1
25-051
Investigating Rib Brow Potential Through Monitoring in a
Room-and-Pillar Coal Mine
Khaled Mohamed
CDC NIOSH, Pittsburgh, PA
Yuting Xue
CDC NIOSH, Pittsburgh, PA
Alper Kirmaci
Missouri University of Science and Technology,
Rolla, MO
Dogukan Guner
Missouri University of Science and Technology,
Rolla, MO
Taghi Sherizadeh
Missouri University of Science and Technology,
Rolla, MO
ABSTRACT
Rib brows present a significant safety hazard in under-
ground coal mines in the United States. To address this
issue, researchers at the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Missouri University of
Science and Technology (MST) are developing a practical
tool to assess both the potential of rib brow formation and
the stability of any formed brows. As part of this effort, a
monitoring study was conducted to assess the potential for
rib brow formation in coal pillar ribs.
This study was conducted in a room-and-pillar coal
mine where coal pillar ribs are prone to developing rib
brows. Although no rib brows formed in the instrumented
pillar, data from monitoring and visual observations pro-
vided valuable insights into the loading mechanisms impact-
ing the instrumented pillar. These findings helped identify
factors that may reduce rib brow formation, including the
cavability of the roof in mined areas, the applied rib sup-
port, the strength of rock partings, and the overall integrity
of the coal seam.
The scientific findings published in the case study aid
in assessing the potential of brow formation, offering addi-
tional evidence for the need to improve rib control meth-
ods in underground coal mines.
INTRODUCTION
Underground instrumentation has been recognized by most
researchers as the most reliable method to understand the
ground movement and load transfer/redistribution during
the mining process (Thomas, 2015). As a result, extensive
instrumentation sites have been installed in United States
underground coal mines (Klemetti et al., 2018, 2019, 2021
McElhinney et al., 2023 Minoski et al., 2020 Sears et al.,
2024). Due to the varying geologic conditions, mining his-
tory, and mine designs, the monitoring data vary consider-
ably, and using these data in a precise quantitative ground
control design application is a challenging task (Zhao et al.,
2022).
Monitoring data from a specific mine can effectively
evaluate the performance of pillars, roof, and rib support,
providing essential guidance for their design. Additionally,
data collected from underground instrumentation can be
used to calibrate numerical models (Esterhuizen et al.,
2018 Mohamed et al., 2020 Sears et al., 2018, 2024 Tulu
et al., 2018). These calibrated numerical models are invalu-
able for understanding the loading and failure processes of
underground structures. They also facilitate the investiga-
tion of global loading and stability conditions beyond the
25-051
Investigating Rib Brow Potential Through Monitoring in a
Room-and-Pillar Coal Mine
Khaled Mohamed
CDC NIOSH, Pittsburgh, PA
Yuting Xue
CDC NIOSH, Pittsburgh, PA
Alper Kirmaci
Missouri University of Science and Technology,
Rolla, MO
Dogukan Guner
Missouri University of Science and Technology,
Rolla, MO
Taghi Sherizadeh
Missouri University of Science and Technology,
Rolla, MO
ABSTRACT
Rib brows present a significant safety hazard in under-
ground coal mines in the United States. To address this
issue, researchers at the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Missouri University of
Science and Technology (MST) are developing a practical
tool to assess both the potential of rib brow formation and
the stability of any formed brows. As part of this effort, a
monitoring study was conducted to assess the potential for
rib brow formation in coal pillar ribs.
This study was conducted in a room-and-pillar coal
mine where coal pillar ribs are prone to developing rib
brows. Although no rib brows formed in the instrumented
pillar, data from monitoring and visual observations pro-
vided valuable insights into the loading mechanisms impact-
ing the instrumented pillar. These findings helped identify
factors that may reduce rib brow formation, including the
cavability of the roof in mined areas, the applied rib sup-
port, the strength of rock partings, and the overall integrity
of the coal seam.
The scientific findings published in the case study aid
in assessing the potential of brow formation, offering addi-
tional evidence for the need to improve rib control meth-
ods in underground coal mines.
INTRODUCTION
Underground instrumentation has been recognized by most
researchers as the most reliable method to understand the
ground movement and load transfer/redistribution during
the mining process (Thomas, 2015). As a result, extensive
instrumentation sites have been installed in United States
underground coal mines (Klemetti et al., 2018, 2019, 2021
McElhinney et al., 2023 Minoski et al., 2020 Sears et al.,
2024). Due to the varying geologic conditions, mining his-
tory, and mine designs, the monitoring data vary consider-
ably, and using these data in a precise quantitative ground
control design application is a challenging task (Zhao et al.,
2022).
Monitoring data from a specific mine can effectively
evaluate the performance of pillars, roof, and rib support,
providing essential guidance for their design. Additionally,
data collected from underground instrumentation can be
used to calibrate numerical models (Esterhuizen et al.,
2018 Mohamed et al., 2020 Sears et al., 2018, 2024 Tulu
et al., 2018). These calibrated numerical models are invalu-
able for understanding the loading and failure processes of
underground structures. They also facilitate the investiga-
tion of global loading and stability conditions beyond the