System dynamics model of the support-surrounding rock system in fully mechanized mining with large mining height face and its application

Fully mechanized mining with large mining height (FMMLMH) is widely used in thick coal seam mining face for its higher recovery ratio, especially where the thickness is less than 7.0 m. However, because of the great mining height and intense rock pressure, the coal wall rib spalling, roof falling and the instability of support occur more likely in FMMLMH working face, and the above three types of disasters interact with each other with complicated relationships. In order to get the relationship between each two of coal wall, roof, floor and support, and reduce the occurrence probability of the three types of disasters, we established the system dynamics (SD) model of the support-surrounding rock system which is composed of “coal wall-roof-floor-support” (CW-R-F-S) in a FMMLMH working face based on the condition of No. 15104 working face in Sijiazhuang coal mine. With the software of Vensim, we also simulated the interaction process between each two factors of roof, floor, coal wall and the support. The results show that the SD model of “CW-R-F-S” system can reveal the complicated and interactive relationship clearly between the support and surrounding rock in the FMMLMH working face. By increasing the advancing speed of working face, the support resistance or the length of support guard, or by decreasing the tip-to-face distance, the stability of “CW-R-F-S” system will be higher and the happening probability of the disasters such as coal wall rib spalling, roof falling or the instability of support will be lower. These research findings have been testified in field application in No. 15104 working face, which can provide a new approach for researching the interaction relationship of support and surrounding rock.