Mechanism of Rockburst Prevention in Deep Thick Coal Seams with Cemented Paste Backfill: A Case Study

The aim of this study is to explore a safe mining method to effectively excavate the deep thick coal seams in rockburst-prone mines. Based on the theory of elastic foundation and geological conditions of the Xinhe Coal Mine, the cemented paste backfill (CPB) is proposed to prevent rockburst. In this study, the roof fracture mechanism of block caving mining (BCM) and CPB methods are established. Then, the stress evolution of the surrounding rock and the subsidence of roof strata with these two methods are compared. The results show that the maximum bending moment appears in the middle of the roof, and the value is far below the critical bending moment of the roof by using the CBP. While using the BCM, this value exceeds the critical bending moment of the roof, which may trigger rockburst-related problems. In addition, there is no first weighting and periodic weighting phenomena by using the CPB method as the overburden pressure is gradually transferred to the backfill body, resulting in a safer mining condition. Furthermore, the engineering application indicates that the frequency of daily microseismic events and the burst energy are significantly reduced by using the CPB.