Numerical and in-situ investigation on the ground behavior of the end roof in fully mechanized caving face

Fully mechanized top coal caving is a major high-yield and high-efficiency coal mining method for thick seam mining. At present, it is affected by the further popularization and application of fully mechanized caving mining because the recovery rate is limited. The research on the technology of fully mechanized top coal caving and transitional coal mining is crucial. This paper aims at the top coal recovery with the top coal of the fully mechanized caving face and the transitional frame at both ends of the working face. With the top roof structure model of the fully mechanized caving face, the numerical simulation and field measurement is used to compare the end coal caving. With caving coal or not, the destruction and migration rules of the top coal in the fully mechanized caving face are obtained. The study found that at the end of the transport trough, the maximum concentration factor of the support pressure in the coal is 2.35, and the maximum vertical displacement is 9.2cm. And at the end of the return air trough, the support pressure concentration factor is 3.53, and the maximum vertical displacement of the roof is 102cm. The above research reveals the law of the occurrence of the pressure and the movement of the top coal when caving the coal at the end, while ensuring the safe production and efficient mining of the coal mine.