Study on web pillar failure mechanism during auger mining and its associated risk assessment

To safely and efficiently recover trapped coal under final endwalls in open cut mines, theoretical analysis and numerical calculation were used to study the stability of web pillar during auger mining. The partial ordered set (poset) evaluation model was used to develop a risk assessment methodology, and auger mining at Pingshuo Antaibao open cut coal mine was used as a field example for validation. Based on the catastrophe theory, the failure criterion of web pillar was established. From the limit equilibrium theory, the maximum allowable plastic yield zone width and minimum web pillar width were proposed under various Factor of Safety (FoS) thresholds. This in turn provides a new method for web pillar design. Based on the poset theory and combining with the risk evaluation and proposed hazard levels, input data were standardized and weighted. Subsequently, the comparison matrix, HASSE matrix and HASSE diagram were established. The study shows that: when the width of the plastic zone of web pillar exceeds 88% of the total width, web pillar may be unstable. Based on the calculation formula for the required width of web pillar, the required pillar width was 4.93 m and it was deemed as “mostly stable”. This was consistent with the field condition on site. Such that this method was validated.