Study on movement law of overlying strata during shallow thinner seam mining

Given the first time for shallow thinner seam mining, this paper resorted to methods of field measurement and numerical simulation to research overlying strata movement law during shallow thinner seam mining. Through research, it was obtained that 20m in front of coal wall was the region influenced by mining. In this region, advanced abutment pressure demonstrated law of single elastic. The pressure reached its peak value at coal wall and the fracture of rock beam occurred only in coal wall. When rock beam ruptured, there was no obviously deformation and other pressure behavior in roadway. As distance to coal wall increasing, pressure value was decreasing in rule of negative exponential. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of China Academy of Safety Science and Technology, China University of Mining and Technology( Beijing), McGill University and University of Wollongong.