Simulation and On-Site Monitoring of Deformation Characteristics of Roadway Excavation along Goaf in Soft and Thick Coal Seams in Western Mining Areas

In the western mining region, weakly cemented rock layers above the coal seams often lead to frequent catastrophic accidents during mining due to their instability. To address this, this paper analyzes the movement characteristics of surrounding rock in the recovery roadway and the effectiveness of from nearby large coal pillar roadways. A mechanical model for the failure of weakly cemented roadways was established, and numerical simulations were used to verify the feasibility of leaving small coal pillars along soft, thick coal seams. Additionally, existing measurements were used to evaluate the impact of leaving small coal pillars on the deformation of the surrounding rock in the recovery roadway. The results show that after changing the coal pillar retention to 5 m in the 130,205 working face of the Yangchangwan mining area, the roadway is in a low-stress zone, with minimal surrounding rock deformation, meeting safety requirements for production.