Abstract: In Bulianta coal mine of Shendong mining area, roof fall is tend to happen during the withdrawal of No.12401 and No.12402 coal faces, which is caused by the regulating roadway. To investigate this problem, FLAC3D software was used to study the influence of buried depth on regulating roadway. The results show that the maximum buried depth for regulating roadway application is 213 m to 318 m when the coal pillar is stable, or 165 m to 229 m when the surrounding rock deformation is controllable. By considering other related factors, the final maximum buried depth for regulating roadway application is determined as less than 165 m. The findings have been verified by No.12405 and No.12406 coal faces of Bulianta coal mine, and No.52304 and No.52303 coal faces of Daliuta coal mine, which can provide reference to effective and safe withdrawal of coal faces with similar conditions in Shendong mining area.

Key words: Shendong mining area, regulating roadway, buried depth, shallow coal seam, roof fall