Support working resistance determined on top-coal caving face based on coal-rock combined body

Taking top-coal caving mining face (TCCMF) as research object, this paper considers the combination of top-coal and immediate roof as cushion layer to build the solution model of support resistance based on the theory of elastic foundation beam. Meanwhile, the physical and mechanical properties of coal-rock combination influencing on strata behaviors is explored. The results illustrate that the subsidence of main roof in coal wall increases and the first weighting interval decreases with the increase of top-coal and immediate roof thicknesses as well as the decrease of top-coal and immediate roof elastic modulus. Moreover, the overlying strata reflecting on support has negative and positive relationship with top-coal thickness and immediate roof thickness, respectively. However, elastic modulus has limit influence on the dead weight of top-coal and immediate roof. As a result, it has similar roles on the increase of total support resistance and overlying strata reflecting on support in the limit range of roof control distance. In view of sensitive analysis causing the change of total support resistance, it can be regards as the rank of three components as immediate roof weight > overlying strata reflecting on support > top coal weight. Finally, combined with the monitoring data of support resistance in Qingdong 828, the validity of support resistance determined based on elastic foundation beam is demonstrated, and this method can be recommended to adopt for support type selecting in TCCMF.