MEMS Inertial Sensor for Strata Stability Monitoring in Underground Mining: An Experimental Study

To investigate the fracture and deformation characteristics of the strata in underground mining as well as the effectiveness and sensitivity of the MEMS inertial sensor for strata stability monitoring, a low cost, small size, and easy implementation inertial MEMS sensor module was redeveloped. Sensor modules were installed on roof strata in an underground mining equivalent material simulation experiment. Then, monitoring signal of two modules near the middle and end section of caving strata was processed. The processed signal presents stepped change, and each step consists a vibration stage and a stable stage. Further analysis of each stage, a strategy to estimate the deformation and stability of strata, can be reached: the duration of each vibration stage and complete stage with rising trend indicates that the deformation of strata is growing to the ultimate state. In this study, this method could recognize the destructive deformation of strata at least 1 hour before the strata caving.