LAUSR

Abstract In the coal mining process, the gas contained in the coalbed is one source of the most serious accident hazards. Stress releasing from the coal deposit is the main controlling factor that leads to such accidents. Based on the bedding of coal samples, the gas permeability well describes the evolution of fracture, so the paper carries out research on the permeability properties of coal under different unloading directions. The research obtains that when the stress unloading direction is perpendicular to bedding, more penetrating fractures and bedding fractures occur, and the permeability significantly increases. Although the axial stress reduced, the confining pressure makes the permeability of the bedding plane fracture exist under constant. The permeability obtained when the unloading direction was perpendicular to the bedding is 52 times larger than that when it is parallel to the bedding. The results show that the efficiency of gas drainage is impacted by the relative direction of gas drainage drilling in relation to the bedding orientations. The maximum amount of gas extraction when drilling is perpendicular to the bedding is 1.3 times than that when drilling is oblique to the bedding, and 1.75 times than that when drilling is parallel to the bedding.