Investigation on the Rock Surface Support Performance of Welded Steel Mesh and Thin Spray-On Liners Using Full-Scale Laboratory Testing

The mesh is a traditional rock surface support component that together with rock bolts and cable bolts have been successfully used in underground coal mines for many years to help control roof and rib deformation (Nemcik et al. 2009). An innovative surface support medium, a thin spray-on liner (TSL), was first proposed in the late 1980s (Potvin et al. 2004) as another potential rock skin support. Since then many TSL products have been developed and used with various degrees of success. As part of the ACARP (Australian Coal Association Research Program) project, this research work has been carried out to compare the newly developed TSL with the currently used welded steel mesh