ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an approach for design of coal pillars in a panel with a consideration of roof-pillar-floor interaction. The main goal of this analysis is to design mine layouts which would maximize coal recovery in different sections of the panel while maintaining pillar, floor, and roof stability. Overriding considerations may include factors such as equipment size, and panel geometry. The chapter also presents an improved approach for design of partial extraction mining layouts with consideration of the overburden-pillar-floor interaction and failure criteria involving coal pillar and floor strata strengths and absolute and differential pillar settlements. Furthermore, the relative importance of different failure criteria at different locations within a panel has been analyzed. The chapter considers this a promising approach for design and optimization of partial extraction mining layouts. Additional studies are planned to design and test modified mine layouts in the field.
