Gate-Road Geomechanics in LTCC and Thick-Seam Longwall Mining: A Critical Review and Proposed Adaptive Framework for Indian Gondwana Coalfields
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Gate roadways provide access, ventilation, transport and services throughout longwall panel development and retreat. Their stability depends on stress orientation, roof-bed structure, discontinuities, pillar geometry, support response and extraction sequence. In longwall top-coal caving (LTCC), the deliberate fracture and rear-window drawing of upper coal add load-transfer interactions that are not represented by bottom-slice extraction or by high-cutting single-pass longwall. This critical narrative review synthesises published field studies, case histories, numerical analyses and technical literature relevant to LTCC and thick-seam gate-road behaviour, with particular attention to Indian Gondwana conditions. Adriyala is treated as a bottom-slice comparator: its retained upper coal informs roof behaviour and monitoring, but it is not evidence of deliberate LTCC top-coal drawing. The review proposes a six-stage adaptive framework linking site characterisation, extraction geometry, layout comparison, support design, installation verification, and monitoring-led updating. A TARP response logic is presented as a site-specific management tool. The framework is a structured synthesis of the reviewed evidence, not a validated design standard; numerical dimensions and support values from individual cases are not transferable without mine-specific analysis. Instrumented prospective studies in Indian thick-seam and LTCC panels are needed to test and refine the framework.
Source: Preprints.org
Author: Nasina Balasubrahmanyam
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanics of Materials
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225117782