Mine Roof Condition and the Occurrence of Roof Falls in Coal Mines

Author Institution: Coal Mining Administration, College of Business, Eastern Kentucky UniversityMine roof fall characteristics of 250 falls in 5 different room-and-pillar coal mines, located in Pike, Martin, and Floyd counties, Kentucky, were investigated to determine the relationship of selected parameters associated with roof failure and the assumed condition of the mine roof before failure. The selected parameters used in the study included: presence of cracks and water before the occurrence of fall, sloughing of coal ribs, floor heave condition, type of roof support (resin or mechanical anchor bolts), distance to coal face, and time of occurrence of fall after initial coal extraction. In addition, 8 research hypotheses, utilizing multiple linear regression techniques, were generated to test the relationship among the selected parameters and mine roof condition