Ground control failures continue to be one of the leading causes of injuries and fatalities in underground coal mining. The roof, rib, floor, and pillars are four areas of potential ground failures that miners, engineers, and consultants are continually evaluating. Quite often, these four underground structures are evaluated independently. A recent push to consider them as a system and in a similar manner as design engineers evaluate mechanical systems has highlighted the need to fully understand the interrelationship among the roof, rib, floor, and pillar. This relationship combines the geometry of the mine layout, geological environment, installed support, and even the timing of the coal extraction. Several studies using field observations and instrumentation show that these relationships can be independent at times, while being dependent in other scenarios. Cases with good roof conditions while the rib and floor deteriorate are contrasted with cases where the roof, rib, and floor deteriorate at the same time. The presented cases in this study demonstrate the importance of understanding the geological environment and mine design to ensure that the proper support is installed.

中文翻译：

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地下煤矿顶、肋、底板、立柱关系的洞察

地面控制故障仍然是地下煤矿开采人员伤亡的主要原因之一。屋顶、肋骨、地板和支柱是矿工、工程师和顾问不断评估的四个潜在地面故障区域。通常，这四个地下结构是独立评估的。最近推动将它们视为一个系统，并以与设计工程师评估机械系统类似的方式，强调需要充分了解屋顶、肋骨、地板和支柱之间的相互关系。这种关系结合了矿山布局的几何形状、地质环境、安装的支架，甚至煤炭开采的时间。使用现场观察和仪器的几项研究表明，这些关系有时可能是独立的，同时依赖于其他场景。屋顶状况良好而肋和地板恶化的情况与屋顶、肋和地板同时恶化的情况形成对比。本研究中展示的案例证明了了解地质环境和矿山设计以确保安装适当的支架的重要性。