Abstract: For high production and efficiency, roadways at mining area are generally arranged along coal seams with large rectangular section. Due to weaker strength of coal seam compared with the overlying strata, obvious mine pressure and large scale of rupture in sidewalls often appear, which have always been great threats to coal roadways stability and production safety. Currently, being an important reinforcement technique, the high-strength anchor (cable) supporting system has been widely used to maintain coal roadway stability, but supporting parameters, such as anchor length, diameter, and anchor arrangement are mainly determined empirically, not dependent on theoretical calculation. Considering rectangular coal roadways and overlain horizontally layered rock and based on the key strata theory in ground control and the elastic foundation beam model, this paper has firstly obtained the analytical expression of stress and the deformation of rock beam, to determine the pressure loading on sidewalls as well as the rupture range. On the basis of this, according to stability principle of geotechnical engineering, the anchoring force required for maintaining sidewall stability has been further studied, which can provide a theoretical basis for determining supporting parameters. Finally, through an example, the pressure loading on sidewalls and the bolting parameters have been calculated, and the result is in good agreement with the engineering practice.

Key words: mining engineering, rectangular coal roadway, anchor, elastic foundation beam, analytical solution