花园煤矿1.8Mt-a新井设计- 综采放顶煤工作面采出率分析及提高措施

本科生毕业设计（论文）题目：花园煤矿1.8Mt/a新井设计综采放顶煤工作面采出率分析及提高措施摘要本设计包括三个部分：一般部分、专题部分和翻译部分。一般部分为花园煤矿1.8Mt/a新井设计。花园煤矿位于山东省济宁市金乡县，交通便利。井田走向（东西）长度最大约为5.454km，最小约为3.868km，倾斜（南北）长度最大约为3.252km，最小约为1.905km，总面积为13.97km2。主采煤层为15＃煤，煤层倾角为6~18，平均总厚度为12m。井田地质条件较为简单。井田工业储量为172.53Mt，可采储量为114.5Mt。矿井设计生产能力为1.8Mt/a。矿井服务年限为49a，涌水量不大，矿井正常涌水量为86m3/h，最大涌水量为99.7m3/h。矿井瓦斯相对涌出量为1.732m3/t，绝对涌出量为6.866m3/min，为低瓦斯矿井。井田开拓方式为立井单水平开拓。采用胶带输送机运煤，采用矿车进行辅助运输。矿井通风方式前期为中央并列式通风，后期增设2号风井通风。矿井年工作日为330d，工作制度为“三八”制。一般部分共包括10章：1、矿区概述与井田地质特征；2、井田境界和储量；3、矿井工作制度、设计生产能力及服务年限；4、井田开拓；5、准备方式—带区巷道布置；6、采煤方法；7、井下运输；8、矿井提升；9、矿井通风与安全；10、设计矿井基本技术经济指标。专题部分题目是综采放顶煤采煤工作面采出率分析及提高措施，主要分析了综放工作面煤炭损失及如何提高采出率的方法，从工程实例分析了煤层注水软化致裂技术与深孔预裂爆破技术效果。翻译部分主要内容关于顶板软岩对回采巷道稳定性的影响，英文题目为：SOMEOFOUREFFORTSONTHEIMPROVEMENTOFMININGSAFETYANDTHERELIABILITIESOFMININGMACHINERIES。关键词：立井；单水平；采区；中央并列式；中央分列式；综采放顶煤ABSTRACTThisdesignincludesthreeparts:thegeneralpart,thespecialsubjectpartandthetranslationpart.Thegeneralpartisa1.8Mt/anewdesignforHuanyuancoalmine.HuanyuanislocatedinJinxiangofShandongprovince.Itisveryconvenienttogettothemineintermsofbothhighwayandrailway.Themaximumlengthofthecoalfieldis5.454km,andtheminimumlengthofthecoalfieldis3.868km,Themaximumwidthofthecoalfieldis3.252km,andtheminimumlengthofthecoalfieldis1.905km,andthetotalareais13.97km2.Thefifteenarethemaincoalseams,anditsdipangleis6~18degree.Thethicknessofthemineisabout3.43minall.Thegeologicstructureofthiscoalfieldissimple.Therecoverablereservesofthecoalfieldare172.53milliontons,andtheminablereservesare114.5milliontons.Thedesignedproductivecapacityis1.8milliontonspercentyear,andtheservicelifeofthemineis49years.Thenormalflowofthemineis86m3perhourandthemaxflowofthemineis99.7m3perhour.Therelativeminegasgushis1.732m3/tandtheabsolutegushis6.866m3/min,soitisalowgasmine.Themineisadoublelevelstodevelop.ThecentrallanewayusesBeltConveyortotransitcoal,andtrolleywagonsareusedforaccessorialtransportationintheroadway.Theprophaseventilationmodeofthismineiscenterjuxtaposeform,andthelateventilationmodeofthismineisdiagonalform.The“three-eight”workingsystemisusedintheTunliumine.Itproducesfor330daysayear.Thedeneraldesignincludestenchapters:1.Anoutlineoftheminefieldgeology;2.Boundaryandthereservesofmine;3.Theservicelifeandworkingsystemofmine;4.developmentengineeringofcoalfield;5.Thelayoutofpanels;6.Themethodusedincoalmining;7.Undergroundtransportationofthemine;8.Theliftingofthemine;9.Theventilationandthesafetyoperationofthemine;10.Thebasiceconomicandtechnicalnormsofthedesignedmine.Thetopicofspecialsubjectpartiscrossminingdriftwallrockdeformationregularityandsupportingtechnicalanalysis,thepaperanalyzestheacrossadoptdriftwallrockdeformationandthefactorsaffectingthedeformationregularity,andfromacrosstheroadwaydeformationcausedbymining,analysesthefactorsinrecentyearsinthecrossofroadwaysupportingtheoryandtechnology,fromengineeringexampleanalyzedthegruntingreinforcementtocrossminingroadwayeffect.TranslationpartisaboatLmprovementofMiningSafetyandtheReliabilitiesofMiningMachineries.TheEnglishtitleis“SomeofOurEffortsontheLmprovementofMiningSafetyandtheReliabilitiesofMiningMachineries”.Keywords:Verticalshaft;Singlelevel;District;Centralabreast;Centralboundary;Fullymechanizedminingwithsublevelcaving.