Abstract:
The mining of coal resources makes it difficult for vertical fractures in the boundary area of the mining zone to close, exerting significant negative impacts on surface morphology, vegetation, the stability of the groundwater system, and the ecological environment of the mining area. To address the problem of permanent fractures at mining boundaries that are difficult to restore and close, an in-situ backfilling technology for working face ends is proposed based on stope failure structural characteristics and overburden movement patterns. Physical and numerical simulation methods are adopted to evaluate the capacity of the technology to suppress the propagation of mining-induced fractures in overlying strata at mining boundaries and mitigate surface subsidence. Numerical simulation results indicate that this technology effectively fills the void at the stope boundary, controls the rotational movement amplitude of blocks in the boundary area, suppresses the development of mining-induced fractures in the boundary overburden and surface cracks, and optimizes the displacement of roof-breaking blocks from step-like abrupt changes to gentle slope-like gradual changes. Similar material simulation results show that when the in-situ filling technology at the working face end is applied, the overburden failure mode at the mining boundary transitions from a “fracture-dominated” type to a “flexure-coordinated” type. The development height of mining-induced fractures is significantly reduced, and surface subsidence decreases by approximately 29.9%, confirming the subsidence control effect of this technology. The research findings provide a reference for achieving coordinated “mining−restoration” green development in mining areas under similar mining conditions.