Comprehensive monitoring technique based on electromagnetic radiation and its applications to mine pressure

Strata pressures are common potential troubles during coal mining, serious ones can cause great catastrophe. This paper presents a new comprehensive electromagnetic radiation (EMR) monitoring technique to monitor and predict these disasters. In this paper, we studied the relationship of EMR emitted by various, uniaxially loaded, coal rock samples (coal, rock, roof-coal-floor composite) in their whole deformation and failure processes to the applied loads, and found that EMR signal is linearly related to the applied loads, while the number of EMR pulses is a third power function of the applied loads. Therefore, EMR signal is capable of reflecting the stress (load) state, deformation and fracture strength, and internal stress state of coal rock mass. Based on the above, we proposed three methods for measuring rock pressure distribution, periodic pressure, and internal stress distribution of coal rock mass on working faces, and conducted field measurements and verifications. The results showed that (i) EMR has a certain correspondence to support resistance of working faces, and can reflect more accurately the face pressure distribution; (ii) in the mining impacted area located within 100 m in the front of working face, the stress distribution has unimodal and bimodal forms; (iii) EMR signal changes periodically with periodic pressure, and can be used to qualitatively observe and evaluate periodic pressure; (iv) tested with antenna in the borehole into coal rock mass, EMR signal can effectively reflect the internal stress distribution and shifting, which was verified by using traditional drilling cuttings method. In addition, EMR can also be used to check the effect of destress blasting as one of the emergency measures. In conclusion, the results are of practical significance for using EMR to monitor rock pressure and guiding safe underground mining.