazard in underground coal mining. Underground coal miner faces a continuing hazard from the fall of roof. In spite of the room widths the roof is naturally stable in many mines.