Study on Energy Accumulation and Dissipation Associated with Coal Burst

Coal burst, which refers to the brittle failure of coal, has been a serious hazard for underground coal mining, particularly at greater depth. Massive energy accumulated in coal could be dissipated almost instantaneously in the form of kinetic energy when the loading stress exceeding the ultimate strength of coal. This thesis qualitatively and quantitatively examines the energy accumulation and dissipation process associated with coal burst through a comprehensive research program of literature review, theoretical analysis and experimental studies. The energy accumulation sources, dissipation forms and its influencing factors of coal burst are reviewed based on the energy conservation law and the static-dynamic loads superposition theory. The burst energy is provided by static loads including gravitational and abutment stress, and dynamic loads including fault slipping and roof weighting. Studies indicated that the main driving energy source of coal burst occurred in Australian coal mines resulted from elastic energy storage that has been accumulated during the loading process of coal.