Experimental Study of Gangue Layer Weakening with Deep-Hole Presplitting Blasting

Advances in coal mining technology and an increase in coal output are resulting in increasingly challenging conditions being encountered at coal seams. This is particularly so at thin coal seams, where a large number of hard rock layers known as gangue are often present, which seriously affect the normal operation of the shearer and reduce coal output. Therefore, the effective weakening of hard gangue layers in a coal seam is crucial to ensure that the shearer operates effectively and that coal output is maximized. In this paper, the weakening effect of deep-hole presplitting blasting technology on the hard gangue layer in a coal seam is studied via a similar simulation. Four test schemes are designed: (1) A blasting hole spacing of 200 mm with the holes offset vertically. (2) A blast hole spacing of 300 mm with the holes offset vertically. (3) A blast hole spacing of 200 mm with the holes parallel to the gangue layer. (4) A blasting hole spacing of 200 mm with the holes offset vertically and initiation of interval blasting. The effect of the different blasting hole spacings and arrangements and different detonation methods on the weakening of coal seam clamping by gangue is studied, and the best configuration is identified. This improves the effect of weakening the coal gangue layer by deep-hole presplitting blasting. © 2021 Jianchi Hao et al.