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Singareni Collieries Company LTD: U.Siva Sankar
Singareni Collieries Company LTD: U.Siva Sankar
Siva Sankar
Sr. Under Manager
Project Planning
Singareni Collieries Company Ltd
E-Mail :ulimella@gmail.com or
uss_7@yahoo.com
Visit at:
www.slideshare.net/sankarsulimella
Subsidence occurs when large areas of coal are mined and the resulting
settlement of roof material into the void (the goaf) results in the surface
subsiding over the affected area.
More commonly there is a gradual lowering of the surface strata which
actually bends rather than fractures at the limits of the subsiding area.
This bending leads to tensile strains in the surface strata (and possibly in
structures on the surface) which may result in the formation of cracks.
It is around the edges of the subsiding area where damage may occur.
The central area of subsidence usually is subjected to a gradual lowering,
possibly suffering some tilt and strain as the workings pass beneath.
This may cause damage to such items as roads and pipelines but this is
easily repaired and there is little evidence of it being a subsidence area
after movement ceases.
Structures, including houses, built in mining areas should be designed to
accept a small degree of tilt and strain on a short term basis without
suffering major damage.
"Upsidence" is also a surface phenomenon associated with mining and
subsidence and occurs where workings pass beneath a gorge or similar
surface feature causing a concentration of horizontal stress in the strata
between the bottom of the feature and the top of any goaf cavity. This
increased stress may cause strata beds close to the surface to bend
upwards and possibly fracture.
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Figure Schematic developments of mine effects.
Subsidence Phenomenon:
2
3
Fig. Subsidence from total extraction (long wall) mining of a
horizontal coal seam under a level landscape
4
Mine subsidence can be defined as movement of the ground surface as a result of
readjustments of the overburden due to collapse or failure of underground mine
workings. Surface subsidence features usually take the form of either sinkholes or
troughs.
Sinkholes are typically associated with abandoned mine workings, since most
active underground mines operate at depths sufficient to preclude the development
of sinkhole subsidence.
Components of Subsidence
Subsidence consists of five major
components, which influence damage to
surface structures and renewable
resources
Vertical displacement (settlement,
sinking, or lowering).
Horizontal displacement (lateral
movement).
Slope (or tilt), i.e., the derivative of the
vertical displacement with respect to the
horizontal.
Horizontal strain, i.e., the derivative of
the horizontal displacement, with respect Fig. Schematic of ground
to the horizontal. movements caused by subsidence
Vertical curvature (or flexure), which
may be approximated by the derivative of
the slope, or the second derivative of the
vertical displacement with respect to the
horizontal.
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Terminology of Subsidence
limit angle or angle of draw:
the angle of inclination between the
vertical at the edge of the workings and
the point of zero vertical displacement
at the edge of the trough.
Inflection Point:
On the major cross-section of the
subsidence basin, the point dividing the
concave and convex portions of the
Fig. Schematic of ground
subsidence profile is called the movements caused by subsidence
inflection point. At the inflection point
the subsidence is equal to half of the
maximum possible subsidence at the
center, the surface slope is maximum
and the curvature is zero.
Terminology of Subsidence
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Terminology of Subsidence
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Factors Affecting Mine Subsidence
Several geologic and mining parameters and the nature of the structure affect the
magnitude and extent of subsidence that occur due to coal mining
Effective Seam Thickness
Multiple Seams
Seam Depth
Dip of Seam – flat, moderately inclined, steeply inclined
Competence of Mine Roof and Floor – strong or weak
Nature of Overburden
Near-surface Geology
Geologic Discontinuities – bedding planes, faults, folds, etc
Fractures and Lineaments
In Situ Stresses- vertical and Horizontal stresses
Degree of Extraction
Surface Topography – flat, sloping, hilly area
Groundwater
Water Level Elevation and Fluctuations
Mined Area- sub critical, critical, super critical
Method of Working – Bord & Pillar , longwall
Rate of Face Advance
Backfilling of the Gob
Time Elapse
Structural Characteristics of buildings, monuments etc
Fig: Subsidence in
Multiple Coal Seams
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Effect of Sloping Ground on Surface Subsidence
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SURFACE DAMAGES DUE TO SUBSIDENCE
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Subsidence Measurement
Various subsidence monument designs
B A R R I E R B
A
F
Subsidence
RR
A Pillars
IE
O
R
G
B A R R I E R
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PLAN SHOWING SUBSIDENCE PILLARS OVER LONGWALL
PANEL
90
M
FIRST SUBSIDENCE
5 CRACKS (7CM WIDTH)
500M X 62M M
7.5M
CENTRE LINE 11M
BM
1 10 MAX.SUBSIDENCE: 2.4M 29 37
100M
10M
Direction of
5M
Advance
2 LIN E 2A L IN E 3 L IN E 3 A L IN E 4L IN E 4 A L IN E
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Subsidence Prediction- Empirical Methods
Smax = he*0.6(1+(W/H)/0.754)-12.68)
Smax = Maximum subsidence for a given width to depth ratio ‘x’
he = Effective height of extraction (Height of extraction x % of extraction)
W = Width of the panel, ‘m’
H = Depth of the panel, ‘m’
Smax = he*0.65(1+(w/H)/0.75)-8)
Smax = Maximum subsidence for a given width to depth ratio ‘x’
he = Effective height of extraction (Height of extraction x % of extraction)
W = Width of the panel, ‘m’
H = Depth of the panel, ‘m’
K2=1.4+ 24*e-14.3(X-1)
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Fig. Damage to structures
from subsidence related to
strain and structure length
(after National Coal Board
1975ab)
Sheorey et al., 2000, suggested the following equation for predicting the subsidence for
multiple seam cases:
where,
S = Maximum subsidence, m
X = Ratio of width to depth ratio and Non Effective Width
Subsidence in case of closely spaced multiple seams could be calculated using the
following empirical equation {NIRM, 2001}:
where,
S = Maximum subsidence, m
H = Average of minimum depths of the panels
W = Average width of the panels
he = Total extraction thickness X % of extraction
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Brief description of Subsidence Prediction Methods
Numerical Modelling
• The numerical method for prediction of surface
subsidence is now gaining popularity over the
profile or influence function due to its capability
to considered geological complexities, irregular
shaped structures, complex constitutive
behaviour of coal, coal measure strata, goaf,
bed separation and re-contact, roof failure
mechanism, goaf behaviour etc. It has a
capability to consider sequential excavation
process in the simulation. This will give realistic
results in terms of subsidence as well as strain.
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Subsidence Profile over multiple number of Bord & Pillar Panels
of a Coal Mine
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Different Methods for
Subsidence Control
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PARTIAL EXTRACTION METHODS
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HYBRID METHOD OF PARTIAL EXTRACTION
NEW should be less than Equivalent width for different panel extraction shapes of
Caving and partial extraction methods to prevent surface subsidence
NEW for different coal seams based on Rockmass factor of the overlying roof
rocks is also to be considered
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Harmonic Method of Extraction
Extraction of a panel causes
tensional and compressive
strain at the surface.
The working of two seams
should be so advanced
simultaneously to cancel out
the balance of strain, caused
by face by the strain induced
by another at a different level.
This approach is known as
harmonic mining, which
however is not simple
Because the mine has to be
preplanned and also
problems due to interaction
between faces in different
seams have to be
encountered.
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