ABSTRACT
Coal mine pillar design has been the subject of sustained and intensive researches in the major coal producing countries of the world. Pillar design and stability are two of the most complicated problems in mining related to rock mechanics and ground control subjects. Without pillars to support the great weight of overburden, underground coal mining would be practically impossible. Coal pillars are employed in a wide variety of mining operations, from shallow room and pillar mines to deep longwall mines. In this chapter, first, different types of coal pillars are introduced and then the design method for each type is described. It should be mentioned that all presented equations are in their original forms. Therefore, the units are not the same, i.e. some are in metric (SI) system and some in English engineering system.
