Feasibility study of highwall mining in north surface mine of Yima Coal Corporation, China

Yima Coal Corporation is considering to adopt highwall mining method with auger machine to recover coal from north surface pit that has reached final highwall position. The major geomechanical issues associated with auger mining are highwall and pillar stability. Based on the field investigation and laboratory test results of mechanical parameters, numerical modeling is carried out to assess the stability of highwall and pillar. Field measurements of highwall deformation have been used to validate and ensure the confidence for the development of realistic models. The results of numerical modeling show that the mining method is feasible for mining the seam of 10 m thickness in north surface coal mine.