Assessment of shield support performance based on an innovative mathematical-physical model in longwall faces

In the present study, theoretical and experimental investigations were conducted focusing on the load-carrying characteristics of the powered hydraulic support. Based on the drive space, a kinematic model using the Denavit–Hartenberg theory based on drive space was developed to predict the position information of the hydraulic support. Then the dynamic model of the support was established to analyze the carrying behaviors of the support. A computational procedure was presented to obtain a coupled solution of the kinematic mechanism and the failure mechanism. A test bench was designed to verify the model. The numerical model gained deep insight into the effects of the strokes of the column and the equilibrium jack, the working force of the column, the equilibrium, and the friction coefficients. As a result, the working intervals of the column and the equilibrium jack as well as the loading characteristics were investigated under various supporting attitudes. The obtained responses illustrate that the optimal structural parameters could be reasonably established to improve the performance of the powered support. Moreover, the performed analyses demonstrate that the proposed methodology can be applied to accurately predict the experimental response of the support and provide a basis to adaptively adjust the surrounding rock strata and the powered support in industrial applications.