Reconstruction of 3D stress field in coal–rock mass by solving inverse problem using tomography data

Abstract

The theoretically evaluated multi-disciplinary approach enables determination of stress state of a coal–rock mass in the area of coal cutting using a package of geomechanical and geophysical information. The approach is based on successive solutions of two inverse problems in the framework of a geomechanical model: coal-bed tomography and assessment of horizontal components of external stress field. The numerical experiments demonstrate resolvability of the inverse problems given appropriate monitoring system ensures sufficient seismic coverage of a coal-bed in the domain of steep spatial gradients of elastic waves and the presence of regular composition in the frequency range of the order of hundreds of hertz in the sounding signal generated by a cutter–loader and/or other coal-face work machinery.