Extraction of microseismic waveforms characteristics prior to rock burst using Hilbert–Huang transform

•We studied MS waveforms prior to rock burst by HHT and FFT.•Main frequency declines before rock burst.•HHT is simple and reliable to analysis MS waveforms.

This study provides a new research idea concerning rock burst prediction. The characteristics of microseismic (MS) waveforms prior to and during the rock burst were studied through the Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT). In order to demonstrate the advantage of the MS features extraction based on HHT, the conventional analysis method (Fourier transform) was also used to make a comparison. The results show that HHT is simple and reliable, and could extract in-depth information about the characteristics of MS waveforms. About 10 days prior to the rock burst, the main frequency of MS waveforms transforms from the high-frequency to low-frequency. What’s more, the waveforms energy also presents accumulation characteristic. Based on our study results, it can be concluded that the MS signals analysis through HHT could provide valuable information about the coal or rock deformation and fracture.