Prediction of Water Inrush from Coal Seam Floors Based on the Effective Barrier Thickness.

Floor water hazards pose an increasingly prominent risk in China as coal mining depths progressively increase. Two general models of complete and structural floor water inrush that consider the coupled effect of mining stress and water pressure were developed to address the problems caused by highly confined aquifers under these complex stress conditions. We developed an integrated floor water inrush model, and the floor rock mass was rezoned based on the deformation, failure characteristics, and water inrush mechanism of water-resistant floor strata under the combined action of confined water pressure and mine pressure. The formation of the coupled solid–fluid confined water uplift zone was studied from the perspective of fracture propagation. A formulation was obtained that describes the confined floor water under the coupled effects of mine pressure, water pressure, and solid–fluid interaction. An inrush risk prediction is proposed that considers the relationship between the confined water pressure and horizontal principal stress in the bottom plate's pressure relief zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]