Gateroad protection mechanism and surrounding rock control for gob-side entry with slender pillar in deep and inclined extra-thick coal seams

The depth of coal mining in the central and eastern China is increasing, the ground pressure is high, the roadway deformation and burst risk is great. Gob-side entry with slender gate pillar (GESGP) is constantly adopted to improve surrounding rock environment. In order to grasp ground pressure behavior of the gob-side entry and develop targeted surrounding rock control measures, field observation and numerical simulation have been carried out against a case of GESGP of 3 m pillar in a ultra thick coal seam of a 800 m cover depth. The results show that: ① Fragmentation and deformation of surrounding rock on the coal pillar side are larger than the other side. Fragmentation and deformation of pillar at the gob side is larger than the other; Although the buried depth is great, the gob is settled and a large amount of overburden load is sustained by it, so the stress is sufficiently transferred to the deep rocks; ② The deformation of the gob-side entry is asymmetrical, the roof sags more on the pillar side than the other, pillar rib top and solid coal side rid middle are greater with deformation occurring mostly at shallow part; ③ Gob is the “escape” passage for entry deformation which is good for slow release of deformation energy and reduction of burst; ④ The range of the pressure relief area is expanded from triangle before excavation to parallelogram after excavation, also the location of the stress concentration area is shifted to the upper right of the entry; ⑤ Interface of the first/second shear failure planes on the pillar and the high stress zone on the upper right of the entry are the key targeted control zones. The surrounding rock control system was put forward that coal pillar reinforcement based on multiple plastic zone development cycles and precise destress of high stress zone. The research can provide research foundation and scientific basis for the adjacent panels and other similar deep and inclined extra-thick coal seams.