Numerical simulation on strata behaviours of TCCWF influenced by coal-rock combined body

Due to top-coal and immediate roof as cushion layer connecting with support and overlying strata, it can make significant influence on strata behaviors in fully mechanical top-coal caving working face (TCCWF). Taking Qingdong 828 working face as engineering background, FLAC3D and UDEC2D were adopted to explore the influence of top-coal thickness (TCT), immediate roof thickness (IRT), top-coal elastic modulus (TCEM) and immediate roof elastic modulus (IREM) on the vertical stress and vertical subsidence of roof, caving distance, and support resistance. The results show that the maximum roof subsidence increases with the increase of TCT and IRT as well as the decrease of TCEM and IREM, which is totally opposite to vertical stress in roof-control distance. Moreover, although the increase of TCEM and IREM leading to the increase of peak value of abutment pressure, the position and distribution range have no significant change. Under the condition of initial weighting occurrence, support resistance has negative and positive relationship with physical parameters (e.g., TCT and IRT) and mechanical properties (e.g., TCEM and IREM), respectively.