Mining Publication: An Overview of Geomechanics Safety Research on Mobile Roof Supports
Original creation date: January 1999
Authors: H Maleki, JK Owens, WL Howie
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 10006003
System Safety at the Dawn of a New Millennium. Proceedings, 17th International System Safety Conference, Orlando, FL, Aug 16-21, 1999. Unionville, VA: System Safety Society, 1999 Jan; :554-563
After an analysis of the hazards of room-and-pillar retreat mining systems, it became apparent that safety could be significantly improved by considerations of (1) human factors, (2) remotely controlled mobile roof supports (MRSs), (3) mine layout designs, and (4) ground monitoring systems. Initial studies of the effectiveness of MRSs focused on their interaction with mine strata and evaluations of suitable measurements for detecting roof stability problems during pillar extraction. These studies indicated that overall stress distributions and strata movement were most influenced by the stiffness of coal-measure rocks and the design of mining layouts. Thus, to improve worker safety, mine layouts should be carefully designed and a pillar extraction method chosen for specific geologic and stress conditions.
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 10006003
System Safety at the Dawn of a New Millennium. Proceedings, 17th International System Safety Conference, Orlando, FL, Aug 16-21, 1999. Unionville, VA: System Safety Society, 1999 Jan; :554-563