Numerical analysis of water inrush from working-face floor during mining

Confined water in the Ordovician limestone is one of the hidden troubles that threaten safe production of mines in north China. A numerical model of the key strata was developed. It included the structural characteristics and mechanical properties of the floor rock at the working face of a particular coal mine. The model was used to predict failure modes and to help establish rules for safe mining above the aquifer. The distribution of deformation, failure and seepage was simulated by using Dilian Mechsoft's Realistic Failure Process Analysis (RFPA2D) program. The stress distribution, the deformation and the flow vectors were also obtained. The results indicate that: 1) The original balance of the stress and seepage fields is disturbed due to coal mining; and 2) As the working face advances different deformation, or failure, appears in the surrounding rocks, the water-resisting strata in floor may be destroyed and the passage of water from the aquifer into the mine may occur. The combined action of mining stress and water pressure ultimately lead to water inrush from the floor.