Mining Publication: An Overview of Geomechanics Safety Research on Mobile Roof Supports

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.