英文原文SOMEOFOUREFFORTSONTHEIMPROVEMENTOFMININGSAFETYANDTHERELIABILITIESOFMININGMACHINERIESAbstract:Toimprovethesafetyofcoalmineandthereliabilitiesofminingmachineriesisthemainaspectofpresentscientificresearch.Thispaperintroducessomeofeffortsandachievementsinthisfield.Theyare:(1)Theselectiveearthleakageprotectionof6KVundergroundpowersupplysystemwithinsulatedneutral;(2)Thedetectionofminemethaneandpowersupplytrippingdevice;(3)Theprotectionagainstthehazardofundergroundstaticelectriccharge;(4)Theresearchofreliabilityoftheshearermotor;(5)Thetestandimprovementsofthereliabilitiesofminingmachineries.INTRODUCTIONInthelast50or60yearsthecoalminingindustriesallovertheworldmadegreatadvancesinmechanizationandsafety.Ourcountryhadalsolargeimprovementsinthesefields,butlargeamountsofworkshavetobedone.Recentlytheproblemofreliabilitiesofminingmachineriesdrewmuchattentionsofmanycountriesandwasconsideredasthemaindirectionofminingresearch.Formorethanadecade,inthesametimeofimprovingthedegreeofmechanizationofourcoalmines,weworkedalsoonminesafetyandreliabilitiesofminingmachineriesandgotsomeachievements.Letmemakesomesimpleintroductiononthem.NumericalmodellingoftheeffectsofweakimmediaterooflithologyoncoalmineroadwaystabilityAbstract:ThestabilityandassociateddesignofroofreinforcementrequirementsoftunnelsdriveninUnitedKingdom.CoalMeasuresstrataisdirectlyrelatedtotheengineeringcharacteristicsoftheimmediaterooflithologyandtheeffectsofredistributionofthein-situstress.Numericalmodellingcarriedoutbytheauthorshasbeenusedtosimulatethewidelyobserveddetrimentaleffectsofbothhighhorizontalstressandweakimmediaterooflithologyontunnelroofstability.Differentnumericalmodellingtechniques,suchascontinuum,discontinuumandhybridfiniteelement-discreteelementcodes,havebeenusedtomodelthedeformationalbehaviourofCoalMeasuresstrataandarediscussedinthecontextofspecificcaseexamplestohighlighttheirapplicationandsuitabilityformodellingofweakrock.Themodelledresultsdemonstratethatthethicknessoftherelativelyweakmudstoneintheroofofthetunnelhasasignificantinfluenceontheextentoffailureand,ultimately,theneedforadditionalreinforcement.1.IntroductionUntilrecently5minesworkedtheBarnsleyseamintheSelbyComplex(Wistow,Stillingfleet,Riccall,WhitemoorandNorthSelby).Theseamdipsatapproximately7°totheNorth-East,rangingindepthfrom250mWestoftheWistowMinetoinexcessof1200mEastoftheNorthSelbyMine.Typicalseamthicknessvariesfrom3.5mintheWestto1.8mintheEastoftheSelbyCoalfield.Theroofstratatypicallyconsistofanimmediate,relativelyweakmudstone(upto1mthick)overlainbymorecompetentsiltymudstones,siltstonesandsandstones.ThemudstonethicknessvariesacrosstheCoalfield,rangingfromnon-existentduetohighenergydepositionalriverchannelswherethesandstoneliesdirectlyabovetheseamtoanextensivethicknessofgreaterthan4m.Typicaltunnelorroadwaydimensionsare3.5mhighby5.0mwide.ThesuccessfulimplementationandsubsequentuseofroofboltinginUnitedKingdomcoalminetunnelshaveprovidedalargedatabaseoftunneldeformationmonitoringinformation,includingin-situmeasurementofstratabehaviour,tunneldeformationandreinforcementperformance.Kentetal.