Nonlinear Large Deformation Mechanism and Stability Control of Deep Soft Rock Roadway: A Case Study in China

Improving the safety and stability of soft surrounding rock with nonlinear large deformation gives a strong guarantee for the safe mining and sustainable development of deep coal mines. In order to control the nonlinear large deformation of the surrounding rock in a deep soft rock roadway, this paper discusses the nonlinear large deformation mechanism and coupling support countermeasures of a typical engineering application at Xin’an coal mine in Gansu province, China. The series of experiments and theoretical analysis described in this paper reveal the phenomena, properties, and reasons for the nonlinear large deformation of soft surrounding rock in detail. Then, the type of nonlinear large deformation mechanism is determined and transformed from a composite one to a simple one. Based on experimental results and mechanism transformation, a suitable coupling support countermeasure, which contains the Constant Resistance Large Deformation (CRLD) bolt, steel mesh, floor hollow grouting cable, and steel fiber concrete, is proposed to reduce the nonlinear large deformation and the potential risk during mining. The application shows that the coupling support countermeasure can effectively reduce the nonlinear large deformation of the surrounding rock and help to maintain the stability of the deep soft rock roadway at Xin’an coal mine.