Research on a Space-Time Continuous Sensing System for Overburden Deformation and Failure during Coal Mining

Area of Science:

• Geotechnical Engineering
• Mining Engineering
• Geophysics

Background:

• Underground coal mining poses risks of overlying rock mass deformation, failure, and collapse, leading to mining disasters.
• Traditional monitoring methods have limitations in capturing the dynamic evolution of overburden deformation and ground subsidence.
• Ensuring mine safety and environmental protection necessitates advanced monitoring systems for overburden behavior.

Approach:

• Developed a space-time continuous sensing system for overburden deformation and failure based on Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS).
• Created a multi-range strain optical fiber sensing network for micron to meter scale deformation and crack detection.
• Integrated optical fiber layout technology for ground and underground monitoring, constructing a sensing neural network.

Key Points:

• Verified the reliability of optical fiber monitoring data through cable-rock mass coupling tests and field examples.
• Demonstrated the system's capability in predicting overburden subsidence using physical models and analyzing historical data.
• Compared and analyzed the performance of different sensing configurations in overburden monitoring.

Conclusions:

• The developed space-time continuous sensing system reliably monitors overburden deformation and failure during coal mining.
• The system enables real-time acquisition of spatio-temporal information, facilitating prediction and evaluation of mining subsidence.
• This research provides a theoretical basis for preventing mining disasters and assessing environmental carrying capacity in coal mining areas.