Characteristics of Coal Porosity Changes before and after Triaxial Compression Shear Deformation under Different Confining Pressures

[Image: see text] It is important to explore the changes in coal pores in response to triaxial compression and shear deformation for coal mine gas drainage and efficient coalbed methane mining. To study the variation in coal pores depending on stress, first, a mechanical analysis was carried out, and then the characteristics of coal samples before and after triaxial compression were quantitatively analyzed combined with low-temperature nitrogen adsorption experiments. The compressive strength of the coal samples with a high elastic modulus is significantly greater than that of coal samples with a low elastic modulus. Sihe coal samples with a larger elastic modulus experienced higher peak stress and strain during compression than those from the Chengzhuang Mine with a smaller elastic modulus. With the exception of the coal sample from the Chengzhuang Mine with a confining pressure of 15 MPa, the peak strength and axial strain of the coal samples gradually increased with an increase in confining pressure. The larger the elastic modulus, the greater the axial strain. After triaxial compression, pores with diameters ranging from 2 to 5 nm exhibited a significant change. After the compression of coal with a high elastic modulus, the pore volume and pore specific surface area decreased with the increase in confining pressure, by 60.7 and 59.7%, respectively (compared with raw coal). The complex pore structure consisting of mesopores and macropores (>11 nm) became simpler. The volume and specific surface area of the pores of the coal samples with a low elastic modulus first increased, then decreased, and then increased again with the increase in confining pressure, and after compression, the roughness and complexity of macropores of coal samples are greater than those of micropores. The changes induced in the coal samples of the two mining areas in response to compression differ, which are related to the mechanical properties of the coal bodies.