###### Abstract  
The stress environments of gob-side roadways (GSRs) are becoming increasingly complex during deep coal mining under thick and hard roofs. This leads to strong strata behaviors, including roadway floor heave, roof subsidence, and even coal bursts. Among them, coal bursts pose the greatest threat to production safety in coal mines. Coal bursts in a GSR strongly correlate with the load characteristics and stress-energy evolution laws of the roadway. This study analyzes the roof structures of double working faces (DWFs) during the initial weighting stage (IWS) and full mining stage (FMS) of gob-side working faces (GSWFs). This study also explores how varying roof structures affect the stability of GSRs. Three-dimensional roof structure models of DWFs and mechanical models of dynamic and static loads superposition on a GSR throughout the IWS and FMS of a GSWF were developed. An analysis identified the primary stress sources affecting the GSR throughout various mining stages of the GSWF. Subsequently, the principle of \"three-load\" superposition was developed. A novel method was proposed to quantify the stress state in the GSR surrounding rock across different mining stages of the GSWF. The method quantitatively characterizes the load of the GSR surrounding rock. Based on this, the criterion for judging the burst failure of the roadway was established. Numerical simulations are used to analyze the stress-energy evolution laws of the working face, coal pillar, and GSR surrounding rock during the mining process of the GSWF. These findings offer valuable references for studying and preventing coal bursts in GSRs under equivalent geological situations. deep coal mining; thick and hard roofs; gob-side roadways; load characteristics; stress-energy evolution laws +
Footnote †: journal: Medicaldevelop effective prevention strategies, it is crucial to investigate the roof structure of DWFs and the stress-energy evolution laws and load characteristics of GSRs during the mining process of GSWFs. Coal extraction induces fracturing and movement in the overlying strata, forming different overburden spatial structures. These overburden structures and their mechanical properties significantly influence the strata behavior in slopes [2; 3; 4; 5]. Extensive research has focused on characterizing the overburden structure of working faces. Early research primarily originated from German, Soviet, and Belgian scholars. Their work introduced several hypotheses, including the \"cantilever beam\" [6], \"pressure arch\" [7], \"hinging rock strata\", and \"pre-formed fissure\" hypotheses. On this basis, Chinese scholars have conducted relevant research: [PERSON] [8; 9] put forward the \"vousoir beam\" theory and advanced the field by introducing the key strata theory, expanding on the \"vousoir beam\" theory [10]. [PERSON] [11] proposed the \"transfer rock beam\" theory, explaining stress distribution in mining-affected areas. Over the past 15 years, researchers have developed numerous roof structure models for different mining conditions based on these foundational theories. He [12; 13; 14] proposed the \"cutting cantilever beam\" theory, which paved the way for the cutting roof and stress relief technology. This innovation enables the creation of roadways without coal pillars through automated means. This advancement holds particular importance for roadway surrounding rock control and coal burst prevention. [PERSON] et al. [15] proposed an overburden spatial structure model for single, double, and island working face mining boundary conditions, denoted as \"O-X, F, and T\" structures, respectively. They validated this model using micro-seismic monitoring techniques, providing empirical support for their theoretical framework. [PERSON] et al. [16] proposed a structure model for main roofs due to insufficient gob filling in large mining height working faces. [PERSON] et al. [17; 18] modelled overburden in the large-space slopes of extremely thick coal seam mining, identifying distinct near-field and far-field key strata responses.