(1999)providedasummaryoftheanalysisandinterpretationofdeformationmonitoringdatafromacrosstheSelbyComplexduringtheperiod1988to1994.ThedatabaseprovidedanidealopportunitytoinvestigatehowgeologicalandstressvariationsaffectthestabilityanddeformationalbehaviouroftunnelsdriventhroughCoalMeasuresstrata.Thedatawereestablishedfortunnelsondrivage,priortofaceretreatandanyadditionaldeformationassociatedwithlongwallextraction.DetailedanalysisofthedatabaseconfirmedthatthestabilityandassociateddesignofroofreinforcementrequirementsoftunnelsdriveninUnitedKingdomCoalMeasuresstrataisdirectlyrelatedtothelithologyoftheimmediateroofoftheexcavationandtheredistributionofthein-situstresscausedbycreationoftheexcavation(Hurt(1992),Kent(1996),Kentetal.(1999)andSiddallandGale(1992)).Forexample,significantincreaseintunnelroofdeformationisobservedwhenexcavationsaredrivenperpendiculartothemaximumhorizontalprincipalstressdirection.Tunnelsdrivenatanangletothein-situstressfieldsufferasymmetricaldeformation,withpronouncedobservedstresseffectsthatrequireadditionalreinforcementforstability.Theseobservedeffectsincludetheformationof“guttering”orexcessivebulging/bulkingoftheimmediateroof.Thethicknessoftherelativelyweakmudstoneintheroofofthetunnelhasasignificantinfluenceontheextentoffailureand,ultimately,theneedforadditionalreinforcement.Recentnumericalmodellingcarriedoutby,orundertakenaspartofresearchsupervisedbytheauthorsoverthelastfifteenyearshasprovidedawiderangeofcaseexamplesanddifferentapplicationsofuseofnumericalmethodstomodelweakrockbehaviour.Thishasinvolvedtheuseofacombinationofcontinuum,discontinuumandhybridmethods,wherethechoiceofthenumericalmethodadoptedtookintoconsiderationthecapabilitiesandlimitationsofthesoftware.Thefactorsconsideredincluded:choiceofappropriateinputparameterssuchasmaterialconstitutivecriteria,whetherthereisaneedtomodeldiscontinuitybehaviour,whatfailuremechanismisbeingsimulatedandwhetherornotthereisaneedfortwoorthree-dimensionalanalysis.Themodellinghasbeenusedtosimulatethewidelyobserveddetrimentaleffectsofbothhighhorizontalstressandweakimmediaterooflithologyontunnelroofstability,usingspecificcaseexamplestakenfromtheSelbyCoalfield.Thedetrimentaleffectsofweakrooflithologyontunnelroofbehaviouraredemonstratedusingboth2and3-dimensionalnumericalmodelling.Theexamplesconcentrateonthemodellingoftunnelroofbehaviour,includingfractureinitiationandsubsequentpropagationofthefracturezoneintheimmediateroofoftheexcavation.2.Numericalmodelling:availablemethods—theiradvantagesanddisadvantagesTable1providesasummaryoftheadvantagesandlimitationsofthemostcommonlyusednumericalmethodsformodellingoftunnelroofbehaviour,whicharecontinuummethods,discontinuumordiscretemethodsandhybridcontinuum/discretemethods.ExamplesoftheapplicationofthesedifferentnumericalmethodstomodellingtheeffectsofrockfailurearoundundergroundexcavationsincludeAlvarez-Fernandezetal.(2009),BartonandPandey(2011),Cogganetal.(2003,2006),Curranetal.(2003),Eberhardt(2001),Galeetal.(2004),Islametal.(2009),IslamandShinjo(2009),MartinandMaybee(2000),Pineetal.(2006)UnverandYasitli(2006)andZipf(2006).2.1.ChoiceofavailablemethodsSuccessfulapplicationofthevariousmethodsavailableformodelingofcoalmineroofbehaviourrequiresasoundknowledgeofthecapabilities,advantagesandlimitationsofthevariousmethodsused.Alvarez-Fernandezetal.(2009),Islametal.(2009),IslamandShinjo(2009)andUnverandYasitli(2006)haveshownhownumericalmodellingtechniquescanbeusedtosimulatecoalstratadeformation.Cassieetal.(1999),Clifford(2004),Garrett(1997),Meyer(2002),Sharpe(1999)andSharpeetal.