No. 493 August 2001

Proceedings: New Technology for Coal Mine Roof Support

Information Circular (IC) 9453

Roof falls continue to be the greatest single safety

hazard faced by underground coal miners. During

1996-99, 44 coal miners lost their lives in rock falls

and nearly 2,400 were injured. In addition, nearly

6,000 noninjury roof collapses were reported. Roof

supports are installed to protect the miners, but support

system failures contributed to most of these incidents.

Reducing the terrible toll taken by ground falls

continues to be a major goal of research by the National

Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

During 2000-01, NIOSH conducted a series of open

industry briefings on New Technology for Coal Mine

Roof Support in Norton, VA, Charleston, WV,

Evansville, IN, Tuscaloosa, AL, Price, UT, Glenwood

Springs, CO, and Washington, PA. Drawing on many

years of research undertaken by the NIOSH Pittsburgh

and Spokane Research Laboratories, the proceedings

describe what types of coal mine roof support are

available, how they work, and when they should be used.

The major subjects covered include roof bolts, standing

roof supports, cable supports, and longwall shields.

Some special topics are also addressed, including an

analysis of roof fall accident statistics, techniques for

better skin control, and material handling considerations.

The proceedings volume also contains information on

several important new technologies, which are described

for the first time, e.g., guidelines for selecting roof bolt
length, pattern, and capacity that were derived from

statistical analysis of the roof fall experience at

37 underground mines; a new design method for longwall

tailgate supports; and a technique for measuring loads

developed within cable bolts.

The titles of the papers in the proceedings are:

• Roof and Rib Fall Incidents and Statistics: A Recent

Profile

• Fundamentals of Coal Mine Roof Support

• Trends in Roof Bolt Application

• Assessing Coal Mine Roof Stability Through Roof

Fall Analysis

• Load Behavior of Grouted Bolts in Sedimentary

Rock

• Summary of Field Measurements of Roof Bolt

Performance

• Skin Failure of Roof and Rib and Support

Techniques in Underground Coal Mines

• Design of Roof Bolt Systems

• Design Methodology for Standing Secondary Roof

Support Systems

• Optimizing Secondary Roof Support with the

NIOSH Support Technology Optimization Program

(STOP)

• Cable Support in Longwall Gate Roads

• Material Handling Considerations for Secondary

Roof Support Systems

• NIOSH Safety Performance Testing Protocols for

Standing Roof Supports and Longwall Shields

• Examining Longwall Shield Failures From an

Engineering Design and Operational Perspective

• Factors To Consider When Purchasing a New Set

of Longwall Shields

• Instruments for Monitoring Stability of Underground Openings

• Evaluation of Ground Support at a Trona Mine

Using Instrumented Cable and Rebar Bolts

To order a free copy of these proceedings (IC 9453),

contact Donna Opfer at (412) 386-6564, e-mail:

dopfer@cdc.gov. Or you may complete the order form

below, detach, and mail to: Donna Opfer, NIOSH

Pittsburgh Research Laboratory, Cochrans Mill Rd., P.O.

Box 18070, Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0070, or fax to (412)

386-6891.

To receive additional information about occupational

safety and health problems, call 1-800-35-NIOSH

(1-800-356-4674), or visit the NIOSH Web site at

www.cdc.gov/niosh

Mention of any company name or product does not

constitute endorsement by the National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health.

G Please send me a free copy of IC 9453, "Proceedings: New Technology for Coal Mine Roof Support."

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