Abstract:
To address the severe deformation and extensive rehabilitation of the withdrawal roadway (WR) induced by the superposition of in situ stress and intense mining-induced stress, particularly the strong dynamic strata pressure caused by the rotation and subsidence of the cantilevered main roof, an integrated mining-cutting roadway formation (MCRF) technology comprising “shearer-cut roadway formation–roof cutting and pressure relief–constant-resistance support” was proposed. Numerical simulation, physical similarity modeling, and an industrial field test were conducted to investigate the strata movement, stress evolution, and surrounding-rock deformation during MCRF of the WR. The physical model test showed that directional presplitting roof cutting weakened the load-transfer path of the cantilevered main roof and promoted the timely caving and bulking of the goaf-side roof strata, thereby filling the goaf. During continuous roof deformation, the NPR cables maintained a nearly constant support resistance and suspended the immediate roof from the competent overlying strata, thus achieving coordinated control of the surrounding rock in the WR. Numerical simulation verified this mechanism and compared the roof stress evolution and deformation under three conditions: conventional support without roof cutting, conventional support with roof cutting, and NPR constant-resistance support with roof cutting. Under the combined action of roof cutting and NPR constant-resistance support, the surrounding rock remained stable, and the vertical stress in the main roof was approximately 0.5 MPa lower than that under roof cutting with conventional support, indicating a more uniform redistribution of the overburden load. Field monitoring showed that roof deformation exhibited an asymmetric distribution and gradually decreased from the goaf side toward the solid-coal side. Meanwhile, the axial force of the NPR cables underwent a staged evolution of “loading–unloading–stabilization.” The field-observed strata movement and surrounding-rock deformation were consistent with the physical model and numerical simulation results. After the powered supports were withdrawn, the WR maintained an effective cross-section of 4.26 m × 3.10 m, and the rehabilitation workload was markedly reduced. The results demonstrate that the proposed technology effectively controls the fracturing, rotation, and subsidence of the main roof, mitigates dynamic strata-pressure behavior during powered-support withdrawal, limits surrounding-rock deformation, and significantly reduces roadway rehabilitation, thereby providing sufficient operational space for the safe and efficient recovery of longwall equipment.