Influence of Discontinuous Linear Deformation on the Values of Continuous Deformations of a Mining Area and a Building Induced by an Exploitation of Hard Coal Seam

Featured Application: Conducted research may allow us to predict the behavior of a mining area, in a particular building located in an area of discontinuous linear deformation of a terrain caused by the underground mining of hard coal and determine the real values of their inclinations and curvatures. The method of removing a building’s deflection depends on its inclination values. In this article, the impact of a ground step on a residential building and a mining terrain has been presented. Influence of a discontinuous linear deformation by the changes of the inclination and curvatures’ values (continuous deformations) has been observed. Discontinuous and continuous deformations have been caused by an exploitation of the 405/1 hard coal seam, located at a depth of 550 m. Extraction was carried out with the use of the longwall system to the south of the building. A discontinuous linear deformation occurred parallel to a north wall of the building and had a height of 0.2 m. The inclination and curvatures’ values have been calculated on the basis of the results of the geodesic surveys. Vertical displacements and horizontal distances between the measuring points in the ground and on the building’s walls have been measured. Points in two perpendicular directions (parallel and perpendicular to a ground step) have been stabilized. The observational network consisted of 12 points (3 points in each direction, in the ground and on the walls). Research has shown that inclinations and curvatures have different values on a terrain’s surface and in buildings, which means that a deformation process takes place in a different way in the ground and a building. The obtained results indicate that an occurrence of a discontinuous linear deformation near the building reduces the values of inclinations and curvatures of a terrain surface and a building in a parallel direction to its longitudinal axis, and it increases the values of the continuous deformations in the direction perpendicular to it.