A Generalized Numerical Simulation Calibration Approach to Predict the Geotechnical Hazards of a Coal Mine: Case Study on Khalashpir Coal Basin, Bangladesh

Numerical investigation eases the development and exploitation phase of a coal mine, considering geological settings by forecasting the overall stability. This research aims to manifest a generalized numerical simulation calibration approach to anticipate the probable geotechnical hazards in an explored coal mine; focusing on the Khalashpir coal basin, in Bangladesh. This study inspects the feasibility of initiating mining at the currently proposed central block associated with major faults by the finite element method (FEM), which is a valuable tool to understand the variations of stress distribution in the rock mass. The study verifies the findings of the FEM by further assessing the seam convergence, vertical stress, and strain safety factor by boundary element method (BEM), in which numerical discretization is done at reduced spatial dimension. Both results depict that there will be significant displacements in the formation, which infer subsidence and increases vastly along the major faults. The numerical investigation approach in this study will provide a reference for future research regarding newly explored coal mines, particularly ones in the Gondwana basin.