Rockburst Hazard Assessment in Underground Coal Mining
Summary
Rockbursts are sudden, violent failures of rock in underground coal workings, triggered by the rapid release of accumulated elastic energy. They pose severe risks to personnel, equipment and mine ventilation, especially at greater depths and in high tectonic stress zones. Hazard assessment integrates geological and geomechanical characterisation, numerical modelling of stress distributions, microseismic monitoring and energy‐based criteria to predict burst potential. Static stresses arising from overburden and mining-induced abutment pressures combine with dynamic loads from seismic events or roof collapses to initiate instability. Modern approaches emphasise real‐time data acquisition through seismic arrays and electromagnetic sensors, coupled with analytic hierarchy and fuzzy logic methods to generate risk indices. Preventive measures range from destress drilling and controlled blasting to optimised support systems and strategic roadway layout, tailored to local geology and mining geometry. International case studies have demonstrated the efficacy of combining monitoring feedback with adaptive control measures, underlining the global importance of proactive risk management and the translation of mechanistic insight into practical mitigation strategies.
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Rockburst Hazard Assessment in Underground Coal Mining publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in rockburst hazard assessment in underground coal mining across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Rockburst: A sudden, violent failure of mine rock due to rapid release of stored elastic energy.
Static load: Long‐term stress imposed by overburden weight and mining‐induced abutment pressures.
Dynamic load: Transient stress waves generated by seismic events, roof falls or blasting.
Microseismic monitoring: Detection and analysis of small seismic events to infer stress changes and damage evolution.
Elastic energy release: The conversion of stored strain energy in rock into kinetic energy during fracturing.
References
- Mechanism of rockburst induced by the microseismic event in the floor strata of high tectonic stress zones: A case study. International Journal of Coal Science & Technology (2024).
- Numerical Analysis of Roadway Rock-Burst Hazard under Superposed Dynamic and Static Loads. Energies (2019).
- A Prediction Method of Coal Burst Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation. Frontiers in Earth Science (2022).
- Rockburst mechanism and the law of energy accumulation and release in mining roadway: a case study. International Journal of Coal Science & Technology (2022).
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