ABSTRACT
Most coal seams in western China adopt wholeheight mining method with a large mining height for its good geological conditions: shallow buried depth, good hosting condition, and large coal thickness. The height of large-height mining is generally above 3.0 m, and its caving zone and fault zone are much larger than the ones caused by slicing mining under the same thick coal seams. What is more, shallow coal seams have special roof structures. Thus, its strata pressure behaviors and control and overlying strata movement appear to be new characteristics that bring new problems: control of support-surrounding rocks system and selection and adaptation of mine equipment. With the strategic shift of China’s coal resources exploitation, since the early 1990s, scholars have done a lot of research on the mine pressure behavior law of shallow coal seams and have achieved certain results. However, as research, especially on mining pressure behavior law and supporting resistance of high cutting working face, is still at a preliminary stage, it could not
determine guidance on engineering practice. In this paper, high cutting coal mining in shallow depth seams was applied in Suancigou Colliery, which had an annual production capacity of 12 million tons. The first mining face was 1103 working face. Aimed at the research on mine pressure behavior law and hydraulic support suitability in this face, we could provide not only theory support and experience for reference for later safe and efficient exploitation in this mining area but also engineering guidance for mine pressure behavior law and hydraulic support design with high cutting coal mining face in shallow depth seam.
