On the Need to Revise the Rules for the Protection of Structures and Natural Objects from the Harmful Effects of Mining
Conditions for the coal extraction under the built-up areas and natural objects in the Russian Federation are fully regulated by the Rules for the protection of structures and natural objects from the harmful effect of the underground mining at the coal deposits. Determination of the degree of danger of effecting mining operations on these objects, and the choice of measures for their protection are carried out based on the calculation of the earth surface deformations. The purpose of the work is to develop proposals for the modernization of the current regulatory and methodological document based on the analysis of the compliance of its provisions with the modern conditions of the deposits underground mining. Experience of applying the document under consideration in the modern conditions of the development of coal deposits showed that many of its provisions contain a number of inaccuracies, in particular: ambiguity in determining the boundaries of the zone of dangerous influence of the underground mining; lack of a methodology for predicting the period of damping of the process of earth surface damage after stopping the working face; limited conditions for determining the standard deformation indicators for civil buildings, etc. In addition, in this document, only the underground method of mining coal seams is considered, while the more promising is a combined development, combining underground and open-pit methods. The problem of inconsistency of the current rules provisions with the modern conditions can have a very negative effect on the safe state of the undermined objects. Based on the analysis of the identified shortcomings, a number of proposals for improving the rules was developed. In particular, it was proposed to expand them by including the rules and regulations of the combined method of deposits development. It is also required to update the normative and methodological parts of the document bringing them in line with the modern conditions of deposit development considering the accumulated experience of the objects undermining, and the results of the latest studies of rock mass deformation.