Abstract:
The horizontal slicing mining of steeply inclined closely spaced coal seam groups is characterized by complex coal-rock flow patterns and low recovery rates due to the influence of seam dip angle and boundary effects, which severely restricts the safe and efficient mining of such coal seams. Using the horizontal slicing combined fully mechanized top-coal caving mining face with large slicing height at Xinjiang Tianshun Coal Mine as an engineering background, this study employs numerical simulation methods to systematically investigate the influence mechanisms of different drawing processes on coal-rock flow patterns, drawing body morphology, and recovery rate. An efficient drawing control technology is proposed, focusing on the prioritized drawing of the fragmented parting rock stratum. The drawing process for the combined working face was optimized and validated through similarity simulations and industrial tests. Results indicate that during the mining of the steeply inclined combined working face, the flow law of the drawing body and the recovery rate are governed by the inclined roof and floor boundaries, as well as the fragmented gangue from the parting rock stratum. The lower loose top coal is strongly constrained by the combined effects of the fragmented gangue and the floor, resulting in an asymmetric distribution of corner coal, which is significantly greater on the floor side than on the roof side, while the upper loose top coal is less affected by the parting rock stratum. Based on the coal-rock drawing results under different drawing processes, a control strategy is proposed that prioritizes the efficient drawing of the fragmented parting rock stratum to reduce its restraining effect on the lower loose top coal, thereby improving the overall coal-rock recovery rate in the steeply inclined combined working face. Finally, considering the geological conditions of the middle coal group at Tianshun Mine, a multi-round interval drawing process from the roof side to the floor side is recommended. This optimized process effectively reduces the constraining effect of the fragmented gangue from the parting rock stratum on the coal seams. Field industrial tests demonstrate that adopting this drawing process can increase daily face output by up to 24.5% compared to other processes, while significantly reducing corner coal loss on both the roof and floor sides.