Finite element analysis of three-way roadway junctions in longwall mining

This paper presents a three-dimensional finite element analysis of three-wa y roadway intersections in longwall mining, and assesses the stable/unstabl e behaviour of three-way intersections under a range of loading conditions, Loads were applied to the model by means of uniform stresses on the intern al free faces. This method of loading the model from the inside helped to r educe its size and to eliminate the boundary effects. Stress concentrations and displacement results on the mid-height of the pillars, roof acid floor strata adjacent to the three-way intersections and cut-throughs were calcu lated. Based on this study, guidelines fur designing the support system for three-way intersections are suggested. The results were validated by a cas e study of a three-way intel section in an underground coal mine in the sou thern coal fields of the Sydney Basin. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All r ights reserved.