(1998)havealldemonstratedhownumericalmodellingcanbeusedtoprovideguidanceforreinforcementdesignincoalmineroadwaysintheUnitedKingdom.Itisimportanttomatchthecapabilitiesofthesoftwaretotheengineeringsituationbeingmodelled.Forexample,relativelysimplisticboundaryelementmodellingcanprovideusefulsimulationofstressredistributionandcoalstratadeformationaroundcoalmineroadways(IslamandShinjo,2009),butmoresophisticatedmodelsarerequiredtomodelthedetrimentaleffectsofprogressiverockfailureandfracturebehaviour(UnverandYasitli,2006).ResearchsummarisedbyClifford(2004)highlightstheuseofaboundaryelementapproachtoinitiallymodelthethree-dimensionalstressredistributionaroundacoallongwallpanelbeforeundertakingmoredetailedtwo-dimensionalfinitedifferencemodellingofroadwaybehaviour.Thestressoutputfromtheboundaryelementmodelisusedasinputforthesubsequenttwo-dimensionalcontinuummodelling.Thishighlightsthatresultsfromacombinationofmodelingmethodsmayprovideusefulinsightforaparticularproblembeingmodelled.Itisoftenbeneficialtoadoptamodellingphilosophywherebysimplemodelsareinitiallydevelopedtounderstandthemechanicsandimportantcriticalfactorsinfluencingthedesignpriortoundertakingmoresophisticatedmodels.Modelledoutputshouldalsobevalidatedagainstin-situobservationsand,whereavailable,datafromdeformationandstressmeasurementsfromappropriateinstrumentation.Oncetheappropriatemethodhasbeenchosenthenextkeypartofasuccessfulnumericalmodellingstrategyisthecorrectchoiceofsuitableinputparameters.2.2.ChoiceofinputparametersThedeterminationofinputparametersfornumericalmodellingisnotatrivialtask.Table1highlightsthatasmodelsbecomemorecomplexanimprovedunderstandingofconstitutivecriteriaandassociatedinputsisrequiredtotakefulladvantageoftheincreasedmodelcapability.Obtainingrepresentativeinputparametersisessentialforsuccessfulmodelling,particularlywhenscalingpropertiesfromlaboratorytoin-situorrockmassscale.Variousapproachesareavailableforscalingofrockmassproperties.Theseinclude:•Scalingoflaboratorytestdata—intactrockstrengthpropertiesareadjustedusingreductionorscalingfactors,suggestedbyWilson(1983)forapplicationtoUnitedKingdomcoalenvironments,•Useofpeakandresidualstressversusstraindataasinputforvariousconstitutivecriteriaincludingcohesionweakening,cohesionsofteningfrictionhardeningandubiquitousjointapproaches(FangandHarrison(2002),Hajiabdolmajidetal.(2002),Meyer(2002),Sharpe(1999)),•UseofGSI-basedHoek–Brownformulations(HoekandBrown(1997),Pineetal.(2006)andUnverandYasitli(2006)),•Useofadiscretefracturenetwork(DFN)(Pineetal.(2006),ElmoandStead(2010))orsyntheticrockmassapproach(SRM)(Pierceetal.,2007),wherebyrockmasspropertiesarederivedfrommodelledintactanddiscontinuitybehaviour.DerivationofmodelinputparametersfortypicalUnitedKingdomCoalMeasuresstrataisbasedonevaluationandcomparisonwithmultistagetriaxialtestdata.Acohesionweakeningcriterionisnormallyadoptedtorepresentthebrittle-plasticbehaviourandpeakandresidualpropertiesofthedifferentstrata.Sensitivityanalysesarethenperformedtoassessthepotentialimpactofvariabilityofinputdataonmodeloutput.GSIevaluationforderivationofrockmassqualityandrockmassmaterialpropertiesisnotroutinelyperformedfordesignofroadwaysinCoalMeasuresstrataintheUnitedKingdom.TypicalrangesofresidualcohesionvaluesforthedifferentroofstratacanbefoundinTable2.3.Numericalmodellingofcoalmineroadwayroofbehaviour3.1.ModellingtheeffectsofhorizontalstressdirectionRepresentativerooflithologyandin-situstressconditionshavebeenmodelledforatypicaltunnelorroadway(5mwideand3.5mhigh)driventhroughtheCoalMeasuresstrataoftheSelbyCoalfield.In-situstressmeasurementsandundergroundstressmappingobservationsfromtheSelbyCoalfieldhaveconfirmedthattheorientationofthemaximumhorizontalstressdirection(approximatelyNW-SE)isconsistentwiththenationaltrend(Bigbyetal.,1992andCartwright,1997),althoughvariationsmayexistincloseproximitytomajorfaults.Themaximumhorizontalstressistypically1.5to1.7timestheminorhorizontalstress,andoftengreaterthantheverticalstress.Theverticalstresshasbeenshowntobeafunctionofdepthbelowsurface(Kentetal.,2002).Previouselasticandsimplenon-linearmodellingcarriedoutbyMeyeretal.(1999a,b)usingFLAC3D(Itasca,1997),clearlydemonstratedthethreedimensionalnatureofstressredistribution,andtheassociatedfailurezone,arounda5mwideby3.5mhightunnelface-endattheNorthSelbyMine.Thein-situstressfieldincorporatedinthemodelshadamaximumhorizontalstressof25MPa,aminimumhorizontalstressof15MPaandaverticalstressof16MPa.ThemodelsalsoincorporatedrepresentativeCoalMeasuresrooflithologyandassociatedmaterialproperties,asshowninTable2.Theorientationofthisstressfieldrelativetothetunneldrivagedirectionwasvariedinordertoassesstheimpactofstressfieldorientationonroadwaydeformationandultimatelyreinforcementrequirements.Initialmodellingconcentratedonelasticanalysispriortonon-linearmodellingthatincorporatedsystematictunneladvanceandsupportinstallation.3.2.ModellingtheeffectsofmudstonethicknessintheimmediateroofPHASE2hasalsobeenusedtoshowthedetrimentaleffectsofanincreasedthicknessofmudstoneintheimmediateroofofthetunnelforthestressparallelcase(mostfavourablestressdirection).Fig.8illustratesthemodelledstressredistributionandextentoftheassociatedfailurezoneforamudstonethicknessof1,2and3mintheimmediatetunnelroof.Thefigureclearlyshowsthattheextentofthefailurezoneiscontrolledbythethicknessofmudstoneintheimmediateroof.ThiswasalsonotedbyKentetal.(1999),whoshowedthatincreasedroofdeformationwasassociatedwithtunnelroofsincorporatingincreasedthicknessesofmudstone(Fig.9).Fig.8alsodemonstratestheextentofthefailurezone“abovetheboltedheight”forthemodelled3mofmudstoneintheroof,whichsuggeststhatundertheseconditionscableboltingwouldalsoberequiredtostabilizetheexcavation.3.3.ModellingofprogressiverooffailureandfracturepropagationDependingonthenatureofthestressregimeactingonanexcavation,andtheassociateddeformationalbehaviouroftherockmasssurroundingtheexcavation,anumberofpotentialfailuremechanismscanexist.Thesecaninvolveacombinationofshearfailureonexistingjoints/weaknesshorizons,extensionofcriticallyorientedjointsandpropagationofnewfracturesthroughpreviouslyintactrock.Bothcontinuumanddiscontinuummodelsmaybeusedtosimulateprogressiverockfailurebyadoptingvariousconstitutivecriteriaassociatedwitheithermaterialbehaviourand/ordiscontinuityrelatedbehaviour.Forexample,usingacontinuumapproach,Meyer(2002)adoptedacohesion-weakeningcriterionfortheimmediaterooflithologyofthemodelledyieldzoneshowninFigs.5and6.Sharpe(1999),usingadiscontinuumapproach(UDEC(Itasca,1997)),wasabletomodeljointopeningaboveatunnelsitedadjacenttopreviouslongwallworkingswheninvestigatingtheeffectsofstressredistributionandgoaf-edgecavingconditionsontunnelstability.Galeetal.