Field evaluation of three longwall pillar systems in a Kentucky coal mine. Report of Investigations/1989

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:7042347

Barton, T M; Mark, C

The U.S. Bureau of Mines is conducting research to assess the effectiveness of different chain pillar designs in maintaining gate entry stability. A particular concern is ground control for deep-cover longwalls located at depths in excess of 1,000 feet. The study described in the report was performed in two experimental sections in one longwall headgate section which contained three different pillar designs. Two of the designs used conventional abutment pillars, while the third was a total-yielding pillar system. Both of the test areas were located under 1,800 feet of cover. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of these three pillar designs for gate road stability. As the longwall mined passed the test areas, Bureau engineers monitored entry convergence, roof sag, and changes in roof quality. The study indicated that the all-yield system performed nearly as well as the better of the two abutment pillar systems, but all three designs would have failed to provide acceptable stability for second panel mining without considerable artificial support.

• Research Organization: Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA (USA). Pittsburgh Research Center
• OSTI ID: 7042347
• Report Number(s): PB-90-170663/XAB; BUMINES-RI--9283
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
012031* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Underground Mining-- Strata Mechanics & Control-- (1987-)
COAL MINING
DESIGN
ENGINEERING
FIELD TESTS
LONGWALL MINING
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
MECHANICS
MINING
MINING ENGINEERING
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
ROCK MECHANICS
ROOFS
STRUCTURAL BEAMS
SUPPORT PILLARS
SUPPORTS
TESTING
UNDERGROUND MINING