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To prevent and control the coal seam gas disaster affected by the reverse fault, we performed gas seepage tests, which consider stress-loading and unloading schemes, to investigate the stress change and coal permeability of the mining coal with reverse fault. The experimental results show that the mechanical behavior and permeability change of the mining coal are related to the distance between the coal and the reverse fault. The stress concentration coefficient of the coal body gradually increases. The closer is the distance between the coal and the reverse fault, the larger are the deviatoric stress peak and strain. In comparison with the coal sample M1 that is 5 m away from the reverse fault, the deviatoric stress peak and axial strain of the coal sample M3, 35 m away from the reverse fault, increase by 40.74% and 26.73%, respectively. In this stage, the permeability of M1, M2, and M3 coal samples increases by 22.1%, 28.0%, and 36.7%, respectively. In another stage, the stress concentration coefficient of coal increases to the peak and then decreases, causing the deviatoric stress peak and strain of coal to rise first and then fall. In comparison with the coal sample M4 that is 65 m away from the reverse fault, the deviatoric stress peak and axial strain of coal sample M6, 5 m away from the reverse fault, decrease by 29.48% and 5.55%, respectively. The permeability of coal samples M4, M5, and M6 increases by 23.6%, 37.2%, and 20.8%, respectively. Based on the gas seepage test results, we established the permeability model of mining-induced coal under the influence of a reverse fault, with consideration of the volume changes of coal fractures induced by adsorption and desorption. In the model, the variations of permeability in both stages of the prepeak and postpeak were deduced, which was verified with the experimental data. The verification results demonstrate that the proposed model has the capacity to predict the permeability evolution of mining coal under the influence of a reverse fault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the stress distribution and variation of reverse fault-affected mined coal body. A mechanical analysis model of the coal body in the reverse fault area was first established, then the coal body stress characterization equation was derived, and the stress distribution pattern on the coal body was calculated. Subsequently, applying the Mohr–Coulomb strength criterion revealed the following relationship: the closer is the distance to the reverse fault, the worse is the stability of the coal body, and that the coal body strength influences the stress concentration of the coal body in front of the working face. Moreover, simulation with FLAC3D was carried out to verify the coal body stress calculated by the mechanical model as well as the fluctuation of the coal body stress concentration. It could be concluded that while mining the hanging wall of the reverse fault, the stress concentration of mined coal body decreases with the increase of reverse fault dip angle, but increases with the increase of reverse fault throw; the stress concentration magnitude generated during footwall mining is lesser than that during hanging-wall mining. In other words, the magnitude of coal body stress concentration can be affected by the hanging wall and footwall mining, as well as parameters of the reverse fault. Finally, intrinsically safe GZY25 borehole stress sensors were used to monitor the coal body stresses in the reverse fault area under the influence of mining in Xinchun Coal Mine and ZuoQiuka Coal Mine. It was found that the coal body stress concentration in front of the working face either increased gradually or increased first before decreasing. It can be concluded that with the decrease of the distance between the working face and reverse fault, the vertical stress of the coal body increases, and the vertical stress of the coal body begins to increase obviously at a certain position. At this point, the vertical stress of the coal body can be generalized to 1.02–1.39 times of the initial vertical stress. Furthermore, the stress concentration coefficient of coal body is related to the distance from the reverse fault, and two changes occur: ① if the coal-bearing capacity does not exceed its strength, the coal stress in front of the working face increases gradually, and the stress concentration factor increases gradually; ② the stress concentration coefficient of mining coal body increases first, such that when the coal body bearing capacity exceeds its strength, the coal body fails and loses all its effective bearing capacity, followed by the decrease in coal body stress concentration coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]