(2004)wereabletosimulaterooffailuremechanismsusingastrainsofteningpost-failurecriterionthatcanincorporateweaknessplanes,inasimilarwaytothestrainsoftening,ubiquitouscodewithinFLAC3D(Itasca,1997).Althoughbothcontinuumanddiscontinuummodelsprovideusefulanalysisforinterpretationoffailurearoundundergroundexcavations,neitherapproachisabletoeffectivelycapturetheinteractionofexistingdiscontinuitiesandthecreationofnewfracturesthroughfracturingofintactrock.Cogganetal.(2003),Klercketal.(2004)Pineetal.(2006)andSteadetal.(2004)highlightedthebenefitsofthehybridfinite/discreteelementcodeELFEN(Rockfield,2004)tomodelprogressivefracturedevelopmentinbothundergroundandsurfaceexcavationexamples.Thecodehasalsobeenusedbytheauthorstomodelprogressivedevelopmentofshear-relatedfailureintheimmediateroofofatunnel,asshowninFig.10.Fig.10depictsselectedstagesinthesimulationoffracturedevelopmentintheimmediateroofofacoalminetunnel.Themodelledrooflithologyisrepresentativeofatypicalmudstone.Thefigureillustratesprogressiveplasticstraindevelopmentpriortosubsequentfracturingoftheimmediateroof,whichcomparesfavourablywiththeobservedshear-typefailuredescribedbyAltounyanandTaljaard(2000),showninFig.11.Cogganetal.(2003)alsodemonstratedhowthehybridcodecouldbeusedtoinvestigateroofbeambehaviour.TheUDECVoronoimodel(Itasca,2011)hasbeenusedtoexplicitlymodelthegeneration,propagationandcoalescenceoffracturesaroundacoaltunnelsubjectedtoamajorhorizontalstressorientedperpendiculartotunneldrivedirection.IntheUDECVoronoimodel,materialisrepresentedasadensepackingofpolygonalblocksinteractingtogetherattheirboundaries.Micro-properties,suchascohesion,friction,andtensilestrengthareassignedtotheboundariesofthesepolygonalblocks.Fracturesareinitiatedwithintheintactmaterialwhenthestressesappliedonthecontactsexceedeitherthetensileorshearstrength.Pre-existingfracturescanalsobeincorporatedbycreatingcracksandassigningspecificproperties,suchaszerotensilestrengthandcohesion.Fig.12showsselectedstagesinthesimulationoffracturedevelopmentaroundamodelledcoalminetunnel.Beddingwasincorporatedinthemodel.Fracturegenerationstartsatthetunnelcornerswheretheinitialstressconcentrationoccurs.Fracturesthenextendintotheroofandfloor.Themodelrealisticallyproducedbeddingdeflectionintheimmediateroof,separationanddevelopmentofafailurezonearoundtheexcavation.Brittlespallingalsooccursinthesidewallsofthemodelledcoalmineroadway3.4.Modellingofroofbeambehaviorroofbeambehaviour.Snapshotsoftheearlystagesofroofbeamfailureprocessprovideinsightintotheresultantunderlyingfailuremechanisms.Onlythe0.2%plasticstraincontourandresultantmodeledfracturehasbeenincludedinFig.14forclarity.Fig.14aandbshowsdifferentfailuremechanismsforthestressconditionsmodelled.Fig.14ashowspreferentialstraindevelopmentintheroofbeamadjacenttotheedgeofthetunnelroof,whereasFig.4bshowsthedevelopmentoftensilefracturingatthebaseofthecentreofthemodelledroofbeam.Furtherdevelopmentofthemodelledfailureresultsinseparationoftheroofbeamawayfromtheupperroofhorizonatthecentreoftheroofspan.AnexampleofobserveddevelopmentoftensilecrackingintheroofofcoaltunnelisprovidedinFig.15.Themodellingresultssuggestthatthehybridcodemaybeusedtoinvestigatethesnap-through,crushing,slidinganddiagonalcrackingmodesofrooffailuredescribedbyDiederichsandKaiser(1999),andtheeffectsofvaryingcombinationsofthickandthinroofbeamsonexcavationroofstabilitydescribedbyGoodman(1980).4.DiscussionandconclusionsWhenvalidatedagainstin-situmonitoringdatanumericalmodelingcanprovideusefulinsightsintocoalminetunnelroofbehaviorandassociatedreinforcementdesign.Modellingcanbeusedtoconfirmthedetrimentaleffectsofadversein-situstressorientation.Tunnelsdrivenperpendiculartoahighhorizontalstressdirectionsuffergreaterdeformationandincreasedfailurezoneswhencomparedtotunnelsdriveninastress-paralleldirection.Theextentofthemodelledfailurezoneiscontrolledbythethicknessofweakmudstoneintheimmediateroofofthetunnel.Tunnelsdrivenatanangletothein-situstressfieldsufferasymmetricaldeformation,withpronouncedstresseffectsthatrequireadditionalreinforcement.Three-dimensionalmodellingisrequiredtoeffectivelycapturethethree-dimensionalnatureofthestressredistributionaroundatunnelface-end,particularlywhenthemaximumhorizontalstressisalignedatangletothetunneldrivagedirection.Table1providesasummaryofkeyadvantagesandlimitations/disadvantagesforcontinuum,discontinuumandhybridmethodsofanalysisappliedtomodellingoftunnelroofbehaviour.Thecorrectchoiceofmethodusedwilldependonthecomplexityoftheproblem,presenceofdiscontinuities,materialbehaviour,in-situstressregimeetc.Asignificantlimitationofmostpublishedmodellingofundergroundcoalminesto-dateisalackofconsiderationofintactrockfractureanditsimplicationforstress-redistribution,energyreleaseandchangesinkinematicconstraints.Akeyadvantageofmodellingisthecapabilitytorapidlyassesschangesinparameterssuchasthicknessofimmediaterooflithologyonextentoffailureandassociateddeformation,asshowninFig.8.Thetechniquesareextremelyuseful,butrequireduediligenceforthemodelingtobeeffective.Itisimportantthattheuserbefamiliarwiththepotentiallimitationsofeachofthedifferenttypesofavailablesoftware.Forexample,constraintsassociatedwithtwo-dimensionalanalysis(suchastheassumptionofplanestrain)canproduceanoversimplifiedrepresentationofsiteconditions.Significantfurtheradvancesinourunderstandingwillrequiretheuseofthree-dimensionaldiscreteelement/hybridcodeswithfracturepropagationalgorithms;this,however,willnecessitatefurtherresearchtovalidatethemodelledcasehistories.Improvementsinparallelprocessingcodingofsoftwareandcomputerpowerwillbeessentialtomodelmoredetailedlargescalethreedimensionalexamples.AcknowledgementsTheauthorswouldliketothanktheEditorandtwoanonymousreviewersfortheirhelpfulandconstructivecomments.TheywouldalsoliketothankthecontributionofseveralPhDstudentsattheCamborneSchoolofMinesincluding,BrianClifford,LewisMeyerandLeighSharpeandresearchcollaborationwithRockMechanicsTechnology(nowGolderAssociates)andRockfieldSoftwareLtd.ReferencesAlvarez-Fernandez,M.I.,Gouzalez-Nicienza,C.,Alvarz-Vigil,A.E.,HerreraGarcia,G.,Torno,S.,2009.Numericalmodellingandanalysisoftheinfluenceoflocalvariationinthethicknessofacoalseamonsurroundingstresses:applicationtoapracticalcase.InternationalJournalofCoalGeology79,157–166.Altounyan,P.F.R.,Taljaard,D.,2000.DevelopmentsincontrollingtheroofinSouthAfricancoalmines—asmarterapproach.Coal—thefuture.12thInternationalConferenceonCoalResearch.SouthAfricanInstituteofMiningandMetallurgy,pp.39–46.Barton,N.,Pandey,S.K.,2011.NumericalmodellingoftwostopingmethodsintwoIndianminesusingdegradationofcandøbasedonQ-parameters.InternationalJournalofRockMechanics&MiningSciences48,1095–1112.Bigby,D.N.,Cassie,J.W.,Ledger,A.R.,1992.