LAUSR

In underground coal mines, the connection between the water-flow fracture zone and aquifer can potentially cause massive water and sand inrush when the working face is covered with unusually thick (638.4 m) alluvium. This paper presents a case study for a method used to investigate the height of the water-flow fracture zone in the Xinjulong mine, China. The engineering geological and hydrogeological conditions of the overlying strata and aquifer were first obtained from field and laboratory studies, followed by numerical modelling. Numerical models were built using the discrete element method. The results from empirical data and actual measurements are compared in this work, from which the regularity of the water-flow fracture zone is developed. Finally, the potential for water inrush into the working face is investigated based on predictive analysis of the connectivity between the water-flow fracture zone and aquifer at the base of the alluvium that overlies the mine.