Influence Of Mining Geometry On Mine Hydro-Geo-Mechanics

The influence of mining on the hydro-geo-mechanical environment can be greatly modified by alternating mining geometries. The limiting magnitudes of surface subsidence and groundwater flow over the mining area, as a result of mine geometric changes, can be reasonably predicted through the coupled finite-element model introduced in this paper. The model has been verified using real and conceptual case studies which reveal that changes in strata conductivities are strongly related to the strata deformation induced by mining. The greatest modification of hydraulic conductivities occurs within the caving or severely fractured zones. The study indicates that narrowing the panel face width will substantially reduce both the intensity and extent of mining damage to the overlying strata, limit surface subsidence and constrain the change in hydraulic conductivity to a reduced scale and smaller extent, particularly as mining depth increases.