Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations for Investigation of the Damage Causes in Safety Elements of Powered Roof Supports—A Case Study

Abstract

The paper describes a case study of the safety hydraulic system damage in the working of a longwall in a Polish coal mine. The safety elements are a component of the powered roof supports which secure the shield against damage during rock burst incidents. The damage event, which occurred in the hydraulic system during the mining process, caused the uncontrolled lowering of the powered roof support height during the mining process. The uncontrolled lowering of a shield may cause the danger of the loss of the stability along the longwall working in the form of a rock burst and collapses and may represent a serious and immediate danger to the safety and health of employees. Based on the results of the computational fluid dynamics methods (CFD) analysis of the safety elements in the hydraulic system of longwall 2-leg shield, the causes of damage were diagnosed and presented. The CFD and the strength analysis by the finite element method (FEM) were used for numerical modeling. The diagrams and maps of changes of parameters having an impact on the damage mechanism in safety elements of the hydraulic leg were developed based on the results of model tests. The forecasted values of stress distributions in the safety system of the hydraulic leg have made it possible to identify the reasons of the damage causes, verified by real observations.