Analytical and numerical method assessing the risk of sinkholes formation in mining areas

Voids, which have not been liquidated and associated with shallow mining excavations, pose a serious threat of potential formation of sinkholes. This threat is connected with the loss of stability of voids that had been formed as a result of mining operations in the deeper strata. Taking into account the impact of lower coal seams mining on shallow excavations and based on the example of a region that had been intensely exploited, this paper proposes a methodology for analysing the stability of shallow mine voids in the rock mass. Deformations in the excavation region were calculated by using FLAC2D computer program and assigning the Coulomb–Mohr model to the rock mass. Based on the numerical analysis, this paper evaluated the stability of the void in the event of a roof support fall. The results indicate the likelihood of void formation. Based on the Budryk–Knothe theory, the deformations of rock mass and sandstone strata in the roof of the void, which had been caused by mining exploitation in consecutive years, were calculated. The results of numerical calculations and analyses were compared with the limit deformations values of sandstone in tension. It is concluded that the exploitations cause the void to break down. The proposed method can forecast the discontinuous deformations threats in the areas that have undergone shallow undermining exploitation and the areas of underground urban.